The Stakeholder Forum is a one-day public event that brings together the bio-based industries community and facilitate open discussion on the impact, achievements and strategic direction of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) programme, as well as the latest developments in the bio-based industries sector. The objective is not only to be proud of the achievements so far, but also to identify the remaining gaps and challenges. Philippe Mengal, Executive Director BBI JU explains: “It’s still a very risky area for investment. Banks and investors are very interested in the sector, but they need bankable projects. That’s why you need the grant to to reach the technology at a demonstration level.”
Accelerating development
“We need to accelerate the development of the biobased sector and the uptake of biobased solutions by the market”, said Wolfgang Burtscher, Deputy Director-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission. “Even if we are happy to see the ten or so flagships in the current partnerships, we need fifty or a hundred flagships in the next period.”
“Scale-up, demonstrate, roll-out, get additional financing and build the new factories. BBI JU is unique from that perspective”, said Alex Michir, BBI JU SWEETWOODS project & Member of BIC Board of Directors. Maria Da Graça Carvalho, Member of the European Parliament, adds: “The public budget alone can not achieve what is required for the big challenge that we have in front of us. We should use the public as a catalyser of getting more funding. And the public-private partnerships, the PPP’s (like BBI JU, ed.) are doing that.”
Successor
With Horizon 2020 coming to an end soon, the BBI JU is working on a successor under the Horizon Europe innovation program. And there’s every reason to continue, states Niklas von Weymarn, CEO Metsä Spring & Member of BIC Board of Directors: “With the BBI Joint Undertaking, we have really reached the top three in the world of the bioeconomy actors. We would like to be number one and that would take an additional seven year program.”
