Author: loba

The HORIZON 2020 project BIOVOICES created “What’s Bioeconomy?”, a book written for children in order to raise awareness on the sustainable and circular bioeconomy and, in particular, the bio-based products. The book, available in 11 different languages, communicates scientific sound contents in an easy and comprehensive way to the European families. All the information contained has been validated by experts from academia and industry. GenB is working to increase  the number of languages, we will keep you posted! 

During the successful European Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival 2024 (BCF2024), Vienna took centre stage with an innovative satellite event, marking a significant step towards integrating youth voices into the bioeconomy discourse. Organised by the Centre for Bioeconomy (ZfB) at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), the event highlighted the crucial role of young changemakers in steering Austria, and by extension Europe, towards a sustainable future.
The festival promoted the idea that the younger generation holds the key to overcoming the challenges society faces in adopting sustainable practices. Despite their potential, the involvement of young people in policy-making has been minimal and often reduced to symbolic participation. To address this imbalance, BCF2024 – Vienna emerged as a critical platform to empower young minds to lead the bioeconomy revolution.

A highlight of the festival was the GenB workshop, facilitated by ZSI and designed to foster dialogue and collaboration between youth groups through a blend of scientific knowledge and innovative learning methods. Central to this workshop was the implementation of an ‘inquiry-based learning’ session, using the fishbowl methodology to facilitate an engaging and interactive dialogue between participants and experts.

The workshop began with participants drawing questions from their experience of playing a bioeconomy card game from the Engage4bio project and a morning filled with presentations about (circular) bioeconomy. These questions formed the basis of a dynamic discussion in which participants, surrounded by a panel of bioeconomy experts, explored critical issues ranging from the impact of the bioeconomy on consumer behaviour and trade, to the challenges and opportunities it presents within the EU’s Green Deal.

In this unique setting, three experts took their seats at the centre of the ‘fishbowl’, with two chairs left empty for participants eager to jump in with their questions. This format allowed for a fluid exchange of ideas, with questions sparking wide-ranging debates on the efficiency of the supply chain, the interplay between free trade and the bioeconomy, and the evaluation of bioeconomy policies.

Participants had the opportunity to engage directly with the experts, seeking answers and sharing insights. When they were satisfied, they left the circle to allow others to contribute, ensuring that a wide range of perspectives and solutions were explored.

This participatory approach not only provided a deeper understanding of the potential of the bioeconomy to reshape Europe’s environmental and economic landscape, but also inspired participants to think critically about the role they can play in this transformative journey.

On May 13, PEDAL, the Slovak partner of GenB, organized the You(th) for BIOregions.SK event, held as a satellite event of the Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival in Slovakia. The event was a one-day gathering aimed to foster awareness, inspire sustainable habits, promote bioeconomy careers, and empower youth to catalyze transformative change across European regions.

One of our Slovak ambassadors shared her journey, transitioning from volunteering, exploring the world as a traveler, to educating others with a strong focus on sustainability. A young professional in regional development shared her story, leading her from a scientific career to development of a circular economy in a Slovak region. Representatives of Veles Farming talked about the beginnings and development of the hydroponic agriculture business and the gradual transformation of their company into a technological one. Social entrepreneurship also plays an important role in communities, which was presented by the next, talking about the activities, benefits and also challenges faced by non-profits. Lastly, a young scientist specializing in brewing shared some innovations and outcomes of his research and highlighted the fulfillment derived from a scientific career.

Engaging Dialogue with Policy Makers

In the following discussion with policymakers, Mr. Šucha, former Director-General of JRC, Mr. Hegyi, assistant to a Member of the European Parliament, and Ms. Dana Peškovičová, representing the BIOEAST initiative, discussed about the EU-level policy-making process, with a particular focus on environmental issues, opportunities for Member States to influence these policies, and ways to engage (young) individuals.
The speakers shared examples of successful initiatives, when even small member states, such as Slovakia, can push through significant changes in the field of environmental policies within the EU. As highlighted during the debate, regional and European policies are closely linked.
Speakers emphasized the importance of open communication among regional and national representatives, urging them to actively share their needs and challenges. They highlighted the critical role of grassroots insights in informing higher-level policy decisions, emphasizing that bottom-up input fosters the development of more inclusive and effective policies.
Additionally, speakers outlined actionable steps for the public, including young individuals, to engage in the policymaking process. By encouraging civic participation and advocacy, they underscored the power of collective voices in shaping policy outcomes. In conclusion, the debate underscored the significance of citizen oversight in holding elected officials accountable for their actions, reinforcing the principle of democratic governance.

