BIO-ECOnomy Research Driven Innovation

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Adriatic - Ionian

Date of latest update: 2025-10-15

Description

Description (EN):

The ADRION region has relevant unexploited potential of biomass from agricultural, fisheries and forestry waste and residues. The enterprises operating in such sectors are suffering serious delays in the green reconversion, multi-functioning, technology innovation, cross-sectoral integration. In this perspective, BIO-Economy represent a common smart specialization priority. BIOECO-RDI aims at developing a Regional Innovation System for the Adriatic-Ionian area based on a structured bio-economy sector though the development of Research Driven Innovation (R.D.I.) strategy at regional and transnational level. BIOECO-RDI will improve the situation: - creating a collaborative network among Adrion regions, enterprises and academia for collaborative research, knowledge transfer and skills development. - supporting the enterprise and cluster in the transition process toward an industrial model with higher level of innovation and international collaboration. - boosting the integration between Green- chemistry and Agri-food cluster according with a circular economy approach. - creating an Adriatic-Ionian bio-based product market. - bridging the gap among the existing wide regional disparities. - activating a mutual learning process among regions with different levels of R.D.I. and bioeconomy business maturity. Project main outputs are: BIOECO-RDI regional and internazional strategies supporting regions in increasing bioeconomy RDI level and cluster maturity. Thanks to the full implementation of those outputs, it will be possible to integrate in a unique and consistent process, regions living different steps in the process of creation of regional bio-economy. This process guarantees to the enterprises of the ADRION area to operate in a more advanced and integrated market, and to regional and national policy makers the needed support to develop effective policies based on circular economy approach.

Achievements (EN):

BIOECOnomy Research Driven Innovation (BioECO-RDI) International Strategy for ADRION region is one of the main outputs of the project. It highlights the results of national SWOT analysis and national BioECO-RDI strategies prepared by the partnership. The transnational BIOECO- RDI Strategy is a result of the first year’s BIOECO RDI project activities, which were mostly related to analysing the regional/national bioeconomy and its development in project regions (Umbria region (Italy), Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Albania, Region of Western Macedonia (Greece)). It is conceived as a complementary part of the regional/national strategies with the aim to support the development of regional /national bioeconomy RDI policy in an international scenario. The findings in the document are based on national and international work group meetings, and meetings with chosen representatives of industry, research and policy in each country. Long Term Recommendations: As described, the region has high biomass potential but in majority of region low utilization of it. The benefits of using biomass for the needs of bio-economy in the region are much lower than they could have been. At the moment its use in terms of bioeconomy is still largely at the level of processing/turning it into energy and heat. As much is this one way of turning the waste biomass into something useful, it is on the other hand not its optimal use. The economies in the region should strive for solutions that would through the cascading use of the mentioned biomass provide products with higher added value (materials and chemicals for use in chemical, automotive, construction, pharmaceutical industry, etc.), and only ultimately use it for energy. But for this to realize the infrastructure such as bio refineries and knowledge is needed. Another very important for the successful operation of biorefinery is the constant supply of biomass and the proximity of biomass source to the bio plant, since the transport of it can at the end cause higher costs and environment pressure than the outcome itself. At the moment there are no large scale bio refineries present in the project region. For the optimum functioning of a major refinery a large investment is needed and the continuous flow of large quantities of biomass is needed. This is a great bite for a region where there is a large amount of biomass, which is seasonal in character and locally fragmented, while economic infrastructure consists predominantly of small and medium-sized enterprises with lower investment potential. Therefore the region should consider going in the direction of building smaller, local bio refineries that would help close local loops. The gap between the research and industry is highly present and the transfer of research results to industrial level and further on to market is poor. The large part of region still did not recognize the benefits of bioeconomy and consequently the market is undeveloped and the demand for bioeconomy products is low. All this lowers the interest of industry to invest into bioeconomy products. However the situation is slightly different in Umbria where the presence of industrial giants and bioclusters paths the way to a successful cooperation between biopolymer industry, research and biomass productive sector. The large industrial giants such as present in Umbria are not very much present in other parts of the region. Therefore, it will be difficult to achieve economies of scale that would give local industry a reasonable incentive to invest in bio-economy. Therefore one of the possible directions could be small scale/high added value/high knowledge content route to bioeconomy, backed by cross regional connections and networks, which is likely to be more successful in these settings. This route builds on an active and high qualified R&D sector, rather than on traditional, high investment industry. Another very important element for the deployment of bioeconomy in the region is the political framework and will. Majority of countries within the region lack both. Last but not least, consumers represent a major factor in creating a market for bio-products. There is a considerable lack of knowledge about the benefits of bio-based materials in the region compared to classical, and, above all, a lack of awareness of the positive impact bio-economy can have on public health, the environment and the future. Based on the information and data provided by international work group members the following main critical elements were identified for the ADRION region: Underdeveloped market for bioeconomy products and lack of market demand. Unrecognized potential of bieconomy among enterpreneurs. Insufficient or rather lack of active participation and investments of entrepreneurs in the development of bioconomy products. Insufficient recognition of bioeconomy at policy level, lack of policy support and policy commitment. Lack of consistent long-term strategic support to transition of traditional industries towards bio-economy. Lack of organizations for linking (clusters). Lack of cooperation between research organizations and industry. Recommendations for improvement of bieoconomy deployment in the region: Raising the level of knowledge and understanding of the principles of bio-economy, circular economy and sustainable development. Streamline the exchange of good practices across the region. Facilitate awareness raising, best practices and capacity building activities- policy debates for changing or moderating the existing legislation which will also help connecting economic and environmental goals; good practise cases from regions (study visits). Enable technical assistance for exploiting the available biomass. Strengthening the support environment and designing measures in the field of bioeconomy and Circular economy. Improving cooperation between RO and Industry by establishing operating systems for enabling better overview and coordination of what is done at RO and what industry needs - wide platforms for providing and extending knowledge about current existing technology, processes, information about suppliers of biomass, opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation should be developed. These could be central points of contact that can provide adequate knowledge on existing national and international initiatives for bioeconomy throughout the ADRION region. These platforms should be developed by interested SME and academia and supported by a political framework Enhance the cooperation between science and business, especially the applied research for concrete products, processes or services, specialized tools need to be developed for streamlined research projects in the field of bio based products and materials (Innovation vouchers, contracted research and rewarding professional performance of R&D institutions could potentially increase the output of joint projects). Funding schemes for SME’s for new products/materials from biomass that can substitute fossil-based equivalent.

