The event, moderated by prof. Fabio Fava and Chiara Pocaterra, involved high-level speakers to jointly discuss the topic of bioeconomy education that was recognised as central in light of the transition towards a sustainable economy and society, a central pillar of the ecological transition required by the European Green Deal:
• Prof. Fabio Fava – Università di Bologna e Gruppo di Coordinamento Nazionale per la Bioeconomia, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri • Giuseppe Pellegrino, European Commission DG RTD – Bioeconomy Unit • Greet Janssens-Maenhout, Deputy Director and Head of our Forests and Bioeconomy Unit – Joint Research Centre • Virginia Puzzolo, Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking • Davide Viaggi – BIObec • Selenia Marinelli – BioGov.net • Chiara Pocaterra – Engage4BIO, GenB • Susanna Albertini – EuBioNet • Davide D’Amico – Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito • Luigi Pievani – Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca • Gian Matteo Panunzi – Ministero dell’Agricoltura, della Sovranità alimentare e delle Foreste • Nunzia Bernardo, Marta Bertolaso – Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica • Carlo Bianchessi – Conferenza delle Regioni e delle Province Autonome
The visit is part of the project’s activities, all of which are aimed at increasing knowledge and promoting the bioeconomy and its economic, social and environmental benefits.
Cupidi Farm has developed sustainable and circular agriculture approaches in recent years by embracing all the principles of the bioeconomy, including energy generation. Students were introduced to the methods of biological farming, which respects the nature of animals, and the circular approach to resource management. This method not only minimizes the amount of waste, but turns it into valuable resources that are commonly considered discard.
One aspect that particularly impressed the students was the innovative use of wood from tree prunings. On many farms, these scraps are simply burned for disposal. At Cupidi Farm, however, this wood is first dried and then turned into wood chips that power the water heating system. This process not only supports the farm’s production needs but also domestic needs, representing a concrete example of a biorefinery.
The farm gets its electricity needs supplied through a photovoltaic system. Students had the opportunity to see a photovoltaic panel up close and understand the process of converting light energy into electrical energy. This experience gave them a practical understanding of renewable technologies and their positive environmental impact.
Next, the process of wood chip production and storage was explained, demonstrating how each stage of the production cycle is carefully planned to maximize efficiency and sustainability. The final part of the visit was devoted to a hands-on workshop. In the farm’s walnut grove, students took measurements to determine the amount of wood obtained from tree pruning. This exercise emphasized the importance of considering each resource for its potential, turning an unavoidable waste into a central component of a sustainable production cycle.
During this activity, the farm’s founder, Alessio Cupidi, a former researcher in the field of biology, transferred his scientific passion into the practical application of the concepts of environmental sustainability and bioeconomics, seeing in them the possibility of bringing tangible benefits to the community. Cupidi shared his vision of sustainable agriculture with students and teachers, highlighting the importance of the concepts of circularity. Matteo Anzalone, GenB Ambassador, interviewed Cupidi to gather his experience and testimony and it was posted on the GenB project’s social media.
The visit to Cupidi Farm provided students with a concrete understanding of how innovation can be integrated into one of the world’s oldest professions. Students could see directly how a sustainability and innovation-driven approach can improve production efficiency and positively impact the environment and the community.
This hands-on field experience has the potential to inspire students to consider career paths in fields related to sustainability, bioeconomy, and renewable energy, and also demonstrated that modern agriculture can be a fertile ground for scientific and technological innovation, promoting a more sustainable and conscious future starting with the next generation.
The success of this activity will be reported at the European level by the GenB project with the hope of being replicated and integrated into the educational models of schools in all member countries of the European Union.
On May the 16th, 2024, the GenB project held its second capacity building webinar for GenB Ambassadors. This instalment, part of an ongoing series aimed at equipping these young advocates with the skills and knowledge to promote the bioeconomy, took a practical turn, focusing on the application of the GenB toolkit and interactive learning methods.
The webinar, which took place online, brought together participants from different countries, all keen to strengthen their role as ambassadors for a sustainable bioeconomy. The session was structured to provide hands-on experience with tools designed to engage and educate different audiences about the bioeconomy.
