Category: Stakeholders engagment and co-creation

DRAGONS project

DRAGONS project

Posted on by Selenia Marinelli
This project ends on: 31/05/2029

Diffusing biodiversity Response-able Action and awareness raising through citizen empowerment, inclusive engagement and innovative GOvernance of Nature and Society

DRAGONS is a Horizon Europe project investigating how people understand and respond to the biodiversity crisis, and how communication, citizen engagement and inclusive governance can support nature restoration. Working across five European and international case-study contexts (Finland, the Netherlands, the UK, Colombia and Spain) the project examines biodiversity narratives, perceptions and barriers to action. It brings together researchers, communities and other stakeholders to co-design, test and assess approaches that strengthen public participation, dialogue and engagement in biodiversity and nature restoration. Through collaborative research, communication and knowledge exchange, DRAGONS aims to support more inclusive and effective biodiversity governance.

Contact:

Dr. Jackie Abell: Jackie.Abell2@coventry.ac.uk

website: https://networknature.eu/dragons

PACE project

PACE project

Posted on by Selenia Marinelli
This project ends on: 30/04/2030

Potato Juice to Fatty Acids for New Bio-Based Value-Chains in Europe

Circular bioeconomy is crucial for achieving Europe’s competitive economy and climate targets, but it still faces technical and logistical barriers, and does not use waste resources to their full potential. The modernisation and integration of biorefineries, particularly through the use of local waste and sidestreams, offers sustainable solutions to boost domestic production, diversify the offer of bio-based products, and reduce environmental impact.
PACE will demonstrate a first-of-its-kind full-scale biorefinery by retrofitting part of Avebe’s existing facility and realising a plant based on ChainCraft’s proprietary technology for conversion of organic residues to biobased chemicals. This plant will use advanced fermentation and microbial chain elongation to convert potato juice into valuable bio-based medium-chain fatty acids (MFCAs), supporting zero-waste operations and new circular value chains in the chemical industry.
The project will provide sustainable, bio-based alternatives to conventional MCFAs, which are often derived from crude oil or unsustainable palm oil. By involving a range of stakeholders through a collaborative approach, it will boost demand and acceptance of bio-based MCFAs, transforming the market.

Contact:

Konstantina Koutrouveli: info@pace-project.eu

website: https://pace-project.eu/

MARMADE project

MARMADE project

Posted on by Selenia Marinelli
This project ends on: 31/08/2029

MARine bioMass valorizAtion for fooD and fEed innovation

MARMADE is creating a sustainable and innovative bio-based value chain for turning marine biomass into high-value food and feed ingredients. The aim is to valorize crustacean residues (shrimp and blue crab shells) and seaweed to develop affordable, nutritious, safe, and sustainable ingredients.
Through advanced biorefinery processes, the project converts these underutilized marine resources into a portfolio of high-value bio-based products in a cascading extraction approach. These valuable extracts include pre/postbiotics, vitamins, peptides, oligosaccharides, fats, emulsifiers, and digestibility enhancers.
The final products are innovative food and feed prototypes with improved nutritional and sensory properties. The entire process is rigorously checked for compliance with safety, sustainability, and regulatory standards, integrating the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework.

Contact:

Stella Bazdani: stella.bazdani@enateam.gr

website: https://marmade-project.eu/

BIOSPARK project

BIOSPARK project

Posted on by Selenia Marinelli
This project ends on: 31/03/2029

Skills Promotion and Awareness for Regenerative Knowledge

The bioeconomy is a key driver of sustainable growth in Europe. Despite progress in technological development, education and training in the sector are not keeping up with the industry needs. New skills and a mindset shift across the stakeholder community are required. There is also a need to actively implement the lessons learned, apply policy and educational recommendations, and prepare for future advancements in bioeconomy systems.

BIOSPARK will address these challenges by developing and validating demand-driven curricula for the education, training, and reskilling of students and professionals. A network of bio-based educational centres across the 27 EU member states will support mutual learning and knowledge exchange. The project will dedicate strong effort to involving the so-called widening countries, less R&I advanced EU member states, associated countries and outermost regions.

It will also strengthen the European bioeconomy by fostering strong collaborations between universities, research and technology organisations, and industry.

Contact:

Merve Atasoy: merve.atasoy@uef.fi

website: https://biosparkproject.eu/

FLEXIZYME project

FLEXIZYME project

Posted on by Selenia Marinelli
This project ends on: 31/05/2028

Construction of a FLEXIble and adaptable enZYMatic biotechnological platform for sustainablE industrial production of bio-based fatty amines from side stream materials

FLEXIZYME project aims to develop a sustainable, scalable biotechnological platform to produce fatty amines from renewable biorefinery side streams. Through the integration of enzyme engineering, biocatalysis, and AI tools, the project will contribute to replacing traditional fossil-based production methods with sustainable and resource-efficient alternatives.

