A regional hub including farmers and foresters is set to be established in Ireland to scale-up bio-based solutions in rural areas as part of a new bioeconomy project funded by the European Union.
RuralBioUp will empower regions to deliver support services to local actors, transferring skills and expertise to improve the bioeconomy and boost rural development on a regional and local level.
A bioeconomy uses renewable resources from agriculture, forestry and the marine to produce food, feed, materials and energy while reducing waste.
Bio-based solutions include resource-efficient products, processes and services based on renewable biomass from land and sea, which can be used for rural economic development and to improve environmental sustainability.
This is according to the project manager at the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation (IBF), Kevin Ryan, which is responsible for the implementation of RuralBioUp from 2023 to 2025 in Ireland.
RuralBioUp
Nine regional hubs will be set up across the EU in total – in Italy, Czechia, France, Latvia, Romania and Ireland – to strengthen the cooperation among regional key actors and knowledge holders.
A digital tool will match information on available biomass, nutrient cycling and soil improving, as well as business models and financial opportunities at regional level.
Through networking events, study visits, and new collaborations fostered such as partnerships between companies and/or farmers, innovators will be supported to adopt bio-based solutions.
Stakeholders involved in the rural development in Ireland, including farmers and foresters will implement different activities and actions to ease the adoption of bio-based solutions in two value chains.
Co-creating, co-designing, and co-deciding the two value chains, stakeholders will define an action plan to be implemented and a strategy to make the hub sustainable after project end.
“RuralBioUp will facilitate the creation and connection of new technologies and solutions to enable stronger and more balanced business models within the rural bioeconomy.
“The project will provide the best small-scale bio-based solutions and business models most suitable for rural regions in Ireland,” Ryan said.
The IBF will facilitate the work of the Irish hub during the project timeline, and empower the actors with coaching, mentoring and training activities.
RuralBioUp has received funding from the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.