Website: http://www.adrioninterreg.eu/

Expected Results (EN): Level of capacity of key innovation actors to be effectively involved in transnational actions for the development of a regional Innovation system

Expected Outputs (EN):

Project expected results are: - Implementation of regional and international Innovation system based on BIO-economy research driven innovation strategies conceived as two consistent folds of the same process aimed at improving regional R.D.I. level and bioeconomy business maturity - Creation of a permanent bio-economy transnational network composed by regions, enterprises and academia aimed at developing collaborative research, best practices exchange, industrial innovation, and skill development in the field of green chemical technologies development and application, shared productive and commercial industrial strategy, common policy action for favouring bio-based products market uptake - Activate a process of institutional dialogue with the national and regional public authorities aimed adopting a Bioeconomy R.D.I. Regional strategy supporting the RDI bio-economy innovation, cluster integration, industrial technology application through the utilization of structural funds measure, regulatory measure or incentive scheme such as Green Public Procurement aimed at supporting bioeconomy R.D.I., business maturity, and bio-based product market up-take The above mentioned results will contribute to the programme result indicator: - increasing the capacity of key innovation actors through the creation of the permanent bio-economy transnational network - promoting their involvement in transnational actions for the development of a regional Innovation system through their direct engagement in the designing and implementation process of the regional and international BIO-economy RDI strategies and through the improvement of the framework condition for improving the bioeconomy RDI level and bioeconomy cluster maturity and supporting the bio-based product market up-take

Thematic information

Regional planning and development Clustering and economic cooperation

Specific Objective: Support the development of a regional Innovation system for the Adriatic-Ionian area

Thematic Objective: (01) strengthening research, technological development and innovation by:

Investment Priority:

(01b) promoting business investment in R&I, developing links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centres and the higher education sector, in particular promoting investment in product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation, eco-innovation, public service applications, demand stimulation, networking, clusters and open innovation through smart specialisation, and supporting technological and applied research, pilot lines, early product validation actions, advanced manufacturing capabilities and first production, in particular in key enabling technologies and diffusion of general purpose technologies

Partners (17)

Lead Partner: Società Regionale per lo Sviluppo Economico dell’Umbria s.p.a. - Sviluppumbria

Address: Via Don Bosco 11, 06121 Perugia, Italy

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.sviluppumbria.it

Total budget: EUR 351 011.80

ERDF budget: EUR 298 360.03

Cluster Umbria Spring

Name: Cluster Umbria Spring

Address: Zona Fiori 116/i, 05100 Terni, Italy

Legal status: public

Αναπτυξιακή Δυτικής Μακεδονίας Α.Ε.