Contact:

Annabel Serpico, PhD: annabel.serpico@itene.com

website: https://www.flexizyme.eu/

PROSPLIGN project

PROSPLIGN project

Posted on by Selenia Marinelli
This project ends on: 30/06/2027

Prospecting natural lignin biodiversity towards unlocking value-added bioactive motifs and molecules

PROSPLIGN aims to unlock the potential of lignin as a source of high-value bioactive molecules through an innovative bioprospecting approach combining chemical and enzymatic methods, statistical analysis and high-throughput screening. Using lignin derived from diverse plant species, the project investigates lignin-derived compounds for applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and fragrance sectors. Ultimately, PROSPLIGN seeks to contribute to a new generation of sustainable biobased bioactives while creating greater value from abundant and currently underutilised lignocellulosic biomass.

Contact:

Leanne Eve Frawley: malta@magfi.eu; leafra@magfi.eu

website: https://prosplign.eu/

Bio2PEs project

Bio2PEs project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
This project ends on: 30/09/2029

Creating Sustainable Solutions for a Circular Future

Bio2PEs is an EU-funded project developing bio-based and biodegradable polyethylene (PE) and polyester from biomass waste to support Europe’s shift toward a circular plastics economy. Traditional plastics create long-lasting pollution, and Bio2PEs aims to tackle this by introducing scalable, sustainable alternatives aligned with the European Circular Economy Action Plan.

The project will design packaging prototypes in different sizes and assess their full lifecycle, including biodegradability in various European climates. To improve circularity, Bio2PEs integrates innovative features such as self-repairing coatings that extend product lifespan and fluorescence technology that makes products easier to sort and recycle.

Working closely with other EU initiatives, BIO2PEs also promotes consumer adoption of biodegradable materials through interactive labelling and contributes real-world data to an AI-driven tool that recommends the most sustainable material options.

Contact:

Debolina Paul, Digiotouch: debolina@digiotouch.com

website: https://www.bio2pes-project.eu/

MAGICBIOMAT project

MAGICBIOMAT project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
This project ends on: 31/12/2028

Manufacturing Guiding Tool for Circular and Programmed Biodegradable Materials under Open Environment Conditions

MAGICBIOMAT aims to develop a portfolio of circular bio-based materials with programmed biodegradability, demonstrated through two applications with high littering rates: mulching films and paper-based packaging. The materials will be tested under different open-environment conditions, including soil, freshwater and marine environments, and across different European climates. The project will also develop a trustworthy AI-powered software tool to guide the design and manufacturing of novel bio-based materials according to application requirements and end-of-life conditions. Circularity is addressed through durability, reuse, remanufacturing and mechanical recycling, while behavioural studies and interactive labelling strategies will support consumer acceptance and appropriate use and disposal of biodegradable materials.

Contact:

Evi Stavrou: digital@isotech.com.cy

website: https://www.magicbiomat.eu/

ENABLS project

ENABLS project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
This project ends on: 31/12/2026

ENABLS – education and Nature-Based Solutions: enable Society to bend the curve for biodiversity

ENABLS will set the basis of networking and collaboration to promote, embed and unfold Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) concepts and approaches within universities and vocational school, the professional sphere and society at large through transdisciplinary dialogue. ENABLS envisions the creation of 7 Living Labs (DE, NL, FI, AT, LT, EL, CZ), incorporating all ‘voices’ and leaving no one behind. The goal is to enable society to bend the curve for biodiversity in higher education and Technical and Vocational Education & Training (TVET). The ultimate objective is for ENABLS to contribute more

Contact:

Ann-Catrin Fender: anncatrin.fender@uni-hohenheim.de

website: https://enabls.eu

BIN2BEAN project

BIN2BEAN project

Posted on by Louis Ferrini
This project ends on: 30/11/2026

Boosting the market deployment of safe, effective and sustainable innovations for soil improvement from bio-waste, towards regenerative soil systems

BIN2BEAN aims to support EU cities in their transition towards healthy soils and soil regenerative systems, by optimising bio-waste recycling into soil improvers through innovative and economically viable value chains. Specifically, the project supports 3 Living Labs – Egaleo, Amsterdam and Hamburg – through the implementation of a multi-actor and participative approach to implement the following activities:

  • Map local contexts, in terms of state-of-progress, existing initiatives, needs, material and monetary flows.
  • Design a tailored evaluation framework to demonstrate the safety, environmental and socio-economic performance of bio-waste collection systems and soil improvers.
  • Develop a scoring system, fed by data from the evaluation framework, to help cities select the most effective and market-ready solutions adapted to their context.
  • Develop tailored and viable business and/or community models for the highest scored solutions, according to stakeholders’ willingness-to-adopt.
  • Draft local, national and EU policy roadmaps, including waste charging policies and citizen awareness campaigns.

Ultimately, the project will deliver a replication PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) toolbox enabling cities to create a continuous value-based improvement loop towards regenerative soil systems.

Contact:

Sara Daniotti, Consorzio Italbiotec: sara.daniotti@italbiotec.it

Marco Dreoni, ETA: marco.dreoni@etaflorence.it

website: https://www.bin2bean.eu/