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On November 21st, the European Commission hosted a hybrid meeting to spotlight the progress of two pivotal projects in bioeconomy education: GenB and BioBeo. This collaborative dissemination event marked a significant milestone for both initiatives as they move closer to their goals of fostering youth engagement in the bioeconomy.

During the event, the outcomes of the first 18 months of both GenB and BioBeo were presented, highlighting the project’s milestones, the innovative approaches to involving youth in bioeconomy education and the policy recommendations tailored for Ministries of Education, emphasizing the integration of bioeconomy concepts into educational frameworks.

The event brought together policy officers from DG RTD,such as Giuseppe Pellegrino – Policy Officer – Bioeconomy Analysis and Bioeconomy Educationand Adrian Leip – Head of Sector – Bioeconomy European Commission – DG Research & Innovation, Bioeconomy and Food Systems Unit (RTD.B2), together with the GenB/BioBeo project officer Gaelle Le Bouler from the European Research Executive Agency and consortium partners, underscoring the collaborative efforts driving these projects.

As both GenB and BioBeo approach their final stages, this meeting reinforced their joint commitment to shaping a bioeconomy that resonates with and empowers future generations.

The GenB project is pleased to announce the launch of a new collection of educational games focused on bioeconomy. This set of four games, BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet!, The Bio Race , Green Chat Quartet, and Escape4Future – Chemistry Meets Circular Bioeconomy , is designed for a young people, from 6 to 19 years old. Each game is targeted to different age groups, but can also be enjoyed by teachers, parents and multipliers. Each game tackles different aspects of bioeconomy, offering an engaging way for players to explore and understand concepts related to sustainability, circular bioeconomy, climate change, biodiversity and environmental impact. These games are available in a downloadable digital format, making them easy to use in various educational settings. Whether in classrooms, libraries, or at home, the digital format ensures that educators, parents, and children can explore bioeconomy concepts anywhere, anytime through fun and play.

Educational approach

The GenB game collection is based on a game-based learning (GBL) approach, an active learning technique that enables students to enhance learning about bioeconomy through games and interactive play. This approach combines learning with entertainment, boosting young participants’ motivation and engagement. This game approach promotes a solid understanding of concepts while nurturing essential skills like collaboration, problem-solving, creativity and strategic thinking. Integrating these games into educational settings creates a lively, collaborative environment, preparing players to tackle real-world challenges.

BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet!
Card game introducing young players to careers in bioeconomy. For ages 6 and up

In BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet!, children aged six and up learn about various professions within the bioeconomy. In this print to play game, designed for two to six players, participants explore the roles and responsibilities of different bioeconomy professions, including biotechnology researchers, bio-based farmers, transporters, sellers, waste managers, and buyers. Set in a world threatened by imbalance, players must help these professionals complete their tasks to protect the planet. Through this experience, children gain a sense of their own role in the bioeconomy and how their actions can impact the environment. They perform activities in settings such as cities, the countryside, factories, labs, markets, and transport hubs, building empathy and understanding for sustainable practices.

Summary Sheet:

• Educational field/topic: bioeconomy professions and their roles
• Recommended age: 6+ years
• Number of players: 2–6
• Game duration: 10–15 minutes
• Available languages: English, Spanish
• Format: print to play

The Bio Race

Educational board game to raise young people’s awareness of the sustainable and circular bioeconomy. For ages 8 and up

In The Bio Race  (print to play board game), players engage in individual and collaborative activities, quizzes, and interactions aimed at creating new bio-based products from specific biomass found in different environments (city, forest, countryside and seaside) and energy units. As they complete assigned recipes to manufacture the bio-based products, players earn Sustainability Points, enhancing their understanding of sustainable production and circular bioeconomy. The board game can be played in two different versions depending on the age of participants: players can choose to complete four bio-formulas to finish the game (simple version), or they can choose to complete bio-formulas in four different types of environments to finish the game (version pro). Designed for four to six players, the board game delivers scientifically valid content in a simple and engaging way, introducing young people, their teachers and families to essential bioeconomy concepts and processes, exploring the processes related to the production of bio-based products.

