HORIZON EUROPE AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB Project: Center of Excellence for Smart Agriculture and a Circular Bioeconomy Towards a Sustainable Agri-Food Sector in Expanding Countries (and Beyond)
- Type Project
- Status Firmado
- Execution 2025 -2028
- Assigned Budget 5.995.825,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing Horizonte
- Project website Proyecto AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB
Research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems play a central role in promoting sustainable agriculture and a circular bioeconomy. While some developed European countries are at the forefront, many others need support.
The goal of the EU-funded AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB project is to optimize these resources in Poland, Latvia, and Ukraine. Drawing on the experiences of Belgium and Spain (particularly Catalonia), the hub focuses on promoting sustainable agriculture and circular bioeconomy practices.
The project team will address common challenges, promoting collaboration between academia, businesses, governments, and society. It will develop a long-term R&D action plan tailored to regional needs and support local SMEs in adopting innovative circular agricultural technologies. Key activities include knowledge transfer, capacity building, and consulting.
AGRI-BIOCIRCULAR-HUB is a first-of-its-kind center of excellence in sustainable agriculture and the circular bioeconomy, aimed at strengthening the R&I capacities and innovation ecosystems of three expanding countries, including an emerging ecosystem (PL, LV, and UA). Leveraging the expertise of two more developed countries (ES and BE), and in particular of a pioneering region (Catalonia), one of the leading European regional ecosystems in this field, our goal is to respond to the common needs and challenges of these ecosystems, fully aligned with key strategic areas for the development of smart specializations in these regions.
By bringing together relevant European and regional stakeholders with a track record in R&I ecosystems and the bioeconomy, our goal is to leverage the q-helix innovation model by creating and strengthening links between academia, business, government, and society:
- To promote and foster cross-border and interregional R&I cooperation, we will design and deliver a long-term R&I action plan, covering key strategic R&I themes toward sustainable and biocircular agriculture.
- To enhance the R&I capabilities of three selected Enlargement countries, we propose to design, test, and scale up (TRL3-6) a portfolio of R&I business cases, driven by regional challenges and local innovative SMEs.
- To foster and promote the transfer of knowledge and best practices across regions, we will offer capacity-building, training, and networking activities for the dissemination of innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as a customized mentoring module geared toward the needs of an emerging UA ecosystem.
- To promote entrepreneurship and provide support in bringing innovations to farmers, we will offer an open innovation and entrepreneurship mentoring program.
- To promote innovation and sustainable biocircular agricultural practices, we propose the development of a cascading financing scheme to support SMEs involved in the development and adoption of smart and circular technologies and innovation toward sustainable agriculture.
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