Bioeconomy in the Baltic Sea Region

Over four years the Interreg South Baltic Project BioBIGG investigated the opportunities for biobased innovation and green growth in the south baltic region. Case studies from Denmark, Germany, Poland and Sweden presented interesting solutions and practical examples. The framework conditions for biobased innovation need to be improved and harmonised. Also transnational collaboration should be strengthened. The foundation of the ScanBalt Working Group Bioeconomy is an important step to consolidate the project results and recommendations.

The BioBIGG project, which aimed to build an interdisciplinary network and to mobilise the innovation potential of material and energy use, ended in June 2021. Cross-border interaction with stakeholders, mainly SMEs, played an important role in the development of solutions for new products and processes. In particular, biogenic residues, coupling products and products from cascading were investigated as they have a great potential in the Baltic Sea Region and can be converted into energy or non-food products. For example, carrot pomace contains ingredients that can be used in natural cosmetics. The pyrolysis with old thatching reed is a possibility for cascade use in areas where roofs are still thatched. Leaf protein concentrate extracted from broccoli and kale leaves can be used as a food additive to improve food quality as well as to meet the demand for locally produced protein-rich animal feed.

The project partners from Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany examined the framework conditions and funding structures and instruments in their countries to determine whether they positively or negatively influence the development of a sustainable bioeconomy, knowledge transfer and innovation capacity of SMEs. Legislation and regulations need amendment when they have a negative impact on each other and do not consider new technologies and consequently hinder the sustainable development of the bioeconomy. There is also a need to improve the communication of transnational exchange and to increase the public awareness about the bioeconomy and bio-based products available on the market. The detailed reports on this and all other project results are available under https://biobigg.ruc.dk.

The establishment of a transnational bioeconomy network in the Baltic Sea Region was part of the BioBIGG project and was realised with the foundation of the Bioeconomy Working Group under the already existing ScanBalt Network. The network is Northern Europe’s accelerator in the field of health and life sciences, bringing together actors from a wide range of fields, promoting projects and coordinating project funding. The Bioeconomy Working Group helps to put policy objectives into practice and to create added value for all partners in transnational projects. Furthermore, the group aims to improve the coordination of research and entrepreneurship in order to strengthen the development of new ecological products. Various stakeholders from different fields can learn about the numerous project ideas, methods and procedures to ensure a successful implementation. All project results are available on the webpage of Bioeconomy Working Group under the ScanBalt network: https://scanbalt.org/bioeconomy/.

Project partner: Roskilde University, FNR, Gdańsk University of Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Research Institutes of Sweden AB (RISE), University of Greifswald

Project website: https://biobigg.ruc.dk.

FNR contact person:

Project duration: Start 31.07.2017 – End 30.06.2021
Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.
Valerie Sartorius
Tel.: +49 3843 6930-249
Mail: v.sartorius(at)fnr.de

Source

Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V., press release, 2021-07-20.

Supplier

Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR)
Gdańsk University of Technology
Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE)
Roskilde University
Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU)
Universität Greifswald

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