Name: Αναπτυξιακή Δυτικής Μακεδονίας Α.Ε.

Address: Fon Karagianni 1-3, 501 00 KOZANI, Greece

Legal status: public

Ministrstvo za kmetijstvo, gozdasrstvo in prehrano Republike Slovenije

Name: Ministrstvo za kmetijstvo, gozdasrstvo in prehrano Republike Slovenije

Address: Dunajska 22, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Univerzitet u Novom Sadu, Poljoprivredni fakultet Novi Sad

Name: Univerzitet u Novom Sadu, Poljoprivredni fakultet Novi Sad

Address: Trg Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Legal status: public

Università di Perugia - Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali - Perugia, Italia

Name: Università di Perugia - Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali - Perugia, Italia

Address: Via F. Innamorati 6, 06123 Perugia, Italy

Legal status: public

Τεχνικό Επιμελητήριο Ελλάδος / Τμήμα Δυτικής Μακεδονίας

Name: Τεχνικό Επιμελητήριο Ελλάδος / Τμήμα Δυτικής Μακεδονίας

Address: Bousiou & Estias 3, 501 00 Kozani, Greece

Legal status: public

Lesarski grozd

Name: Lesarski grozd

Address: Dimičeva ulica 13, 1504 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Udruženje “Klaster za energtesku efikasnost“

Name: Udruženje “Klaster za energtesku efikasnost“

Address: Pere Popadica 12, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Legal status: public

Regionalna agencija za razvoj malih i srednjih preduzeća, Alma Mons doo. Novi Sad

Name: Regionalna agencija za razvoj malih i srednjih preduzeća, Alma Mons doo. Novi Sad

Address: Svetosavska 3a, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.almamons.rs

Total budget: EUR 104 381.05

IPA2 budget: EUR 88 723.89

ΠΕΡΙΦΕΡΕΙΑ ΔΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ

Name: ΠΕΡΙΦΕΡΕΙΑ ΔΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ

Address: ZEP AREA, 50100 Kozani, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.pdm.gov.gr

Total budget: EUR 4 487.50

ERDF budget: EUR 3 814.38

Dhoma e Tregtise dhe Industrise Tirane

Name: Dhoma e Tregtise dhe Industrise Tirane

Department: Centre of Research and Trainings for Business

Address: Rr. “Kavajës” 6, 1001 Tirana, Albania

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.cci.al

Total budget: EUR 59 719.00

IPA2 budget: EUR 50 761.15

Institut Ruđer Bošković

Name: Institut Ruđer Bošković

Department: Laboratory for aquaculture biotechnology (LAB), Laboratory for stereoselective catalysis and biocatalysis (LSCB), Laboratory for machine learning and knowledge representations (LMLKR)

Address: Bijenička cesta 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.irb.hr

Total budget: EUR 187 980.90

ERDF budget: EUR 159 783.76

Kemijski inštitut

Name: Kemijski inštitut

Department: L07 Laboratory for Polymer Chemistry and Technology

Address: Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ki.si

Total budget: EUR 255 626.70

ERDF budget: EUR 217 282.70

ΕΘΝΙΚΟ ΚΕΝΤΡΟ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΗΣΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ

Name: ΕΘΝΙΚΟ ΚΕΝΤΡΟ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΗΣΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ

Department: Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institutes (CPERI)

Address: 6th km Harilaou - Thermi Rd, 57001 Thermi - Thessaloniki, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.certh.gr

Total budget: EUR 118 023.20

ERDF budget: EUR 100 319.72

Confindustria Umbria

Name: Confindustria Umbria

Address: Via Palermo 80/A, 06124 Perugia, Italy

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.confindustria.umbria.it

Total budget: EUR 277 571.20

ERDF budget: EUR 235 935.52

Εθνικό Κέντρο Έρευνας και Τεχνολογικής Ανάπτυξης (ΕΚΕΤΑ)

Name: Εθνικό Κέντρο Έρευνας και Τεχνολογικής Ανάπτυξης (ΕΚΕΤΑ)

Department: Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institutes (CPERI)

Address: 6th km Harilaou - Thermi Rd, 57001 Thermi - Thessaloniki, Greece

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.certh.gr

Total budget: EUR 118 023.20

ERDF budget: EUR 100 319.72

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BIO-ECOnomy Research Driven Innovation

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