Workshop “Bioeconomy is an opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship”

The Bioeconomy cluster and The National Agricultural and Food Center organized a workshop dedicated to business opportunities in the bioeconomy. The workshop with (young) scientists, professionals, entrepreneurs and policy makers aimed to demonstrate and discuss the opportunities and challenges of the bioeconomy in the CEE countries (run in parallel). In the first part, speakers outlined the various forms of support available to (start-up) entrepreneurs at both EU and Slovak levels. In the second part, established entrepreneurs discussed opportunities and challenges facing young people, while R&D representatives showcased ongoing research activities.

Youth Opportunities: Youth aged 15+, delve into the diverse opportunities available in the bioeconomy (professions, youth initiatives, etc.) also in the regions.

The festival attracted about 150 participants and was organized by a partnership of key actors in bioeconomy in Slovakia, within the frames of the GenB and BioGov.net projects in collaboration with the national representatives of the BIOEAST initiative, BOOST4BIOEAST, CEE2ACT, Green Youth Changemakers project, Reduce Your CO2_Help Planet, 4F – Fast Fashion? Fast Forward! projects and other EU funded projects.

Partners: PEDAL Consulting, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (national BIOEAST contact point), Bioeconomy cluster, Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Institute and Europe Direct Nitra, Slovak Eco-Quality.

The GenB project launched its capacity building webinar series on the 3rd of April 2024. This first session, one of three planned, aimed to lay the foundations for understanding the bioeconomy and its integral role in sustainability. The series aims to prepare GenB Ambassadors to be effective advocates for these crucial sectors.

The webinar, held online with the participation of GenB Ambassadors from different countries (Europe and beyond), ran from 18:00 to 20:00 CET and featured an agenda rich in expert presentations and interactive elements. Key presentations included an overview of the bioeconomy, its potential applications, its link to sustainability challenges and the jobs and skills it creates. The webinar also addressed controversial aspects and common misconceptions, providing a balanced view of the opportunities and challenges within the bioeconomy. The webinar concluded with a module on bioeconomy awareness and education, which also served as a preview of the second session. This segment highlighted practical ways in which ambassadors could organise awareness initiatives, setting the stage for more in-depth exploration in the next webinar.
For those who were unable to attend live, a recording of the webinar is now available on the project’s YouTube channel.

Subsequent sessions will deepen practical understanding. The next webinar, scheduled for the 16th of May 2024 (18:00-20:00 CET), will use the GenB toolkit to present practical examples and hands-on activities to help ambassadors apply what they’ve learned and imagine their active role in promoting these concepts. Join us by registering here!

The series will culminate in a session specifically tailored to the ambassadors’ needs, focusing on enhancing soft and transversal skills such as communication, copywriting and video production. This training is designed to further empower ambassadors to effectively promote bioeconomy and the GenB initiative.

In addition to these webinars, regional sessions will be held in the eight consortium countries in local languages to maximise engagement and relevance.
This initiative aims not only to educate and empower the ambassadors, but also to inspire them to share their knowledge of the bioeconomy within their communities, thus creating a network of informed, engaged young leaders committed to sustainable practices.
Are you under 30 years old and want to contribute to the sustainable and circular transition of your country and Europe? You can still join the GenB Ambassador Programme! Register here!

On the occasion of the Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival, which has been promoted by the European Commission (DG Research and Innovation) in cooperation with the Bioeconomy Youth Ambassadors, APRE and FVA New Media Research, in the context of the GenB project, ScienzaInsieme, and Cluster Spring have coordinated the Satellite Event – Rome Edition in collaboration with Lazio Innova and Unitelma Sapienza.

The Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival aimed to engage young people as a driver of the transformative change towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy in Europe. The Festival took place both in the high-level event in Brussels, where GenB participated as a session speaker explaining the project methodology and the main activities to encourage future generations to be aware and interested in environmental issues, sustainability and circularity, and in more than 30 satellite events, organised by third-party Entities, enabling young people from all over Europe to take part in the European initiative.

The Satellite Event “Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival – Rome Edition” took place from the 12th to the 14th March 2024, involving around 500 students coming from Middle and High Schools in the Region of Lazio. The Programme has been carried out as follows:

After the plenary session, the students were involved in a number of engaging activities and exhibitions:

Escape game: Escape4Future – Chemistry meets Circular Bioeconomy where inquiry-based learning and a gamified approach was integrated by FVA New Media Research through an escape game in which players faced a very current challenge. The objective of the game is to find the way out towards a more sustainable and circular lifestyle and students were engaged in solving six interconnected enigmas that address green chemistry and bioeconomy issues, through hands-on experiments or games.