Agenda highlights:
1. Overview of the GenB Toolkit – Clara Blasco (AIJU, Spain) presented the extensive resources available in the toolkit, highlighting its versatility in educating different age groups about the bioeconomy. 2. Bioeconomy Job Profiles – Isidora Salim (EUN, Belgium) discussed career opportunities in the bioeconomy, highlighting the skills needed and the sectors expected to grow. An important aspect of her presentation was to guide ambassadors on how to effectively communicate these job opportunities and the relevance of the bioeconomy to others. 3. Quizzes and Educational Cards – Clara Blasco (AIJU, Spain) explained how these tools can be used for self-training and for teaching others in an interactive and engaging way. 4. Games and Gamified Solutions – Valentina Vavassori and Selenia Marinelli (FVA, Italy) presented a series of educational games developed by GenB and other projects to teach bioeconomy concepts through play. 5. Students2students – Laura Mentini (APRE, Italy) shared methods for ambassadors to directly engage their peers through activities such as TED-style talks, storytelling, hands-on experiments and facilitating large-scale events. 6. Educational Videos and Library Resources – Pietro Rigonat (LOBA, Portugal) presented the GenB Library, a repository of resources that ambassadors can use to deepen their knowledge and support their advocacy work. He demonstrated how to find educational videos on the bioeconomy and explained how ambassadors can become part of such videos by participating in video projects and creating content.
This webinar emphasised practical application, going beyond theoretical knowledge to equip ambassadors with actionable tools and methods to spread bioeconomy awareness to their peers and beyond. The introduction of different learning formats – quizzes, games, videos and hands-on experiments – aimed to make learning about the bioeconomy engaging and accessible. Participants were provided with detailed instructions and examples on how to use these tools effectively, ensuring that they felt confident in their role as advocates.
The webinar encouraged participants to actively engage through the Mentimeter platform, fostering a collaborative learning environment. They shared their initial thoughts on how they planned to implement the tools presented in their contexts and the potential challenges they foresaw. In addition, when asked if they felt ready after the webinars to take on their role as GenB ambassadors and spread awareness about the bioeconomy, all participants expressed readiness. Just over half said they felt ready but would need some support to overcome certain concerns, while the rest felt fully prepared to take on their role immediately. Notably, none of the participants felt they needed further training, underlining the effectiveness of the webinar series.
The session also set the stage for the final webinar in the series on the 9th September 2024 (18:00 -20:00 CET), which will focus on strengthening soft and cross-cutting skills such as communication, copywriting and video production.
Join the movement: The GenB ambassador programme continues to welcome young people under 30 who are passionate about contributing to a sustainable and circular transition. Those interested in joining can register and become part of a network dedicated to promoting the bioeconomy and sustainable practices.
For more information and to access resources from the webinar, visit the GenB library. Stay tuned for the next webinar and continue to be a driving force for the bioeconomy!
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!
BTG recently started the implementation of an educational activity in close collaboration with Bonhoeffer College, a comprehensive school in Enschede.This school provides secondary education. Including a Technasium stream. In this form of education, students work in teams on current STEM assignments from practice. Working in a small group, the student gets four assignments per year. Assignments are offered by public and private companies.For GenB, 3 classes with a total of about 75 second-year Technasium students will work in groups as a youth advisory agency, according to the Advisors of the Future concept
Advisors of the Future is a programme of Natuur en Milieu Overijssel, a federation of approx. 80 nature conservation and environmental organizations in the province of Overijssel. Advisors of the Future gives young people the opportunity to think and talk about society, today and tomorrow. At AvdT, a class works on a real assignment from an external client. Each class that participates forms its own consultancy firm and gets to work in a project-based way. Students conduct research, collect and process information, form their own vision and opinion, propose solutions to the issue, work on various competencies during the process and finally present their advice during a joint final event. In this way, students are stimulated to further develop 21st-century skills: collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and professional communication. It also offers a valuable interpretation for career orientation, because young people get to work in practice and look into an organization.
