Since 2006, the RIA aims at honouring European Regional Authorities’ actions which have stimulated, fostered and implemented innovation in their territory. It aims at promoting best practices as well as to demonstrate how regions can contribute to regional economic welfare. The RIA 2016 edition targeted initiatives on the circular economy.
The jury decided to recognise two projects:
- 2016 AER Regional Innovation Award to Brussels-Capital Region (BE), for the initiative “Brussels Regional Program for a Circular Economy (BRPCE)”
- 2016 Special Recognition prize to the Province of Noord-Brabant (NL) for the initiative “Green Chemistry Campus: Biorizon’s Waste2Aromatics”
The Green Chemistry Campus, on the premises of SABIC in Bergen op Zoom, is a business accelerator for developing biobased building blocks for the chemical industry. The Campus enhances the success rate of biobased entrepreneurs and thus contributes to the realisation of a biobased economy. One of the programs at the Campus is Shared Research Center Biorizon, initiated by TNO (Netherlands) and VITO (Flanders). It’s aim is to develop technologies to produce aromatics from organic waste. Aromatics are one of the main feedstocks of the chemical industry, constituting 40% of the total market. Currently, these are exclusively produced from fossil sources, generating considerable CO2 emissions. In its project Waste2Aromatics, Biorizon focuses on turning waste into valuable raw materials for the chemical industry.
See also:
- website Assembly of European Regions
- website Green Chemistry Campus