Summary Sheet:

• Educational field/topic: biomass, biorefinery, bio-based products, circular economy
• Recommended age: 8+ years
• Number of players: 4–6
• Game duration: approx. 45 mins
• Available languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian, and Spanish
• Format: print to play

Green Chat Quartet

Educational card game introducing players to biomass and bio-based products. For Ages 13 and up

Green Chat Quartet is an engaging card game for players aged thirteen and up, designed to introduce the concepts of biomass and bio-based products. This quartet game presents cards featuring various types of biomass, their practical applications, and fascinating facts, making it easy and enjoyable for players to learn about sustainable resources. Through this interactive format, young people can explore the potential of bio-based products in a fun and memorable way.

Summary Sheet

• Educational field/topic: biomass, bio-based products
• Recommended age: 13+ years
• Number of players: 2–4
• Game duration:  20–30 minutes
• Available languages: Dutch
• Format: print to play

Escape4Future – Chemistry Meets Circular Bioeconomy

Escape room game challenging students to tackle modern sustainability issues. For Ages 13 and up

Escape4Future – Chemistry Meets Circular Bioeconomy is an immersive escape room experience where students confront one of today’s most pressing challenges: moving away from the linear “make, use, dispose” consumption model that drives issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity. In this game, designed for high school students (ages 13-18) and supported by facilitators, participants must solve six interconnected puzzles related to green chemistry and circular bioeconomy. Through experiments and interactive activities, students discover pathways to a more sustainable, circular lifestyle.  It can be played with a younger audience providing clues, suggestions or raising questions to facilitate the solution of the enigmas.

Summary Sheet

• Educational field/topic: green chemistry, circular bioeconomy
• Recommended age: 13+ years
• Number of players:  max 15-20 players (ideally 5-10 players)
• Game duration:  30–45 minutes, depending on the suggestions provided by the facilitators
• Available languages: Italian, English
• Format: print to play

Where can these games be used?

These games are designed for flexible use across a wide range of educational settings. They are suitable for formal education environments like classrooms, and study groups, as well as non-formal spaces such as libraries, museums, afterschool projects and educational camps. Additionally, they work well in informal education environments, including family gatherings, large-scale science fairs, and open house events, allowing participants to engage with bioeconomy concepts in diverse, enriching contexts.

User-Centered Design

This game collection was developed using a user-centered design approach, where young individuals from the target audience, along with scientific experts in education, bioeconomy, gaming, and/or design, actively participated in co-creation, evaluation and play sessions. This collaborative process allowed for ongoing adjustments and improvements through multiple iterations, ensuring the final product closely aligns with the educational needs and preferences of users. This approach enhances engagement, usability, and overall effectiveness, making the games more relevant and impactful for the target audience.

Part of the GenB Toolkit

The four new games BioHeroes: Let’s Save the Planet!, The Bio Race , Green Chat Quartet, and Escape4Future – Chemistry Meets Circular Bioeconomy  are included in the GenB Toolkit—a curated collection developed within the GenB project to reach diverse groups, including children, youth, teenagers, teachers, educators and other influencers. This toolkit provides educational resources designed to enhance knowledge and awareness about the bioeconomy sector and fields.

About the GenB Project

GenB empowers and educates the Generation Bioeconomy, fostering awareness, sensitivity, and engagement in environmental issues, sustainability, and circularity, encouraging young voices to lead the transition to more sustainable lifestyles. With this collection of games and additional initiatives, GenB aims to equip new generations to face the challenges and seize the opportunities of a sustainable future as well as equip educators with tailored and ready to use educational material.

For more information about these games and the GenB Toolkit, visit the GenB website. Stay tuned for the development of new materials that will drive the bioeconomy forward. Stay informed and be part of the movement!

A detailed handout has just been released outlining a series of webinars designed to build capacity in the field of bioeconomy. Divided into three modules—two at the basic level and one at the advanced level—this resource provides a clear structure for learners at different stages of their bioeconomy education. Each module comes with a specific focus, covering fundamental concepts to advanced communication techniques in bioeconomy.

Basic Level 1: Bioeconomy: What is it? What are its applications? What can I do? Is it all good?

This introductory module answers core questions about bioeconomy, explaining what it is, its various applications, and how individuals can engage with the field. It also explores whether bioeconomy is inherently positive or has potential drawbacks. 

Basic Level 2: Bioeconomy explorer: Tools and learning resources from GenB & beyond

The second module focuses on providing participants with practical tools and resources to delve deeper into bioeconomy, with a particular emphasis on learning materials from the GenB project’s toolkit and beyond.

Advanced Level: Communication in sustainable bioeconomy

This module covers strategies for communicating effectively about sustainability within the bioeconomy sector. The focus is on helping participants become adept at conveying complex bioeconomy topics to various audiences. 