The students are asked to devise and develop an exciting and attractive game that make its designer happy. The game should be designed for their peers. They can decide on the type of game themselves. There are plenty of possibilities: card game, board game, mind game, computer game, role play, escape game – it’s all possible.The game should be educational. In terms of content, the game must address one or more of the themes sustainability, circular economy, or bioeconomy. Students are expected to create a playable version of the game, including all game materials and a manual with game rules. Plus, a promotional video.At the kick-off in mid-April 2024, the BTG team gave an introduction on the bioeconomy for each of the 3 classes. For 2 months, until mid-June 2024, students will work mostly independently, according to the educational principle of objective-oriented learning. Their teachers and the BTG team are available to answer questions from the students.Halfway through the assignment, the students will make a company visit to technology developer BTG. There they will be given some presentations and a tour.The Advisors of the Future project will be concluded with a final event at the Province of Overijssel government building in Zwolle. Here all participating classes from all over the province will have the opportunity to present their business advice. They can set up their own stall from where they can give a short pitch. After listening to all the presentations, a jury will choose three finalists. They will battle in the final for the prize for the best Youth Consultancy of 2024. Who will that be? That’s up to the audience!BTG plans to further promote the most interesting game designs (inter)nationally. Nationally, e.g. during science festivals in the autumn of 2024. Internationally through the activities of the GenB project partners in other countries.To find out more about this concept, please contact John Vos, vos@btgworld.com.
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:
On 12 March ScienzaInsieme, with the support of some of its partners (Cnr-Artov, Enea and Ispra), organized a morning full of events, some such as Career Talks and hands up, were hosted by Cnr-Artov. Other interactive activities and meetings with researchers took place at the schools. The events for the Festival involved a total of 427 middle and high school students.
On the 14th of March, APRE, FVA New Media Research, Cluster Spring, with the support of Lazio Innova and Unitelma Sapienza, organized an intense morning of TEDx, Career Talks, games and interactive exhibitions involving 90 high school students, to raise awareness about the sustainable and circular bioeconomy. The event was hosted by Spazio Europa, an amazing public space located in the centre of Rome and managed by the Office in Italy of the European Parliament and the Representation in Italy of the European Commission.
APRE, as GenB Coordinator, opened the day by introducing the project objectives and the role of the GenB Ambassadors in promoting the sustainable and circular bioeconomy among peers and the large public.
Then, Lazio Innova presented their activities in the frame of their “Spazi Attivi” located in all the region and the “Startupper School Academy” Programme, aiming at promoting talent, innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity of the young high school students located in the Lazio Region.
GenB is partner of the initiative, supporting the challenge of sustainable living and bioeconomy in general. During this session, GenB Ambassador Cristian Colasanti shared his successful experience as one of the former winners of the special prize in bioeconomy of the Startupper School Academy, presenting his project GAIA, aiming at valorising the hemp value chain from its phytoremediation capacities, textile and construction applications, towards a virtuous end-of-life solution.
In parallel to the main event, the FabLabs of the eight Lazio Innova “Spazi Attivi” were organising various activities (hands-on labs, quizzes and games, presentations, debates and career talks), involving around 200 students in the whole Lazio region. Each FabLab focused on a specific dimension of the bioeconomy, connected to the local specificities. They were remotely connected with the main event to show their active engagement and enthusiastic participation.
GenB young Ambassadors Nicholas, Alice and Davide, jumped on stage to deliver the TEDx “Crickets for breakfast” in which they explained in an engaging way the bioeconomy, its contribution to the main environmental challenges, as well as the controversial aspects. The also presented some bio-based products to tease the curiosity of the audience, promoting a more sustainable lifestyle.
To challenge the audience’s understanding on these topics through a gamified approach, FVA New Media Research involved participants in a quiz game to test their knowledge and deepen their understanding on the matter. This represented a very enjoyable moment, during which students and teachers competed to give the right answers in the shortest time possible, to finally be awarded with the bio-based GenB gadgets.
During the following session, Cluster Spring moderated the Career Tasks where entrepreneurs and workers in bioeconomy shared their successful stories with the students, to inspire and attract towards these green careers. The pitches provided the speakers’ considerations of the many domains in which the bioeconomy can represent an opportunity for studying and working careers. In fact, the speakers came from different sectors of the green jobs, from the sustainability officer in a multinational company to the university Professor in the Economic Policy, together with young professionals from biotech companies and NGOs.
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.
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