The Natural Fibertastic Workshop exhibited how innovative fiber technology can be used to make a difference in the bio-based economy. At the event in Bergen op Zoom the program was provided to the participants on paper made from grass residues. Thus a hands-on product of the bio-based economy was presented to all participants. The Natural Fibertastic workshop was characterized by a productive atmosphere, interesting discussions and many innovative concepts with international partners and participants from Belgium, Germany, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Poland. It was organized by Biobased Delta, REWIN, Province of North Brabant, Municipality Bergen op Zoom and the Natural fiber Application Center in cooperation with the INTERREG NEW project BioBase4SME. Biobased Delta is a partner of the Horizon 2020/ BBI-JU project BIOPEN.
The BIOPEN project, well presented by Guglielmo Grosso (Innovation Consultant, CiaoTech Srl – PNO Innovation) aims to develop and to design a European open innovation platform. With this platform new applications and value chains for Bio-Based Products and technologies can be identified and the creation of partnerships to innovate processes and products is stimulated and supported. The new BIOPEN platform allows for the first time a simple research approach on relevant topics like alternative aromatics from green raw materials for the production of chemicals.
The emphasis at Natural Fibertastic workshop was on the use of (natural) fibres for materials for diverse applications, such as for construction and infrastructural projects.
In the morning the event started with a highlight: a tour visiting a couple of significant bio-based applications in the Delta region. In parallel sessions experts from all regions discussed about recent progress in the conversion from waste to sugars and finally to aromatics. After lunch in the plenary session several presentations were given related to circular and bio-based economy. In the afternoon a plenary programme comprised many practical examples and experiences by SMEs. In the morning as well as in the afternoon real-life cases, challenges and solutions within the scope of matters such as scaling up, quality, realisation and funding were subjects of discussions.
During the breaks and the lunch there were opportunities for matchmaking, and sufficient space for networking.
The BiOPEN project is a CSA project t funded under BBI JU and coordinated by Ciaotech, Italy. The consortium involves 9 partners from seven EU countries (Italy, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, and Poland) and is highly specialized in the bio-based industry. It comprises five European bio-based clusters (Bioeconomy Cluster, Biobased Delta, CLIB2021, Smart Chemistry Park operated by Turku Science Park, West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster Green Chemistry), three open innovation expert companies (Ciaotech, Europe Unlimited, Innovation Engineering), and one research centre (National Technical University of Athens). The project partners will reach a large number of stakeholders and involve them actively through workshops, direct support to find collaboration partners or co-funding and online matchmaking. They will also deliver five perspective studies on new bio-based products and markets, encompassing both downstream sectors and brand owners. This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 745719.
The consortium
BioEconomy Cluster, Germany
Contact: Steffen Ullmann MA, steffen.ullmann@bioeconomy.de (www.bioeconomy.de)
Biobased Delta, The Netherlands, is the biobased cluster in the southwest of the country with entrepreneurs, knowledge institutes and government agencies working together to strengthen the position of the region in the biobased economy under the theme “Agro meets Chemistry”. The cluster has an extensive national and international network and over 80 partners.
Contact: Dr. Ir. Willem Sederel, willem.sederel@biobaseddelta.nl (www.biobaseddelta.nl)
Ciaotech, Italy (Coordinator)
Contact: Patrizia Circelli, p.circelli@ciaotech.com (www.ciaotech.com)
CLIB2021, Germany, is the competence network for industrial biotechnology with a strong base in the German Federal State of NRW and an extensive national and international network. The cluster has around 100 members from academia, small and medium sized enterprises and the chemical industry.
Contact: Dr. Sarah Refai, refai@clib2021.de (www.clib2021.com)
Europe Unlimited, Belgium
Contact: Youssef Sabbah, youssef@e-unlimited.com (www.e-unlimited.com)
Innovation Engineering, Italy.
Contact: Valeria Marino, v.marino@innovationengineering.eu (www.innovationengineering.eu)
National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece
Contact: Prof Antonios Kokosis, akokossis@mail.ntua.gr (ipsen.ntua.gr)
Smart Chemistry Park, Turku Science Park Ltd, Finland
Contact: Reeta Huhtinen, reeta.huhtinen@turkubusinessregion.com (http://www.smartchemistrypark.com; http://www.turkubusinessregion.com)
The Association West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster “Green Chemistry”, Poland
Contact: Marcin Krawczyk, marcin@zielonachemia.eu (www.zielonachemia.eu)
BiOPEN has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 745719.
BBI JU
Biobased Industries Joint Undertaking. https://www.bbi-europe.eu/
BiOPEN is coordinated by
Ciaotech, Member of PNO Group. Contact: Patrizia Circelli, p.circelli@ciaotech.com
BiOPEN website
www.biopen-project.eu
