The Southern Regional Assembly and Munster Technological University (MTU) have partnered in a EU-funded project to help the region meet bioeconomy goals.
The assembly, which is based in Waterford city, and MTU’s Circular Bioeconomy Research Group (CircBio), based in Tralee, have joined forces on the ROBIN project, which is funded through the EU Horizon Europe research initiative.
The ROBIN project aims to help EU regions, including the southern region of Ireland, to analyse bioeconomy policies, review good practices, and come up with strategies for developing the bioeconomy.
The southern region of Ireland is recognised as having significant strengths in the bioeconomy which present an area of opportunity and growth for the region, as well as providing a pathway to achieving Ireland’s climate action targets.
“Through extensive natural and infrastructure resources, the southern region has huge potential to inform and lead the way in the bioeconomy in Ireland, and the ROBIN project will support this development,” a spokesperson for the Southern Regional Assembly said.
The bioeconomy is part of the economy which uses renewable biological resources such as animals, plants, and micro-organisms. It uses biomass and organic waste to produce food, feed, bio-based products, and energy.
The ROBIN project runs until 2025, and will allow for an opportunity for the southern region to learn from and share knowledge with other European regions in Greece, Spain, Germany, and Slovakia.
The assembly and MTU have begun identifying and establishing bioeconomy stakeholders across the southern region.
These stakeholders are active across industry, academia, community, and government. They will share their expertise on the bioeconomy needs and challenges in the region, and offer feedback on the projects ideas, actions, and outcomes.
The Southern Regional Assembly is the regional tier of government in Ireland with the remit for the southern region.
It covers the local authorities for Kilkenny; Carlow; Waterford; Wexford; Tipperary; Cork city; Cork county; Kerry; Clare; and Limerick.
The assembly is responsible for strategic regional and economic planning, and supporting balanced, sustainable regional development.