The transition towards a circular bioeconomy is crucial for meeting the goals of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan and for tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.

Following on from COP16 on Biological Diversity and on the same day that delegates discussed nature and biodiversity at COP29 on Climate Change in Azerbaijan, the ECESP Leadership Group on Circular Bioeconomy invited you to join the #EUCircularTalks on Circular Bioeconomy Transformation Methodologies.

The BIOTRANSFORM project has developed innovative methodologies and tools to support this transition at regional level. To enhance their impact, we must engage regional managers, experts and stakeholders to share good practices, gather feedback and explore opportunities for replication and scaling.

This webinar aimed to:

• Present the methodology and tools to a wider audience for feedback and refinement;
• Inform regional managers about the tools and gather feedback from them on potential applications;
• Identify potential replicator regions and establish a network of interested stakeholders for future collaboration.

The workshop was structured into three sections covering different aspects of the circular bioeconomy transition:

1. Introduction to BIOTRANSFORM's methodology and tools;
2. Regional application and feedback;
3. Governance and collaboration for scaling impact.

Don't miss this chance to learn about the transformation methodology's application in and benefits for various regional contexts.

Speakers

Opening remarks: Zsolt Kükedi, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Session 1: BIOTRANSFORM Project Partners

• Astrid Stalmans (VITO)
• Gitanjali Thakur (LIST)
• Kirsi Kataja (VTT)

Session 2:

• Mar Catedra (Regional government of Andalucia, department of agriculture, fisheries, water and rural development) 
• Sari Åkerlund, Äänekoski city (FI)
• Aaron Vuola (Finnish Forest Industry Federation)
• Dr. Konstantinos Vorgias, BSc, PhD (Professor of Biochemistry-Biotechnology-Circular Bioeconomy in National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)

Session 3:

• Heloise EVEN (Department of energy transition and environment,  Region Pays de la Loire)
• Sander Bos (Advisor, Fryslan Province) 

This webinar took place on 21 November at 14:30–16:30 CET on MS Teams. Register here!

Presentations: BIOTRANSFORM Framework and tools, Pays de la Loire, Fryslan

Are you planning a transition to circular bioeconomy in your region and interested in applying the BIOTRANSFORM model to your context? If you think BIOTRANSFORM framework could be interesting for your region, please let the organisers of this webinar know and they will set up a meeting to further discuss how the project tools and framework could support your case.