Awarded under the same call for projects under Cluster 6 “Bioeconomy” of the Horizon Europe programme, the BIORURAL, RURALBIOUP and SCALE-UP projects aim to promote the development and adoption of innovative small-scale bio-based solutions in rural areas. This is a great opportunity for the three organisations to strengthen their cooperation in favour of the deployment of the bioeconomy in the Western regions in France. 

The bioeconomy, a “biosourced” economy based on the substitution of fossil resources by biomass (agricultural, forestry, marine, bio-waste), is considered by the European Union and its Member States as a formidable lever for decarbonising and relocating their economies and supply chains, for greater resilience of their territories in the face of crises, whether sanitary, energy, climatic or geopolitical. To meet these challenges while respecting the ecological boundaries of ecosystems, the bioeconomy must be placed at the service of the circular economy. As it implies a radical change of model, this transition towards a circular bioeconomy must be fair and inclusive if it is to be accepted by economic actors and civil society.

Developing new business opportunities in rural areas, based on sustainable bio-based value chains, is the challenge to be met by the three projects led respectively by Valorial, Vegepolys Valley and AC3A. These projects will have in common the establishment of stakeholder networks for knowledge sharing and capacity building of regional actors, with a view to developing innovative and local biomass valorisation solutions. The three organisations will work closely together to ensure the coherence and impact of their actions. 

For further information:

BIORURAL: led by Valorial in the regions of Brittany, Pays de la Loire and Normandy, this project will create a pan-European bioeconomy network while developing an online toolkit for scaling up bio-based solutions in rural areas.

Contact: thibaud.gremme@pole-valorial.fr

RURALBIOUP: led by Vegepolys Valley in the Western (Bretagne Pays-de-le-Loire) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, this project will develop the bioeconomy sector by facilitating the dialogue and connection of actors along the value chain.

Contacts: lea.minier@vegepolys-valley.eu ; marie-pierre.cassagnes@vegepolys-valley.eu

SCALE-UP: led in the French Atlantic regions (Pays de la Loire, Normandy, Brittany and Nouvelle-Aquitaine) by the Association of the Chambers of Agriculture of the Atlantic Area (AC3A), this project aims to support regional multi-actor partnerships in identifying and scaling-up innovative and sustainable bio-based value chains that build on regional resources.

Contact: nina.bailet@ac3a.chambagri.fr

These projects are funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.