Engaging primary producers (PP) in RDI programs remains a significant challenge across Europe. This challenge is driven by factors such as limited access to information, low awareness of bio-based solutions, and various structural, financial, and regulatory barriers. These obstacles hinder PP integration into emerging circular bio-based value chains, despite the potential to introduce new business models that offer environmental benefits, including energy and nutrient recycling, sustainable production systems, and new revenue streams in rural areas. The CBE JU is committed to enhancing the involvement of primary producers within its funding schemes and the resulting innovative solutions. To this end, a Working Group on Primary Producers (WGPP) will be established, bringing together sector representatives from agriculture, forestry, and the blue economy. This group will develop an Action Plan aimed at strengthening the role of PPs in future CBE JU-funded projects and beyond. RootLinks will support and facilitate the efforts of the WGPP in co-creating and implementing this Action Plan. It includes horizontal and sector-specific actions designed to improve the role of primary producers in CBE JU programming, increase their participation in calls, and enhance their ability to exploit new value chains. The focus will be on to generate direct, tangible, and measurable benefits for PP, empowering them to become strong partners in cross-disciplinary bio-based research and innovation projects across Europe. Furthermore, RootLinks actions will enhance the roles of PP in exploiting innovations and related value chains, fostering improved collaboration between PPs and the bio-based industry. RootLinks offers a unique portfolio of sector expertise and competencies, implementing a comprehensive set of activities at the European, national, and regional levels, including knowledge and awareness-raising, capacity building and training, partnership development, and networking.

Regional clusters are the unsung heroes of sustainable development, driving innovation and economic growth by leveraging local ecosystems and fostering strong connections among businesses, research institutions, and stakeholders. This is even more valid for Clusters in Bioeconomy, where new knowledge is born constantly The project´s collective understanding is that Regional Bio-Economy Clusters are ideally suited to mobilise R&I ecosystems, due to their cross-sectoral nature of bioeconomy in different countries, their proximity to local enterprises, and their ability to reflect common bottlenecks and needs and link the local ecosystem with international knowledge and funding hubs. BIO-INSPIRE, an alliance of 14 transdisciplinary entities from 12 EU countries, demonstrates that regional bio-economy clusters are a valid answer to developing bio-based innovations, driving sustainable growth and fostering resilient local economies across the widening regions of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. BIO-INSPIRE will engage Regional Bio-Economy Clusters in 7 widening countries (Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland, ) and research and technology developers and clusters in 2 non-widening countries (Sweden, The Netherlands) to address systemic causes of underdevelopment across geographical boundaries. BIO-INSPIRE aims to contribute to the transformation of the widening regional bioeconomies by addressing existing bottlenecks and providing to the regions the necessary tools to advance their R&I capacity and their ability to broader their collaboration networks. At the heart of this project is the provision of a Governance Model framework, addressing the critical lack of established structures, norms, and procedures for sustainable collaboration. This framework is designed to be a long-lasting legacy, empowering also other regions to achieve sustainability and growth, and ensuring their effective and enduring engagement in the bio-based economy.

The proposed project: Initiative of Fostering cross-border knowledge exchange and co-creation on sustainable soil and farm management (Soil-X-Change) will help to connect farmers, actors, policy makers, projects, and initiatives to speed up innovation and promote faster, wider co-creation and transposition of innovative solutions into practice. It will contribute to effective AKIS by intensifying thematic cooperation between researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders in the EU. Soil-X-Change will also contribute to the green transition, smart agriculture, climate-neutrality, and sustainability areas, as well as enhancing and exchanging the knowledge of the main actors. Soil-X-Change, initiated by EIP-AGRI Operational Group practitioners (OGs), reflects the needs of 151 direct partners. It will collect, combine, harmonise, analyse and integrate the results and data product developed by the different EIP-AGRI OGs and the project partners. Soil-X-Change will disseminate and share innovative practices across 9 member countries. Furthermore, the Soil-X-Change project will bring together EIP OGs and key stakeholders working on sustainable soil and farm management to create an EU-wide network, share knowledge, and introduce ready-to-use practices that will enable farmers to make the right decisions related to agricultural production practices. At the end of the project the extended knowledge and innovative ideas of member and non-member OGs will widen the scope of their activities and showcasing their result to an increased number of stakeholders and farmers in an international environment and network across EU countries. Soil-X-Change will use a bottom-up approach (farmers to OGs) and will reinforce and share practical knowledge using the main dissemination channels suitable for farmers and practitioners.

The BIOMODEL4REGIONS project aims to support the establishment of the innovative governance models at local/regional level to achieve better-informed decision-making processes, social engagement and innovation to support and strengthen EU and international science-policy interfaces to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by: - Supporting the development of regional/local strategies, aiming at exploiting the local potentials and innovations by integrating the opportunities created by the local bio-based economy thus contributing to the broader bioeconomy transition - Developing novel business models to enable consumers, industry/producers and public bodies to a societal switch towards environmentally responsible behaviour by means of biobased products and services - Developing best practice guidelines for local operators and innovation developers, supporting climate-neutrality and low environmental footprint improvements of bio-based products and services The methodology is based on the set-up of a governance structure among bioeconomy clusters that will leverage on previous successful projects, initiatives and best practices to capitalise on work performed through several years of research and studies in the field of bioeconomy. These results will be demonstrated within the project to support 6 pilot regions chosen in clusters’ network. The pilot regions , taking into account different model regions (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central-Western EU), their conditions and assets and different primary sectors (forestry, agri-food, aquatic biomass and organic fraction of municipal solid waste- OFMSW) will be demonstrated under a fully transferable case-study approach, that can be replicated throughout Europe to demonstrate the replicability of the approach after the end of the project.

Bioeconomy projects are crucial for meeting the European Green Deal and EU's 2030 and 2050 climate goals, offering sustainable solutions for rural and coastal areas. Yet, the challenge of fragmented funding demands a mechanism to understand existing progress and guide stakeholders towards realising the full bioeconomy potential. ToBeReaL is set as a strategic 5-year European partnership designed to assist bioeconomy projects across diverse bio-based value chains. ToBeReaL is committed to adopting a comprehensive strategy to empower the bioeconomy sector. It offers specialized expertise and strategic support across four key pillars: Technical, Business & Financial, Regulatory & Legal, and Social Innovation. This initiative targets all EU regions, with a special emphasis on areas where the bioeconomy is less developed, ensuring a broad and inclusive approach. ToBeReaL leverages an extensive experience and expertise of its consortium, including 6 leading bioeconomy clusters, 3 recognised technological centres, and 4 SMEs specialised in areas critical for bioeconomy growth, such as funding, exploitation management, and policy development. This collective expertise underpins ToBeReaL's ambitious goal to foster a multi-actor approach, facilitating engagement among a wide range of stakeholders. By forging connections with related projects and initiatives, ToBeReaL aims to deepen the understanding of the bioeconomy's challenges and opportunities, raising awareness among policymakers, businesses, sector agencies, and investors alike. Through this effort, ToBeReaL seeks to amplify its impact by fostering collaborations across research, innovation, funding sources, and private investments, aiming to elevate competitiveness in the bio-based and bioeconomy sectors. By strategically aligning these elements, ToBeReaL compromises to catalyse bioeconomy projects at different levels, thereby significantly expanding the scope and influence of EU sustainable bioeconomy ventures.