Each webinar is hosted on YouTube, making it easily accessible to a global audience. Additionally, slides for each session can be downloaded either individually or for the entire webinar. The handout provides specific time stamps for when each module starts and ends, making it easy for participants to follow along or jump to specific sections of interest.

For full details, be sure to download the handout or visit the official YouTube channel for access to the webinars.

The European Researchers’ Night (ERN) takes place simultaneously across Europe on the last Friday of September to celebrate and research science. Events are organised in hundreds of cities across Europe. In the Netherlands, activities were only held in Groningen this year.

Host venue Forum Groningen and four Schools for Science and Society from the University of Groningen organised the science festival on the European initiative’s behalf. The festival included experiments, science shows, science battles, music, dance, and a nice drink, thus generating a great vibe and offering something for everyone. Like in the previous year, the 2024 edition was sold out.

Staff of the Dutch GenB partner BTG together with GenB Ambassadors based in the Netherlands exhibited at the science festival, representing the GenB project and in collaboration with the 3-CO project, introducing bioeconomy concepts to a diverse audience.

Festival visitors of all ages were invited to an experiment allowing them to feel, smell and discover biomass and bio-based products. They were challenged to feel samples of different types of biomasses, invisibly hidden in cardboard tubes, and make the connection with samples of bio-based products made from that specific biomass material. Players that made the proper connections were rewarded with a bio-based gift.

Whilst they were busy completing this challenge, the BTG team engaged with them, talking about opportunities and other issues related to Bioeconomy, but also answering questions like: what is kapok? How do you produce cleaning agent from citrus fruit peels?

Visitors were additionally informed through a small exhibition of bio-based products, the Dutch version of the “What’s bioeconomy” book for kids, the official GenB gadgets and recent GenB project outcomes.  Coffee notebooks and colouring and activity booklets were handed out to interested visitors. The use of these materials helped to stimulate the engagement and learning of participants of all ages.

The results of the work of a video- and photographer who captured the evening are accessible here.  

GenB activities in the context of the ERN showcases the importance of making complex scientific research accessible to a wider audience, successfully bringing science closer to the public, showing how research affects our daily lives and increasing the interest of young people in scientific and research careers. 

On September 27th, 2024, the ZSI team, representing the GenB project, participated in the European Researchers’ Night, a European-wide event aimed at promoting public interest in science. The event featured two interactive sessions focused on introducing bioeconomy concepts to a diverse audience.

In the morning, a workshop was held with 10th-grade students (aged 16) from HLW Weiz (Höhere Lehranstalt für wirtschaftliche Berufe), a vocational secondary school specialising in business. The session began with an introduction to the bioeconomy, covering its core concepts and some of the controversial issues surrounding it. With 26 students participating, the group was divided into two, and with the assistance of facilitators from ZSI, they played the GenB Escape4Future – Chemistry meets Circular Bioeconomy game. The objective of the game is to challenge players to address the modern world’s issues caused by a linear lifestyle model, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity. Players must solve six interconnected enigmas related to green chemistry and bioeconomy through hands-on experiments to find a way toward a more sustainable, circular lifestyle. Due to time limitations, the first four stations of the game were completed. Students were introduced to bio-based products and biomass, including the opportunity to create a bio-based “coffee scrub,” which gave them practical insights into sustainable resource use. At the end of the session, participants were rewarded with GenB T-shirts, bags, and books.

The afternoon featured an exhibition that attracted hundreds of visitors of all ages. The ZSI/GenB stand, posters from the BioArtGallery, including one highlighting products made from elephant dung, which proved to be particularly popular. Visitors were intrigued by books made from elephant dung, which were displayed and distributed. Two tables featured a wide array of bio-based products: one displayed GenB gadgets, such as bio-based speakers and earphones, which captured the attention of younger visitors, while the second table presented everyday items like bioplastic bottles, wheat straw plates, and shirts made from wood, which drew the interest of adults eager to learn where these products could be purchased. Additionally, a station was set up for younger children to paint using natural colours made from spices, and a bioeconomy-themed memory game helped teach them about bioeconomy and sustainability.

The event also provided valuable networking opportunities, as discussions were held with representatives from related sectors. Many teachers who visited the stand were informed about and encouraged to participate in future project activities specifically designed for educators. They also expressed interest in the educational materials created by the GenB project and were provided with information on how to access these resources through the project’s website and virtual library.

