D1.2 - Report on FANs interaction – initial version

Deliverable 1.2 1 FOCUS Strategic Thinking Consultants APRIL 2025 Report on FANs interaction – initial version DELIVERABLE D1.2 Deliverable 1.2 2 Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. © 2025 by BBioNets consortium is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 . Document information Document ID D1.2 Title Report of FANs interaction – initial version Work Package WP1 – Forest and Agriculture Networks: stakeholder engagement, needs identification and BBTs validation Due Date 31/04/2025 Delivery Date 28/04/2025 Dissemination Level PU-fully open Partner Responsible FOCUS Strategic Thinking Consultants PC Main Authors Ephy Kouzi – FOCUS Iakovos Delioglanis – FOCUS Dafni Delioglani – FOCUS Peer reviewers Reviewer 1 Paula Rosa Álvarez - CTA Reviewer 2 Valentina Galantari – HUB-CR Coordinator Carmen Girón Domínguez - MTU Document history Version Date Main Modifications Author(s) 0.1 23/01/2025 Template – initial structure FOCUS 0.2 31/03/2025 First complete version sent to partners for comments FOCUS 0.3 15/04/2025 Revised document based on partners’ feedback FOCUS 1.0 28/04/2025 Final version ready for submission FOCUS Deliverable 1.2 3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 6 2 Strategy & Methodological Approach ...................................................... 8 3 Cross-regional Meetings - ETR level ....................................................... 11 3.1 Practical organisational steps .................................................................................. 11 3.2 1st Atlantic ETR Meeting .......................................................................................... 13 3.3 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting .............................................................................. 15 3.4 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting .............................................................................. 17 4 Cross-regional Meetings – European level ............................................. 19 4.1 Practical organisational steps .................................................................................. 19 4.2 1st European Cross-fertilisation Workshop ............................................................. 21 5 Conclusions ........................................................................................... 23 Deliverable 1.2 4 List of Figures Figure 1: BBioNets two-level multi-actor approach - from regionally to cross-regionally...................... 6 Figure 2: Cross-fertilisation meetings timeline ....................................................................................... 8 Figure 3: Indicative discussion topics for the cross-fertilisation meetings. ............................................ 9 Figure 4: ETR meetings on BBioNets YouTube channel. ....................................................................... 12 Figure 5: ETR meetings articles on BBioNets website. .......................................................................... 12 Figure 6: 1st Atlantic ETR Meeting – screenshot .................................................................................... 13 Figure 7: 1st Atlantic ETR Meeting – Concept Note ............................................................................... 14 Figure 8: 1st Atlantic ETR Meeting – Agenda ......................................................................................... 14 Figure 9: 1st Atlantic ETR Meeting – Invitation Banner ......................................................................... 14 Figure 10: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting –screenshot ....................................................................... 15 Figure 11: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Concept Note ................................................................. 16 Figure 12: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Agenda. .......................................................................... 16 Figure 13: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Invitation Banner............................................................ 16 Figure 14: 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting –screenshot ...................................................................... 17 Figure 15: 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting – Concept Note ................................................................. 18 Figure 16: 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting – Agenda ........................................................................... 18 Figure 17: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Invitation Banner............................................................ 18 Figure 18: 1st European Cross-fertilisation workshop – Concept Note ................................................. 21 Figure 19: 1st European Cross-fertilisation workshop – Agenda (initial version) .................................. 22 Figure 20: 1st European Cross-fertilisation workshop– Invitation Banner ............................................ 22 List of Tables Table 1: Overview of the SLRT Thematic Networks co-organising the event alongside BBioNets. ...... 