About
Our Approach
MAINSTREAMBIO
Mission
Accelerate the deployment of small-scale bio-based solutions across EU rural regions:
The potential of bio-based products and solutions in developing a sustainable economy has been recognized in the EU Bioeconomy strategy. Though, despite considerable investments in research, innovation, and business support, many EU regions have yet to realize this potential. This is where MainstreamBIO comes into play!
MainstreamBIO sets out to get small-scale bio-based solutions into mainstream practice across 7 EU rural regions (NL, PL, DK, SE, BG, ES, IE), by establishing regional Multi-actor Innovation Platforms (MIPs) each with a variety of feedstocks, infrastructure, and expertise, in the aim of co-creating sustainable business model pathways in line with regional potentials and policy initiatives.
The project offers innovative digital tools which will enhance the engagement of key rural actors and create sustainable value chains and business models supporting the development of the EU bioeconomy, while it also provides free access in a Multi-actor Innovation Platform, where regional stakeholders with diverse backgrounds, expertise and interests are members and build networks and partnerships between them, but also free of charge innovation support services and an open for all digital Toolkit.
MAINSTREAMBIO
Approach
We begin by setting in motion a genuine multi-actor approach to stakeholder engagement and management, establishing 7 Multi-actor Innovation Platforms (MIPs) that bring together key regional players and knowledge holders with diverse backgrounds, expertise, and interests and mobilise them towards learning, action and change.
In parallel, we develop a catalogue of small-scale bio-based solutions (techs, business models, social innovations) to facilitate the delivery of our innovation support, while providing inspiration and guidance for rural actors. Along the way, we will be developing a decision support system (DSS) that will guide rural actors through our catalogued small-scale bio-based solutions, enabling them to identify the ones that best fit their territorial dynamics, resource availability and socio-economic context.
Additionally, we engage key stakeholders in the design of the innovation support services to be delivered by each MIP through co-creation workshops, infusing them with a proactive market orientation that focuses on better meeting their obvious and hidden needs. Further, we set up the MainstreamBIO digital toolkit to gather scattered resources and tools that can facilitate the development of the bioeconomy in one place. A preliminary outline of the main components of our toolkit is provided below:
During the third phase of the project, potential cases for support will be identified via open calls and assessed against selection criteria defined by PROC based on the criteria used for its R&D council, before being selected and engaged. Along our innovation support we will deploy regional awareness raising and education campaigns aimed at (i) informing farmers and rural communities about the benefits of small-scale bio-based solutions, the income diversification opportunities they offer and the means to seize them.
Later on, a suite of KPIs will be defined to monitor and measure the performance of our MIPs against the parameters most pertinent to the inputs, processes and outputs of the measures they deploy (innovation support services, awareness raising and education campaigns). Insights from the evaluation of our measures will be used to foster learning and collective thinking. At regional level, the cases we supported will be assessed based on Scaling Readiness29 measures in scale-up workshops, during which key stakeholders will work together to co-create solutions to local barriers for market uptake. Then, at cross-regional level, we foster mutual learning and good practice exchange opportunities30, between our regions as well as other regions.
Along the way, we implement a well-targeted dissemination and communication strategy to reach audiences at local, national and international level, while establishing a vibrant community with a well-designed blend of online and offline activities.