RuralBioUp is organising its next consortium meeting back-to-back with the ‘Clusters meet Regions’ event - a conference and match-making event organised by the European Cluster Collaboration Platform on behalf of the European Commission. We will benefit from the event to reach the widest possible audience and thus enable effective networking and building collaborations between the RuralBioUp regions and European clusters working in the field of bioeconomy. In the framework of the event, RuralBioUp will organise three sessions where stakeholders from outside the consortium will be invited to learn more about the project, provide their feedback on project activities and start business contacts with the RuralBioUp regions:
- Focus group on the validation of the RuralBioUp online Platform - a matching tool that will provide detailed information on 6 categories of bioeconomy related assets at local, regional and EU level, namely: i) biomass; ii) business model and market applications (e.g. economic and sustainability evaluations, best practices, etc.); iii) technologies (e.g. feedstock used, TRL, final product(s), etc.); iv) knowledge on nutrient recycling and soil improving; v) practical knowledge and training resources; vi) financial support opportunities. We will appreciate the external feedback on the structure and content of our Platform in order to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of regional actors developing bioeconomy solutions and initiatives at the local level. The focus group will be organised in an interactive manner guaranteeing that all comments and observations on the Platform are taken into account and properly addressed. The focus group will gather 30 bioeconomy stakeholders and will be organised in the afternoon of 21 November;
- RuralBioUp networking event will be organised in the framework of the ‘Clusters meet Regions’ match-making session. RuralBioUp will have its interactive stand and all RuralBioUp regions will be present and actively involved in the match-making. Through the B2Mach Platform, it will be possible to book a meeting with the project regions, learn more about their activities and kick-off first business collaborations. The networking event will take place on the afternoon of 22 November.
- Parallel session on bioeconomy where several EU-funded projects working in the field of rural development and bioeconomy in the regional context will be presented and will share their experience. The agenda of the session foresees pitching the projects’ regions (business needs, partner searches, best practices, etc.) and moderated discussions on the most pressing issues for regions regarding bioeconomy development (e.g. financing, regulatory barriers, etc.). The parallel session will take place on the morning of 23 November.