BioArt Gallery: high-impact thematic panels covering all sectors of the bioeconomy were set up showing different types of raw materials and their applications;

Bioeconomy Village: several bio-based products used in everyday life were showcased, enabling the visitors to touch and feel the bioeconomy;

Social media Corner: The GenB Ambassadors took the opportunity to informally discuss with the students their role and the relevance to becoming drivers towards the solution of environmental challenges affecting our lifetime. Moreover, the GenB Ambassadors realised interviews with the students and key speakers to collect their perceptions on the initiative.

Within the framework of the Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival which has been promoted by the European Commission (DG Research and Innovation) in cooperation with the Bioeconomy Youth Ambassadors, Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL organised the satellite event “Careers and opportunities in the Bioeconomy sector”, in Thessaloniki on the 14th of March. with a focus on informing more than 40 young professionals, academics and students about bioeconomy-related careers. The event organization was a joint effort of the GenB, BioGov.net and ROBIN Horizon Europe projects and held at the premises of the Ok!Thess innovation hub in Thessaloniki.

The Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival aimed to engage young people as a driver of the transformative change towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy in Europe. The Festival took place both in the high-level event in Brussels, where GenB participated as a session speaker explaining the project methodology and the main activities to encourage future generations to be aware and interested in environmental issues, sustainability and circularity, and in more than 30 satellite events, organised by third-party Entities, enabling young people from all over Europe to take part in the European initiative.

The day was full of informative sessions and inspirational storytelling, aimed at providing students and young professional with practical information on how to start a career in bioeconomy, advance their skills and knowledge, as well as to pursue employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia. Starting with an overview of the bioeconomy sector and its current state in Greece, a presentation of alternative career pathways in bioeconomy followed (results of the BioGov.net study on job profiles). Moreover, bioeconomy-related educational opportunities and study programmes were presented by representatives of local higher education institutions.
Successful professionals and entrepreneurs in the Greek bioeconomy sector shared their success stories along with career insights and challenges they faced along their journey. Diverse perspectives were presented to motivate young people to delve deeper into the bioeconomy, including cases from industry, communication and marketing, urban innovation and rural innovation. Successful business cases in circular bioeconomy in Greece and abroad were presented, along with local infrastructure and programmes for youth entrepreneurship offered in the city of Thessaloniki.

Finally, a regional policy workshop was hosted by the BioGov.net and ROBIN projects during which young people had the chance to discuss with the Region of Central Macedonia and local bioeconomy actors. The workshop was initiated with an extensive overview of the existing legislative framework on bioeconomy and the approach of the Region of Central Macedonia towards addressing pertinent issues by Dimitrios Vlachos. This presentation laid the ground for and motivated subsequent discussions. The purpose of the workshop was to translate discussions into concrete actions, leveraging collective expertise to drive sustainable growth and innovation in the bioeconomy sector. To this end, an open dialogue and interactive tools have been used to co-define the challenges and proposed solutions. At the end of the co-design exercise, attendees were invited to nominate the most promising solutions among those defined.
The BioArt Gallery and BioGov.net bioeconomy job profiles were exhibited in prominent spaces to further engage the audience during networking.

In the occasion of the Pi Day and the Portuguese 17th National Mathematical Games Championship, LOBA organised – in collaboration with Agência Ciência Viva and the University of Aveiro – the “Aveiro edition” of the Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival.

The Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival aimed to engage young people as a driver of the transformative change towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy in Europe. The Festival took place both in the high-level event in Brussels, where GenB participated as a session speaker explaining the project methodology and the main activities to encourage future generations to be aware and interested in environmental issues, sustainability and circularity, and in more than 30 satellite events, organised by third-party Entities, enabling young people from all over Europe to take part in the European initiative.

The event was a result of collaborative efforts between multiple organisations: the Ludus Association, the Association of Mathematics Teachers, the Portuguese Mathematics Society, and Agência Ciência Viva.
At the campus of Aveiro GenB saw the participation of 1,800 students from every corner of Portugal. The students participating to the national competition had the occasion of implementing several activities designed to increase curiosity, ignite imagination, and overall celebration of science. In such context, GenB organised the Bioeconomy Village, Hands-on labs and a Career Booth to inspire and inform students ranging from 7 to 18 years old.

Teachers accompanying their classrooms to the competition have been involved to act as multipliers bringing their pupils first to the Bioeconomy Village, sparkling their interest with an exposition of more than 50 bio-based products, second to the “classroom sessions” where Hands-on labs and a Career booth were taking place.
In the classroom sessions, young students (e.g., 7-9 years old) have been involved in hands-on labs (e.g., conjuring carbon dioxide gas to inflate balloons), while high school students have attended the career booth.
This hands-on approach was meant to not only educate but leave a lasting impression on the importance of circularity in a context of mathematics and science. One GenB Ambassador had also the chance to present herself and her role as ambassador to the participants.

