D1.1 - BBioNets FAN Operational Framework

Deliverable 1.1 1 CTA April 2024 BBioNets FAN Operational Framework DELIVERABLE D1.1 Deliverable 1.1 2 © 2024 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 D1.1 Title BBioNets FAN Operational Framework Work Package WP1 –Forest and Agriculture Networks: stakeholder engagement, needs identification and BBTs validation Due Date 25/04/2024 Delivery Date 30/04/2024 Dissemination Level PU - Public Partner Responsible CTA Main Authors Paula Rosa Álvarez - CTA Contributors Macarena Ureña - CTA Peer reviewers Reviewer 1 Patrizia Borsotto - CREA Reviewer 2 George Sakellaris – HUB-CR Coordinator Carmen Girón Domínguez - MTU Document history Version Date Main Modifications Author(s) 0.1 12/04/2024 CTA 0.2 25/04/2024 MTU, IUNG, HUB-CR, CREA 1.0 25/04/2024 Final version ready for submission CTA 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. 3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 7 2 Objectives and key targets....................................................................... 8 3 Multi-actor approach ............................................................................... 9 3.1 Forest and Agriculture Networks (FAN) .................................................................... 9 3.1.1 Mission ........................................................................................................................ 9 3.1.2 Expected composition ............................................................................................... 10 3.2 Selection criteria and process ................................................................................. 10 3.2.1 Selection process ...................................................................................................... 10 3.2.2 Selection criteria ....................................................................................................... 11 3.3 Guidelines for contact and engagement ................................................................. 12 3.3.1 Contact guidelines .................................................................................................... 12 3.3.2 Guiding principles for inclusion ................................................................................. 13 3.4 Rights and duties ..................................................................................................... 14 3.5 Snapshot of current FAN composition .................................................................... 15 3.6 Management and performance monitoring ........................................................... 16 3.6.1 Management of the FANs ......................................................................................... 16 3.6.2 Performance monitoring and tracking of results...................................................... 16 4 Meetings involving FAN ......................................................................... 18 5 Conclusion and way forward ................................................................. 19 Annexes ........................................................................................................ 20 Annex I – Terms of Reference ......................................................................................... 20 Annex II – Declaration of acceptance ............................................................................. 25 Annex III – Official invitation letter ................................................................................. 28 Annex IV – Template meetings ....................................................................................... 29 Annex V – Stakeholder Matrix ........................................................................................ 36 Annex VI – Technical template ....................................................................................... 37 List of Figures Figure 1: Selection process of FANs members ...................................................................................... 11 Figure 2: Members by region ................................................................................................................ 15 Figure 3: Members by profile ................................................................................................................ 15 4 List of Tables Table 1: Stakeholders groups ................................................................................................................ 10 Table 2: Selection criteria and rationale for criteria inclusion .............................................................. 11 Table 3: Rights of FAN members ........................................................................................................... 14 Table 4: Duties of FAN members ........................................................................................................... 14 Table 5:Regional Partners for Forestry and Agriculture ........................................................................ 16 Table 6: Meetings of FANs ..................................................................................................................... 18 5 Table of Abbreviations Abbreviation Description D Deliverable FAN Forest and Agriculture Network RPFA Regional Partner for Forestry and Agriculture WP Work Package 6 Executive Summary This document titled “D1.1: BBioNets FAN Operational Framework”, has been elaborated as a deliverable of BBioNets describing the approach followed for the development of BBioNets multi-actor framework. In response to the increasing need for grassroots and knowledge sharing to address major challenges such as climate resilience and increased mitigation of GHG emissions, while supporting zero waste and circular economy with biomass reuse, BBioNets have constituted a thematic network that rely on, promote, and further advance 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), being BBTs those technologies or practices that use either non-food feedstock or circularity principles -or bothfor delivering diverse products. Applying the quintuple helix model and a multi-actor approach both within the consortium itself and on the ground activities, BBioNets constituted 6 regional Forest and Agriculture Networks – FANs (Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic) that have ensured a balanced representation of all kinds of stakeholders. Fans compromised of stakeholders covering a broad range of