• Mentoring & guidance: 
  Build practical roadmaps to finance, implement, and govern your transition to a sustainable bioeconomy.
• Regional visits & peer learning: 
  Visit with a host region to see bioeconomy solutions in action.
• Travel funding: 
  Up to €900 each for three participants per visiting region.
• Strengthen networks:
  Build long-term collaborations with clusters, agencies, and SMEs facing similar challenges.

Are you working on a bioeconomy innovation or solution in Central and Eastern Europe? The BIOEAST Open Innovation Challenge (OIC) is your chance to turn great ideas into real impact.

Launched by the BOOST4BIOEAST projject, the Challenge invites innovators, researchers, start-ups, and companies from 11 countries to submit practical solutions to key sustainability challenges. Whether you’re developing a new concept or scaling an existing product, the OIC offers visibility, networking, and a path to implementation.

Selected participants will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas at national events in 2026, backed by travel support and high-profile exposure. Top scorers can also win exclusive prizes—including direct pitching opportunities to the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) and free membership for non-commercial actors.

The call focuses on eight priority themes, from smarter biomass use and biowaste reduction to farm resilience and stakeholder engagement. If you’re based in a BIOEAST country and passionate about the bioeconomy, this is your platform.

Applications are open until 31 October 2025.

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and contribute to a greener future.

Learn more and apply: bioeast.eu/open-innovation-challenge

On 28 October 2025 (10:00–12:00 CET, online), SUSTRACK, in collaboration with the European Bioeconomy Network (EuBioNet), will host its final event “Projects2Projects: showcasing key results, inspiring new opportunities”.

As the project reaches its conclusion, SUSTRACK is not only looking back at the knowledge, tools, exploitable assets and recommendations it has generated, but also looking forward. The event is designed as a meeting point between concluded, ongoing, and newly funded Horizon Europe projects working on standardisation, certification, labelling, and monitoring in the bioeconomy. By creating space for dialogue and exchange, the workshop aims to maximise the use of project results, strengthen cooperation, and inspire the next wave of initiatives.

The programme will open with a presentation of SUSTRACK’s main results, followed by a Projects2Projects roundtable, where BIOTRANSFORM, CEE2ACT, HARMONITOR, STAR4BBS, SUSTCERT4BIOBASED (BIOBASEDCERT Cluster), and ROBIN will share their exploitable tools, resources, and key lessons learned.

A second highlight will be the Policy2Projects roundtable, bringing together policymakers from the European Commission and the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking. Their contributions will provide forward-looking recommendations based on the ongoing revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, helping projects to better align with future policy priorities.

Finally, an “open mic” session will give newly funded and ongoing projects the chance to briefly present their work and connect with peers in light of the recommendations shared during the event.

By bridging experiences and perspectives, this event will serve as a catalyst for stronger collaboration, better exploitation of results, and improved impact across the bioeconomy community.

Join SUSTRACK on 28 October to exchange, learn, and shape the future of the circular bioeconomy. Participation is free of charge, but registration is mandatory by 27 October at noon.

Take a look at the agenda and register here!

The Sustainable Futures Conference, co-organised by the Horizon Europe-funded projects BlueRev, Engage4Bio, BlueBioClusters, and SKILLBILL, underscored the importance of integrated, cross-sectoral collaboration in driving Europe’s green and just transition. The urgency of reducing dependence on material and energy imports is closely tied to the need to empower regional and local communities. These communities must be equipped to forge their own sustainable pathways towards resilience, climate neutrality, and long-term socio-economic prosperity.

While each project addresses distinct thematic areas, their shared experiences revealed that common challenges—such as resource autonomy, regional sustainability, and citizen engagement—are most effectively addressed through collaborative tools and synergistic approaches.

The conference highlighted that Horizon Europe projects can:

• Act as catalysts for dialogue among diverse stakeholders, including businesses, public authorities, and civil society.

• Emphasise local value creation and promote the co-design of solutions that enhance long-term impact and acceptability.

• Empower marginalised and underrepresented communities by equipping them with the tools to actively shape the green transition, fostering inclusive, bottom-up innovation.

• Increase citizen awareness of their role in influencing future markets, governance, and sustainability trends.

  Key Policy Recommendations

  Drawing on the outcomes and insights from the participating initiatives, the following policy recommendations are proposed to inform both EU and national policy development and programme design:

  1. Promote Synergistic and Multi-Project Approaches
  Encourage funding instruments that connect complementary projects across bioeconomy sectors, blue, green, circular, as well as renewable energy. Cross-project collaboration should be supported to enable the reuse of tools and methodologies, improve efficiency, and strengthen coherence across initiatives.

  2. Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement for Co-Creation
  Create structured platforms and provide incentives for inclusive multi-stakeholder collaboration. Involving SMEs from the early stages is critical for building viable, long-term business models. Likewise, the inclusion of municipalities and regional authorities ensures continuity through integration with local governance structures.

  3. Address Skills Gaps through Regional Training Ecosystems
  Support the development of tailored training programmes co-designed by companies, universities, and local actors to reflect territorial needs. Investments in Vocational Education and Training (VET) should be aligned with both market demands and regional sustainability goals.
  Specialised training for public bodies is also essential to equip decision-makers with the knowledge needed to adopt innovative solutions.