19 Deliverable 1.2 5 Table of Abbreviations Abbreviation Description D Deliverable WP Work Package SLRT Standing Liaison Round Table BBTs Bio-Based Technologies FAN Forest and Agriculture Network RPFA Regional Partner for Forestry and Agriculture OG (EIP-AGRI) Operational Group DoA Description of the Action ETR European Transnational Region Deliverable 1.2 6 1 Introduction Networking and collaboration facilitate the effective exchange of knowledge and best practices. Since its very inception, BBioNets has acknowledged them as vital conduits for addressing the specific needs of farmers and foresters in the promotion and uptake of Bio-Based Technologies (BBTs). As part of its overall methodology, BBioNets has applied a two-level multi-actor approach to respond to the European farmers’ & foresters’ needs. It proceeded with initially establishing 6 regional Forest and Agriculture Networks (FANs), one in each of the consortium countries (early 2024), to encourage cooperation among primary producers, industry, policy makers and researchers. The aim has always been to enable an exchange of ideas and experiences on the most urgent needs and emerging opportunities for primary producers with respect to the deployment of BBTs in their day-to-day operations, encompassing their cost/effectiveness dimension for each region. The role of the FANs extends beyond their national borders, though. To achieve their intended objective of better reaching, capturing and transferring knowledge from OGs and introducing additional BBTs, the FANs have been invited to work together at a double cross-regional level: • as ‘European Transnational Regions’ (ETRs), based on the approach envisioned by the project (Figure 1), and • the European level. Figure 1: BBioNets two-level multi-actor approach - from regionally to cross-regionally. According to the initial BBioNets plan, each FAN acts as part of an ETR sub-network, namely the Atlantic Area (IE, ES), Central Europe (PL, CZ) and the Mediterranean Area (IT, GR, ES). The knowledge gathered, analysed and validated at FAN and consortium level, along with BBioNets tools and materials, are being communicated and discussed, informing all stakeholders of regional OG practices and results, stimulating debate and knowledge exchange as to regional concerns, solutions and opportunities, and the possibility of transferring them at a wider geographical scale. Deliverable 1.2 7 Cross-fertilisation is also pursued at the European level, targeting countries in Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Europe, with all FANs convening for two dedicated meetings. The aim is to exchange on forestry and agriculture needs and challenges, and advance knowledge stemming from each and all regions in a bid for interaction and cross-pollination useful to all sub-networks. Those meetings also serve to further promote the EIP-AGRI Operational Groups (OGs) concept, discuss related hurdles and solutions, and propose approaches to foster OG creation. These cross-regional sub-networks play a crucial role in bridging the gap between policy implementation and on-the-ground realities. By meeting at regular intervals, they enhance their collective capacity to develop targeted solutions that support agricultural productivity, sustainability, and resilience. Their structured interactions foster a dynamic learning environment that enables them to refine their methodologies and adapt to emerging challenges. Such exchanges ensure that primary producers benefit from the most effective strategies tailored to their unique circumstances. The aim of this deliverable is twofold: (a) to outline the strategic framework guiding the FAN collaboration and networking process, and (b) to document the first round of meetings conducted during the reporting period to contribute to the overall objectives of the project. Deliverable 1.2 8 2 Strategy & Methodological Approach Having analysed the requirements and parameters of the BBioNets Description of the Action (DoA) about the cross-fertilisation among FANs, FOCUS formulated a plan of action to be shared with all partners of the consortium. This process began with FOCUS closely monitoring the formation of the FANs and the progress achieved in the knowledge collection and high-level study of regional dynamics carried out by the consortium. The objective was to make this plan as effective as possible, accounting for the evolution of the project, and the needs and challenges identified by one of its main stakeholders, i.e. primary producers. Identifying the overall objectives of the Task was the next step towards that direction: • Inform stakeholders across ETRs of both different and similar regional practices and results with respect to BBTs and OGs; • Exchange knowledge on regional concerns, solutions, opportunities and their potential transfer at a wider geographical scale; • Promote OG creation and future collaboration across ETRs and at European level. It was then time to brainstorm and define an approximate timetable, as well as a logical series of interconnected thematics to be dealt with during both the ETR meetings and the European ones. Under the 3-year duration of the BBioNets project, the overall plan foresees: • 3 meetings at ETR level; • 2 meetings at European level; • The participation of 2-3 experts per FAN. The suggested timeline of the ETR/European meetings should take into consideration (a) the progress of each FAN, (b) the availability of its members, and (c) the structured flow of all complementary activities of the project (e.g. individual FAN meetings, project policy events at national and European level, knowledge transfer activities, etc.). International meetings should be held at regular intervals, without losing sight of the dedicated regional ones though, so as to avoid overburdening their participants but maintaining their interest in project activities alive. Considering the overall activities and maturity level of the project at different stages, the timeline proposed is depicted in Figure 2: Figure 2: Cross-fertilisation meetings timeline Deliverable 1.2 9 Similar to the timeline considerations, the topics to be broached during the cross-fertilisation meetings should be related to the regional FAN gatherings and activities, account for the project