Great success of the European Researcher’s Night in Italy! ERN is the most important European appointment for science to meet with the citizens, involving 25 countries, attracting 1.5 million visitors across Europe and beyond each year. In particular GenB project ensured that the Bioeconomy was the center of the activities! 

GenB was present in Italy in two different sites at the doors of Rome: Frascati, In collaboration with the ILEAF project (27 and 28 September 2024) and Montelibretti (27 September 2024), in collaboration with I4Science. In total more than 2100 citizens have been engaged in the various activities, including kids, teenagers, families and teachers.  

The GenB ambassadors played a central role in animating the two nights in Frascati, with games, quizzes and the BioArt Gallery exhibition. Nicholas, Sewmy, Alice and Davide conducted 10 rounds of the ESCAPE4Future – Chemistry meets Circular Bioeconomy game, tailoring the experience for two different type of players: a simplified version of the game for the younger ones, and a more challenging gameplay for the teen-agers and young adults. In total more than 200 players experienced this engaging game, learning by playing facts about the bioeconomy and  environmental protection. 

Also the Bioeconomy Quiz was played many times, challenging the participants to answer to questions related to bioeconomy and sustainability. The winners of all ages won bio-based gadgets, including the “what’s bioeconomy” book for kids. 

In parallel, the BioArt Gallery was set-up: informative panels with stunning pictures of feedstock and bio-based products raised curiosity and interest, stimulating the visitors to pose questions to the GenB Ambassadors. Among the participants several copies of the “What’s bioeconomy” book for kids were distributes, in particular to teachers and young students. 

Meanwhile, in Montelibretti a dedicated booth was set-up to inform youth, families and teachers about the diverse opportunities of involvement in the project, in order to take an active role in spreading the bioeconomy. The “What’s bioeconomy” book for kids was highly appreciated and was distributed and used to stimulate the engagement and learning of participants of all ages by playing and reading. 

GenB activities in the context of the European Researchers’ Night showcases the importance of making complex scientific research accessible to a wider audience, successfully bringing science closer to the public, showing how research affects our daily lives and increasing the interest of young people in scientific and research careers. 

In the younger age, many times children or young adults are encouraged to join team sports such as football. This phenomenon doesn’t only raise from the will to develop specific practical skills or improve the health state of the youngest. Building a sense of community and compromise in children is believed to provide them with soft skills essential in their future life. Growing through the ideas of responsibility towards others and collaboration to achieve certain goals, raises the abilities to interact through communication and also teaches us a strong lesson: we cannot do everything by ourselves. Being part of a team and understanding the different roles of each player, helps us from a young age to understand the power of collaboration, and the satisfaction that raises from a job well done together. Such scenario can equally be applied to the development of bioeconomy. Unlike the more traditional economy, focused on a linear production system, bioeconomy sets a circular approach with different players, aiming to score as many goals as possible against climatic crisis.

However, this collective work needs players with different abilities, same as a football match, or have you ever seen a match with 11 strikers? What about with 11 defenders? Perhaps 11 goalkeepers would keep our net safe, but to win, we also need to move on, score some goals! The equilibrium lies on diversity, on the abilities of each player, the relevance of every specific role. Only this way it is possible to reach a just transition into a more sustainable living model. 

In the big frame, bioeconomy needs those who keep “environmental damages” from happening, same as goalkeepers and defenders do in the pitch! These can for instance be waste treatment plants. Those take care of the generated tons of waste and keep them from being thrown away into landfills or oceans, which would increase the pollution levels. Such activities do not only increase the greenhouse gases emissions, but also result in an aggression towards the biodiversity. The appropriate management of waste, definitely keeps goals from being scored in our net. However, while it is always important to defend our net, we also need to score goals in order to win the match. This role is about finding new ways to develop our activity in a non-harmful way for the environment, and even aiming to improve it. This, for example, may be the role of researchers, who play in the first row facing challenges with their wide expertise within several fields of the natural sciences or engineering sectors. They are capable to take the “balls” that our goalkeepers saved, and make them reach the opposite net. In the sustainability field, much work in research centers, research and development departments and universities focuses on the optimization of waste valorization processes, aiming to score back with the ball that initially was directed towards our net.

Bioeconomy is a clear example of the relevance of team work and expertise diversity, enhancing the importance of each player and specially the collaboration among them, and these are only a few examples of the roles that can be taken. We can take a role in the sustainable transition through very different activities, we just have to find our strength and learn on the way from our team mates!

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