  Strengthening academia–industry collaboration is vital. While these sectors differ in focus, they are fundamentally complementary. Industry requires a skilled workforce with both theoretical and practical expertise, while universities gain from opportunities for hands-on training and alternative funding streams. Identifying shared goals can foster impactful partnerships and mutual benefits.

  There is also a pressing need to enhance gender inclusion in the renewable energy sector. Conference participants agreed on the need for communication strategies that challenge stereotypes, create welcoming environments, and empower women to thrive and contribute equally in science, technology, and innovation.

  4. Ensure Long-Term Sustainability of Project Tools
  Horizon Europe projects should be encouraged to integrate sustainable business models for the maintenance and development of digital tools and resources. Identifying potential future tool owners, such as SMEs, NGOs, or public bodies, early in the project lifecycle can ensure continuity and scalability. Where appropriate, tools developed within EU-funded projects should be incorporated into EU-level platforms (e.g., European Commission repositories) to maximise reach and longevity.

  5. Harmonise EU-Wide Educational Standards and Procedures
  Efforts should be made to streamline the cross-border recognition of academic degrees and training certificates to reduce barriers to mobility and speed up validation processes.
  The development of EU-wide frameworks for course structures would also support mutual recognition and improve efficiency.

  Digital innovation should be leveraged to widen access to education, particularly for learners in remote areas. This includes:

  • Providing subsidies for digital equipment;

  • Offering incentives for AI-powered educational content;

  • Supporting the design and dissemination of high-quality online courses.

  6. Foster the Role of Art and Culture in the Green Transition
  Artistic and cultural initiatives should be recognised and supported as powerful drivers of awareness, inclusion, and creativity in the sustainability space. These interventions can help engage broader audiences and inspire innovative thinking.

  7. Support Local Governance Capacity-Building
  Empowering local and regional authorities with financial and institutional resources is critical to enable the adoption of innovative governance models. Aligning these local efforts with EU-wide strategies, such as the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork, and the Circular Economy Action Plan, will reinforce strategic coherence and strengthen impact. Regional actors should be more closely connected to EU policy dialogues and implementation frameworks.

  By implementing these recommendations, policymakers can significantly enhance the transformative potential of local sustainability initiatives. These actions will also help ensure that grassroots innovation aligns with Europe’s overarching ambitions for a greener, more inclusive, and competitive future.

After three years of intensive research, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement, the STAR4BBS project officially concludes. The initiative, funded under the EU’s Horizon programme, has successfully delivered new tools, knowledge, and recommendations to enhance certification, labelling, and traceability in the bio-based economy.

About STAR4BBS

STAR4BBS (“Sustainable bio-based systems through effective certification & labelling”) was launched to maximize the potential of Sustainability Certification Schemes (SCS) and business-to-business labels to drive the sustainable transition of the EU bio-based economy. The project focused on:
•Assessing the existing international and EU SCS, labels and traceability systems applicable to biological feedstock, bio-based materials and products;
•Developing robust indicators and a monitoring framework to evaluate their effectiveness and reliability; and
•Recommending improvements to ensure transparency, credibility and alignment with sustainability goals.
The consortium included leading universities, research centres, standardisation bodies, NGOs, and industry stakeholders across Europe.

Key Achievements
1.New Monitoring & Evaluation System Developed STAR4BBS has designed and tested a monitoring system with indicators that allow users, policy-makers, auditors and businesses to assess how well certification schemes and labels are doing — in terms of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, traceability, and risk of greenwashing.
2.Comprehensive Assessment of Existing Schemes The project has published analyses and public results comparing certified vs non-certified biomass flows, evaluating market access effects, robustness of labelling and traceability practices. These findings help identify best practices as well as critical gaps.
3.Broader Stakeholder Training & Awareness Through webinars, conferences, and workshops, STAR4BBS trained and informed diverse audiences — from industry leaders to civil society — on navigating new EU legislation, addressing greenwashing, and implementing sustainability standards more effectively.
4.Collaboration and Policy Contribution The project liaised with sister EU initiatives, engaging in cross-project knowledge transfer and contributing to ongoing policy conversations around sustainable labels, voluntary standards, and bio-based systems. This includes feeding into EU legislative frameworks and standardisation discussion.

Impacts & Legacy
•Enhanced Trust & Transparency in the bio-based supply chain: STAR4BBS’s monitoring tools and recommendations are expected to help reduce risk of greenwashing, improve credibility of labels, and support companies and certifiers in implementing robust traceability and sustainability.
•Policy & Regulatory Alignment: Findings will inform EU institutions and national governments in the formation or refinement of regulation concerning voluntary sustainability standards, labelling, and bio-based product frameworks.
•Capacity Building: Stakeholders across the public and private sector are now better equipped with training, resources, and networks to enact and support sustainable bio-based practices.
•Resources for the Future: All public results, assessments, tools, indicators and reports are made available to facilitate further research, adoption by industry, and follow-on initiatives.
Next Steps
While STAR4BBS formally ends, its work lays the foundation for:
•Adoption of its monitoring system by certifiers, standard bodies, and industries.
•Integration of its findings into future revisions of EU and national sustainability policies and regulatory standards.
•Further research to test and expand the framework in different sectors, geographies and supply chains.
•Continued collaboration across projects and networks to scale impact.

Contact
info@star4bbs.eu
star4bbs.eu