The Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) is launching a new ‘digital’ bioeconomy platform for regions and industry in January 2020.
The concept is based on a digital, partnering platform where regions and industry can make contact based on mutual interest. The platform focuses on creating local value chains and access to finance, namely helping regions and industry bridge the gap about bio-based investment opportunities at the level of regions.
This is in line with the position of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) which has been working on the bioeconomy, raising awareness and strengthening the local and regional dimension for the past years. Equally to mentioning ECRN as an example, the CoR has also stated that platforms such as the Bio-Based Industries Consortium, which are able to maximise the potential of finding and knowledge acquired and to combine local and regional initiatives, can promote bioeconomy processes effectively.
Benefits to regions
- Easily identify industry actors corresponding to the region’s bio-based investment priorities/ feedstock availability by using the platform’s search and filter functions.
- Make contact and build relationships with new industry actors, not yet present in the region/country.
- Using the platform, regions can identify appropriate industry actors for private investments in new local bio-based value chains.
Benefits for industry
- Easily identify regions offering opportunities for bio-based investment & associated financial incentives, using the search and filter function in the platform.
- Access alternative sources of finance for excellent, but unsuccessful BBI JU or other EU funding proposals. This is particularly relevant for high TRL projects, such as flagships and demos that met the quality threshold but did not receive funding due to budget limitations.
- Industry representatives can make contact and build relations with regions via the platform.
The industries having access to the platform, at least initially, will be the members of the Bio-based Industries Consortium, which reach 240 entities covering the whole value chain and including a large number of chemical companies.
Are you a region interested in becoming part of the bioeconomy platform?
Interested regions, for their part, will be asked to complete their profile at the platform with key information of interest to potential industry investors such as:
- Bio-based priorities for investment
- The financial incentives available for this investment
- Type of feedstocks in the region
- Skills & competencies in the region
BIC is currently reaching out to stakeholders to obtain the contact details of the relevant person(s) responsible for the bioeconomy in European regions. If you are a representative of a region who is interested in having your region represented in the platform, we kindly ask that you complete the online form here until Friday, 13 December.
- To consult a PDF version of this form please click here.
- To see an indicative list of bioeconomy feedstocks, please click here.
For questions, please contact Ben Kennard, BIC Communications and Stakeholder Relations Manager, at ben.kennard@biconsortium.eu.
Detailed information on the plaftorm and FAQs
