The EU-Interreg project AlpBioEco aims to exploit untapped bioeconomic potentials in value chains of plant extracts and food trough eco-innovation. In the project, several eco-innovative business model concepts were developed by the project team in collaboration with local stakeholders, which were then tested and verified. Now, in the final phase of the project, all the results are brought together in several policy implementation guidelines. These guidelines support the implementation of several eco-innovative business models in selected regions and show possibilities to improve the framework conditions for eco-innovation in the region. In addition, the guidelines enable the transfer of the practical outcomes to other regions within the Alpine Space and beyond. For the development of the guidelines and the promotion of the implementation of the business models in the regions, AlpBioEco has set up ten so-called “Regional Advisory Boards”. Those “Regional Advisory Boards” comprise up to ten local experts, such as political decision makers, local entrepreneurs, farmers, innovation experts and academics, bringing together various experiences and in-depth knowledge. With their expertise, the Policy Implementation Guidelines are developed. To reach all the possible potential in the “Regional Advisory Boards”, AlpBioEco decided to use a creative approach: the design thinking tool called LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. This is an agile approach to solve challenges by using people’s collective insights and by addressing the challenges dynamically. For improving the AlpBioEco project, every member of the “Regional Advisory Board” is going to build – as the name implies from lego bricks – the current situation and status quo of the business model from his own point of view. Thereby, the workshop generates a 360°C all-round view of the status quo of the region by experts from various areas and sectors. The results of the workshops will contribute to the final “Regional Implementation Guidelines” set up by AlpBioEco.

As there are several “Regional Advisory Boards”, which focus on one business model in one region, there are also several dates for the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshops, starting with 22 October 2020.

For more information, please contact:
Anna Bäuerle
AlpBioEco project coordinator
City of Sigmaringen
alpbioeco@sigmaringen.de

POWER4BIO cross-visit to Andalusia, Spain

Please note that this event will be organised as an online meeting.

From October 20 to 21, the POWER4BIO cross-visit to Andalusia, Spain, will take place online. Partners from POWER4BIO, stakeholders from the region and other European regions are invited to participate in the cross-visit. This event will provide an opportunity to regional stakeholders for the exchange of knowledge and to discuss the challenges of the bioeconomy and its implementation within other European regions and it will highlight the latest bioeconomy developments in the region of Andalusia.

The event is organised by the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible de la Junta de Andalucía) in cooperation with the project Andalucía Agrotech DIH (Digital Innovation Hub). The cross-visit will provide a platform for dialogue with partners from POWER4BIO, stakeholders from Andalusia and other European regions in regards to current regional challenges being faced during the implementation of a circular bioeconomy in their rural and urban territories.

To date, the preparation of the cross-visit is still ongoing. We will regularly update this entry and the respective news entry as soon as more information is available.

For more information, please visit the news entry of this cross-visit.

Training Webinar 7: How to finance food and feed value chains using European Structural and Investment Funds
Wednesday, November 11; 9:00 – 10:15 am CET

POWER4BIO is organising a training webinar series about food and feed. In a set of eight thematic training webinars, experts from the POWER4BIO consortium will give insights about the current status of food and feed at EU level, innovative practices and keys for successful business cases, value chains, sustainability, funding opportunities and supporting policies. All webinars are free of charge and open to everyone.

In the 7th POWER4BIO training webinar about food and feed, we will envisage the design and access to funding schemes to set up financial products for food and feed enterprises. We will also take into account practical aspects to implement financial Instruments. We will reveal our lessons learned in the fields of loan, guarantee and equity instruments and presentation of relevant best practices.

Presenter: Ms. Francesca Natali (META)

You can register for the training webinar on food and feed using this link. For more information, please visit our news entry about the webinar series.

If any questions remain, please feel free to contact Mr. Martien van den Oever: martien.vandenoever@wur.nl

Training Webinar 5: Technical examples of regional initiatives
Wednesday, November 4; 10:00 – 10:45 am CET

POWER4BIO is organising a training webinar series about food and feed. In a set of eight thematic training webinars, experts from the POWER4BIO consortium will give insights about the current status of food and feed at EU level, innovative practices and keys for successful business cases, value chains, sustainability, funding opportunities and supporting policies. All webinars are free of charge and open to everyone.

Various initiatives are driven by specific regional conditions; through a number of examples we show how such opportunities are utilized in this fifth webinar.

Presenter: Marieke Bruins (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research)

You can register for the training webinar on food and feed using this link. For more information, please visit our news entry about the webinar series.

If any questions remain, please feel free to contact Mr. Martien van den Oever: martien.vandenoever@wur.nl

Training Webinar 3: Examples connected to sustainability ambitions, upcycling and complete biomass valorisation
Wednesday, October 28; 11:00 – 11:45 am CET

POWER4BIO is organising a training webinar series about food and feed. In a set of eight thematic training webinars, experts from the POWER4BIO consortium will give insights about the current status of food and feed at EU level, innovative practices and keys for successful business cases, value chains, sustainability, funding opportunities and supporting policies. All webinars are free of charge and open to everyone.

In various situations, sustainability ambitions are strong drivers to develop new ideas; some of these are successfully implemented in practice. This third webinar will show some of these examples.

Presenter: Marieke Bruins (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research)

You can register for the training webinar on food and feed using this link. For more information, please visit our news entry about the webinar series.

If any questions remain, please feel free to contact Mr. Martien van den Oever: martien.vandenoever@wur.nl