progress, and support the policy events scheduled during the 2nd period of the project. The discussion thematics proposed can be viewed in Figure 3 below: Figure 3: Indicative discussion topics for the cross-fertilisation meetings. By the time the plan of action was presented to the partners (July 2024, M8 – 1st month of the Task), the establishment of the BBioNets FANs was completed and their first meetings were underway, allowing for a productive discussion and approval of the suggested indicative actions and timeline. Organisation of the ETR meetings During discussions held under other Tasks of the project, several ideas emerged, along with aspects to consider as to the scale, impact, and promotion of all ETR meetings. Two significant changes were thoroughly considered and agreed upon by the consortium in terms of the overall concept of those meetings: 1. Partners expressed the opinion that, instead of restricting the ETRs to the initially established clustering of the Atlantic Area (IE, ES), Central Europe (PL, CZ) and the Mediterranean Area (IT, GR, ES) 1 , it would be more beneficial to pursue cross-fertilisation between different pairings / sub-networks of countries, based on common resources, needs and challenges, or specific topics. It was suggested, for instance, that representatives from the Greek and Irish FANs could potentially meet to discuss the topic of sheep wool as a common resource identified in both countries. All partners agreed that a number of project outcomes (e.g. high-level study of regional dynamics, the BBT inventory, etc.) and the FAN deliberations should be used as guiding parameters for the next round of meetings. It was thus decided to organise the first round of 1 The concept of these meetings was to facilitate discussions among experts from regions that share the same characteristics based on the “Interreg VI B transnational co-operation programmes” (Climate-Adapt). https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/countries-regions/transnational-regions Deliverable 1.2 16 Figure 11: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Concept Note Figure 12: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Agenda. Figure 13: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Invitation Banner Deliverable 1.2 17 3.4 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting Date / Time 17 December 2024 / 14:00 – 16:00 CET Platform Google Meet Discussion topics • Current status of bioeconomy in Italy and Greece, emphasising on common types of biomass and technologies implemented for biomass processing to obtain outputs. • Social dimension of the introduction and uptake of new technologies, skills needed, impact on local communities. External speakers • Dimitrios Mertzis & Stefanos Tsiakmakis – c-founders of BIO2CHP (GR) Key takeaways https://bbionets.eu/wpcontent/uploads/2025/02/1st_Med_ETR_Key_Takeaways.pdf Video recording https://bbionets.eu/1st-mediterranean-etr-meeting-key-takeaways/ Figure 14: 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting –screenshot Deliverable 1.2 18 Figure 15: 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting – Concept Note Figure 16: 1st Mediterranean ETR Meeting – Agenda Figure 17: 1st Central Europe ETR Meeting – Invitation Banner Deliverable 1.2 19 4 Cross-regional Meetings – European level 4.1 Practical organisational steps After receiving the positive reaction of the 3 SLRT projects initially invited (FOREST4EU, NUTRI-KNOW and Soil-X-Change), FOCUS organised a series of preparatory meetings to discuss and agree upon the details of the event. The newest addition to the SLRT, the AQUAGRI-KNOW project (started on February 2025), joined along the way. The overall objective is to: • Capitalise on the experience of ‘mature’ projects nearing completion - FOREST4EU, NUTRIKNOW • Provide feedback to midterm projects - BBioNets, Soil-X-Change • Support the new AQUAGRI-KNOW project in refining its strategy. Table 1: Overview of the SLRT Thematic Networks co-organising the event alongside BBioNets. Thematic Networks FOREST4EU aims at connecting existing OGs from different countries around Europe, in order to favour the transfer of knowledge and best practices between experts in this field. The project has established 5 multi-actor EU cross-countries Innovation Topic Hubs (ITHubs) related to 5 identified topics in forestry and agroforestry sectors: wood mobilisation; forest adaptation to climate change; improving approaches, models and tools of sustainable forest management; non-wood forests products; and agroforestry. The ITHubs act as cooperation and innovation networks for an efficient knowledge transfer-exchange between different regions in Europe. NUTRI-KNOW aims at improving nutrient management practices in European agriculture. By consolidating knowledge from various EIP-AGRI OGs across EU member states, it seeks to address urgent needs, challenges, and opportunities for farmers. Through a platform and thematic network, NUTRI-KNOW aims to facilitate the exchange of information, strengthen knowledge flows, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Ultimately, the project aims to reduce reliance on imported mineral fertilisers, improve agricultural and environmental management, and enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of the European agri-food sector. By connecting farmers, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders, Soil-XChange (BBioNets’ sister project – funded under the same topic) aims to enhance Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems, promoting sustainability, smart agriculture, and climate-neutrality. It focuses on harmonising and disseminating research and practical solutions through an EU-wide network of European Innovation Partnership Operational Groups. Soil-XChange