stakeholders from the forest and agricultural sector who will be engaged in key project activities throughout the project. To successfully establish and operate its multi-actor framework, BBioNets has elaborated a tailored methodology to ensure comparable but well-adjusted to local contexts results from regional FANs. The mission of the FANs, as well as the expected structure and expected contribution of their members, have been defined to set the foundation of our methodology. A common protocol for the identification, selection of the FANs has been set to be used as a guide for consortium partners leading a FAN to efficiently establish these structures, as well as guidelines for inviting members and managing their inclusion as well as potential conflicts of interest that may arise during project activities. The rights and duties of members, their expected role and terms of participation have been developed to promote clear communication among partners and stakeholders. With our multi-actor approach framework in place, our target is to directly engage a minimum of 60 actors in the FANs. At the moment of writing of this report, over 39 stakeholders have confirmed their acceptance to participate in the project’s FANs. The recruitment process is well under way and multiactor structures will be open for new members throughout the project. 7 1 Introduction The multi-actor structure is foreseen in the frame of BBioNets, namely the Forest and Agriculture Networks (FANs) that are networks of regional stakeholders, set-up in six regions of the project to contribute to project activities. Along these lines, a dedicated protocol for the BBioNets FANs has been elaborated to set out the framework as well as the approach to be followed for setting up and running this multi-actor structure, ensuring the effective engagement of stakeholders. The current report presents the protocols for the FANs and is comprised of 5 distinct chapters: • Chapter 1 provides introductory information about the context in which this report on our multi-actor framework and approach has been elaborated. • Chapter 2 describes the objectives of BBioNets multi-actor approach as well as the key project targets pertaining to stakeholder engagement in the activities of BBioNets. • Chapter 3 sets out the framework of the FANs, outlines the approach of members’ selection and engagement and the status of member recruitment. • Chapter 4 outlines the specific meetings in which FANs members will participate in the frame of the project. • Chapter 5 concludes on the next steps in the frame of the project with respect to the multiactor structure of the project. 8 2 Objectives and key targets The overarching aim of this report is to describe our approach for the development of BBioNets multiactor framework and establish a common protocol that will guide consortium partners through the whole process of identifying, recruiting, and engaging relevant agricultural and forestry actors in the activities of the project. Specific objectives of this report are to: 1. Describe the multi-actor structure that will operate in the frame of BBioNets namely Forest and Agriculture Networks (FANs), along with their expected structure, mission and the “rights and duties” of members. 2. Elaborate guidelines on how partners can approach the selection, contact and engagement of stakeholders to regional FANs as well as principles for fostering their inclusiveness. 3. Define the main meetings in which members of the FANs will participate along the project. 4. Establish a framework and tools for managing and monitoring the operation of the FANs with a view to appropriately keeping track and quantifying the results of the project in terms of stakeholder engagement. The BBioNets project aims to involve a minimum of 10 members per region, 50% consisting of farmers/foresters themselves or their advisors, including members from the quadruple helix and agriculture and forestry sectors at the beginning of the project, with the possibility to further expand the FANs in the future. New members could be appointed to the FAN when necessary and as the project evolves. 9 3 Multi-actor approach The multi-actor framework of BBioNets foresees the creation of the Forest and Agricultural Networks (FANs). The following sections of this chapter provide further details about the FANs as well as about their mission and expected structure. 3.1 Forest and Agriculture Networks (FAN) Forest and Agriculture Networks (FANs) are regional networks of stakeholders coming from across the entire value chain of the agricultural and forest sector as well as researchers, policy makers, end users, groups representing civil society, operational groups and other. One FAN has been established in each of the project´s 6 Represented Region (RR), and each FAN is led by a consortium partner, called “Regional Partner for Forestry and Agriculture, RPFA”. More information on the management and operation of FANs are provided in Section 3.6 of this report. 3.1.1 Mission FANs mission is to assist the BBioNets consortium to identify needs and current resources with regards to biomass processing and their respective environments, value chain creation, technology availability, etc. Each FAN will also help identify the existing dissemination channels most consulted by farmers and foresters in their region, as well as social aspects pertaining to current involvement and ways to attract and empower women, unemployed people, and youth to develop green skills in the farm and forest sectors. Also, under the guidance of the respective RPFA who will apply co-creation and design thinking methodologies, the members of each FAN will thoroughly examine and discuss the BBioNets assessment to validate it. They will debate over the BBTs identified by OGs and other European projects and initiatives as screened and mapped by the consortium according to the quintuple helix model and will more specifically delve into their feasibility for their respective RR, and will reach, capture and transfer knowledge from OGs and introduce additional BBTs at a double cross-regional level. More specifically the mission of FANs member is to: • Will participate in at least 10 meetings at regional level of each FAN, which will take place over the 3 years of the project (KPI: at least 10 total regional meetings will be held per FAN)). • Will participate in at least 3 meetings at inter-regional level (KPI: at least 3 total FAN meetings per ETR). • Will participate in at least 2 meetings at European level together with the rest of the established FAN (KPI: at least 2 European meetings of all FANs). • Will identify local needs. • Will prioritize specific BBTs (Bio-Based Technologies). • Will assist BBioNets in sharing BBT knowledge ready for practice to farmers and foresters, boosting the (re)definition of value chains, stimulating cross-fertilisation beyond borders, and bringing Europe to the forefront of farming, forestry, and bioeconomy with economically viable and sustainable practices. 