For the career booth on the other hand, the presentation was adapted to the audience’s ages and scholarly degree in each session. For the youngest participants, the speech was simplified. For the oldest, the concept of green jobs was more explored because of their most considerable cognitive development and comprehension. The presentation was divided into five parts: First, the definition of sustainability and the importance of the usage of natural capital without compromising further generations. The second part was a brief presentation of the SDGs and their relevance. The importance of sustainability for future generations, the importance of the sustainable and circular bioeconomy, and innovation for developing new materials, where we could show – in the Bioeconomy Village – bio-based products like apple skin “leather” or smartphone cases made of seaweed. This allowed to link all classrooms sessions to the future of jobs, asking the audience about what they expected to be the green jobs that could arise and their importance for achieving the SDG’s and a more sustainable future.

On Friday 9 February, at Unitelma Sapienza, in the context of the Circular Bricks project final event, Chiara Pocaterra and Susanna Albertini represented GenB project, highlighting some key takeaways from the first year of activities.

The round table “Challenges and opportunities in VET bioeconomy education” was moderated by Nadia Sansone, that brillantly underlined the main ideas emerged during the discussion and launched new insights to animate the debate. Together with Susanna and Chiara, also Annarita Colasante, representing Unitelma, brought contributions from several EU funded projects, like BIObec, BioGov.net, RuralBioUp, Biomodel4Regions, BlueRev, BIOVOICES, Engage4BIO.
The main takeaways emerged during the round table are:

• VET and Lifelong learning, as well as non-formal contexts where education takes place are key to boost Bioeconomy Education in light of supporting a more circular and sustainable society and business
• Bioeconomy is a metasector, requiring metaskills that can be considered transversal to any educational pathway
• Young people should be informed and educated to change behaviours and attitudes and to become the driver of the transition, also by choosing these educational and working careers
• Cross fertilisation and collaborations among academia and industries, as well as policy actors and public authorities are needed, to avoid bottlenecks in a fast evolving educational context
• Art, beauty and culture can contribute in inspiring and attracting students towards these topics
• In order to achieve greater impacts, the role of teachers and multipliers is determinant. Teachers should be empowered with knowledge and practical, easy-to-adopt tools to bring these topics in their contexts.

The round table was part of a wider conference, organised by Unitelma Sapienza and Circular Bricks and moderated by Prof. Piergiuseppe Morone.

The GenB “Hands-on” lab event took place in Thessaloniki, Greece on November 28th, 2023, and was organised by Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL. The 1 st Junior High School of Kalamaria hosted the “Hands-on lab”
event for 12-year-old students.

The objective was to educate children about the bioeconomy using simple experiments with everyday materials.
During this event, the group consisted of 12 seventh-grade students, along with their teacher and two additional teachers who found the event interesting and wanted to attend and contribute to the process.

the beginning, a discussion was held with the students about the bioeconomy and its challenges.
Afterwards, they were asked to describe in their own words their knowledge about the topic and the Q-PLAN team supplemented the conversation with simple examples and terms concerning bioeconomy and circular economy.
For the practical part of the event, the students were divided in groups of four, put on their single-use gloves and following the instructions of the Q-PLAN team conducted the experiments. The goal was to allow the children touch and play with the materials as a form of an experiential and interactive learning.

Experiments conducted:

1. Coffee Grain Body Scrub
2. Biogas Inflated Balloon
3. Colour changing cabbage water with the use of acidic and basic products.

Kids’ feedback

The children’s enthusiasm was apparent from the beginning of the process. As the introduction was proceeding, almost everyone wanted to participate and share examples from their everyday life. During the experiments’ part, all students participated in the process and were excited to see the results of each
experiment. Eventually, they seemed to have well-comprehended the concept of bioeconomy and the basic principles or terms. Some of the children gave the impression to be really intrigued by this process that were asking whether they were going to participate in similar events in the future.

Teachers’ support /feedback

The teachers confirmed that the event was successful, based on the students’ reactions and enthusiasm.
They also highlighted that some more introverted children participated much more actively than the usual.
They also asked the Q-PLAN team to share more material and insights on this topic for future use, as they recognised the value of engaging the children in bioeconomy. In addition, it was pointed out that in general children tend to get more involved with interactive activities, such as this particular one, and seem to gain more knowledge about the subject compared to typical lectures.

Organisers’ feedback

The Q-PLAN team also perceived the event as fruitful and rewarding. The goals, such as children’s engagement and participation, as well as the success of the experiments, were achieved. The concepts and notions of bioeconomy were well comprehended, and the initiation for further research from the children’s
part was evident.