emphasises co-design and co-creation, developing user-friendly tools like a data dashboard and adaptation guide to empower farmers with actionable knowledge. The initiative seeks to foster sustainable soil management, contributing to a healthier agricultural ecosystem and a sustainable food production system. AQUAGRI-KNOW enhances on-farm water management by building on EIPAGRI operational groups (OGs) outcomes. It aims to empower farmers across the EU to tackle water scarcity, improve resource efficiency, and boost agricultural sustainability. By fostering global knowledge exchange and creating a scalable framework, AQUAGRI-KNOW combines local practices with cutting-edge solutions to show how smarter water management can secure the future of farming, protect vital resources, and build resilience to climate challenges across Europe and beyond. Deliverable 1.2 20 During the meetings mentioned above and emails exchanged among the project representatives, the role and responsibilities of each co-organiser were discussed and agreed, while FOCUS coordinated the joint effort and, similarly to the individual ETR meetings, prepared the following for the European joint event: • The concept note outlining the key objectives and structure of the workshop; • The agenda providing details on the speakers and presentation topics; • Guidelines regarding both the structure of the agenda and the scope of each topic; • The branding concept of the event (Invitation Banner, social media images, etc.) to be used for its promotion; • The presentation template; • The registration form (GDPR consent, dedicated field to gather questions for panel); and • A common online repository for all co-organisers to share the latest versions of the material used for the organisation of the event. A list of potential speakers was created and, following an agreement among the co-organisers, invitations were sent, while a promotion campaign was launched on Friday 28th March. Deliverable 1.2 21 4.2 1st European Cross-fertilisation Workshop Title The future of EIP-AGRI Operational Groups: challenges, opportunities and existing support services Key message Collaboration in Action: Unlocking the Potential of OGs Date / Time 14 May 2025 / 10:00 – 13:00 CET Platform Google meet Discussion topics The workshop will focus on the operation of OGs across Europe, highlighting: • Factors that enable and support the formation & implementation of OGs. • Barriers and challenges faced by primary producers when preparing and/or implementing an OG. • Strategies used in various Thematic Networks to attract, support, and promote OGs. • Information, training tools, materials and services made available to OGs. External speakers At the time of this deliverable’s submission, the list of speakers had not been finalised yet Video recording Not available yet Key takeaways The outcome of the discussions will be summarised in a joint paper, to be made widely available Figure 18: 1st European Cross-fertilisation workshop – Concept Note Deliverable 1.2 22 Figure 19: 1st European Cross-fertilisation workshop – Agenda (initial version) Figure 20: 1st European Cross-fertilisation workshop– Invitation Banner Deliverable 1.2 23 5 Conclusions The consortium is confident that the collaborative endeavours undertaken during this initial reporting period have demonstrated significant success in establishing robust interconnections between the BBioNets FANs and other projects. The outcomes achieved are deemed to be constructive, underscoring the efficacy of the adopted engagement strategy. The strong commitment and proactive involvement of all partners have been instrumental in realising these positive results. Through the joint meetings, the project has effectively fostered synergies, leveraged the complementary expertise present across the FANs, and cultivated a shared understanding of project objectives. Building on the lessons learnt of the first reporting period, BBioNets is dedicated to further enhancing collaboration among its FANs. It also intends to amplify the impact of those interactions by -reaching out to additional EU-funded projects and EIP-AGRI Thematic Networks that promote Operational Groups (OGs). Such an approach should catalyse meaningful exchanges and progress, while reinforcing collaborative approaches to drive the implementation of innovative and sustainable solutions that correspond to the farmers’ and foresters’ needs to transition towards a circular and climate-neutral economy. Deliverable 1.2 24 Document information Title BBioNets – Creation and promotion of Forest and Agriculture Networks to boost Bio-Based Technologies adoption and Value Chain development (GA No 101133904) Start – end date 1/11/2023 – 31/10/2026 (36 months) Project type Coordination and Support Action Programme Horizon Europe – Cluster 6 Funding 1,998,636.20 € Coordinator Munster Technological University Ms. Carmen Girón Domínguez (carmen.do[email protected]e) Project overview BBioNets constitutes a thematic network that relies on, promotes, and further advances the work carried out by EIP-AGRI Operational Groups (OGs) with respect to management and/or processing of agricultural and forest biomass with Bio-Based Technologies (BBTs). The project has set up 6 regional Forest and Agriculture Networks – FANs (IE, ES, IT, EL, PL, CZ) that identify local needs, prioritise specific BBTs and share BBT knowledge ready for practice to farmers and foresters, boosting the (re)definition of value chains, stimulating crossfertilisation beyond borders, and bringing Europe to the forefront of farming, forestry and bioeconomy with economically viable and sustainable practices. Consortium www.bbionets.eu [email protected] /bbionets-eu /bbionets.eu @bbionets_eu @bbionets-eu.bsky.social @bbionets_eu @BBioNetsEU