16 3.6 Management and performance monitoring In this section, the management process and various roles in the frame of FANs are described, as well as the procedure for monitoring the operation of FANs and tracking progress in relation to project KPIs and targets for stakeholder engagement. 3.6.1 Management of the FANs BBioNets focuses on six countries and/or regions across Europe, the Representative Regions. In each Representative Region a FAN has been established led by a consortium partner, the Regional Partner for Forestry and Agriculture, RPFA. The following table summarises the information for each Representative Region. Table 5:Regional Partners for Forestry and Agriculture Country Region RPFA Czech-Republic Southern Moravia HuB-CR Greece Greece – whole country AFS Ireland Ireland – whole country Teagasc Italy Nord-West (Liguria, Piemonte, Valle d’Aosta) CREA Poland Poland – whole country IUNG Spain Andalusia CTA Regional Partners for Forestry and Agriculture are responsible for setting-up and managing the Forestry and Agriculture Networks in their respective Representative Regions. The role of RPFA foresees the following: identification, selection and recruiting of members during the set-up phase of their FAN, undertaking all communications with and provide all necessary information to members about project activities involving FANS, organising and carrying out project activities in the regions, and collection of feedback and producing technical outputs in the frame of these activities. 3.6.2 Performance monitoring and tracking of results In order to keep track of the project activities in which members of the FANs participate, a dedicated methodological tool has been designed and will be employed, namely BBioNets Stakeholder Matrix Total Control. This tool captures the identified stakeholder groups of BBioNets along with the expected role of each one for the relevant activities foreseen throughout the project with a view to guiding project partners in the process of selecting the most suitable types to engage. This will enable project partners to monitor the results of stakeholder engagement, as well as timely, assess and perform any needed corrective actions to better align them to the project´s objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). With the above in mind, the tool follows a clear and simple structure: • Organisation name. • Role: It will only be necessary to indicate the role in case there is more than one member of the same organisation in the FAN. 17 • Organisation type: A list of options is provided. • End user forestry/agriculture sector: it is a fundamental requirement in the composition of each FAN that 50% of the members are end-users. • Country. • Region. • Responsible of FAN: Name of person responsible for the management of the FAN. • Date of first contact. • Date of final response. • Status of acceptation: Accepted / In progress / Denied. • Comments. Annex V provides an illustrative overview of the template to be used by partners to update the status of the FAN composition. It is important to note that the personal information of the members of each FAN is confidential and will therefore only be managed, a priori, by each RPFA. 18 4 Meetings involving FANs Stakeholders participating in FANs are foreseen to be involved in meetings and studies in the frame of BBioNets. Members of FANs will contribute to these actions by engaging in interviews, meetings, online surveys, workshops or focus groups. The following table summarises the provisional set of project meetings foreseen for members as well as tentative timeline for their organisation. There are three types of meetings in which FANs members participate: regional meetings, meetings per ETR (European Transnational Regions) and European meetings. Table 6: Meetings of FANs No. WP Task Activities Timing 1 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 2 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 3 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 4 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 5 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 6 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 7 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 8 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 9 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 10 1 T1.1, T1.2, T1.3 Regional meeting M1 – M36 11 1 T1.4 FAN meeting per ETR M8 – M36 12 1 T1.4 FAN meeting per ETR M8 – M36 13 1 T1.4 FAN meeting per ETR M8 – M36 14 1 T1.4 European meetings of all FANs M8 – M36 15 1 T1.4 European meetings of all FANs M8 – M36 In order to keep track of the meetings of FANs, RPFA have been provided with a report template for each of the meetings (Annex IV), where information such as the number of attendees, meeting agenda, or the main conclusions will be collected and shared with the rest of the FANs. At the time of writing this deliverable, TEAGASC has also provided the RPFA with a technical template to report on one of the regional meetings, as leader of T1.2 (Annex VI). 19 5 Conclusion and way forward The present report has outlined a protocol for establishing the BBioNets multi-actor structure, namely Forest and Agriculture Networks (FANs) in six countries and regions of the project across Europe. More specifically, in the frame of the FANs protocol, the definition, the mission and expected structure of FANs have been defined along with a selection process based on carefully selected criteria to be followed by partners during the set-up phase of these structures. Moreover, guidelines and supporting documents have been elaborated for contacting and engaging stakeholders in project activities as well as principles for ensuring their effective inclusion. Additionally, the rights and duties of members, guidelines for FANs management along with a list of meetings in which the FANs will be involved have been defined to ensure the smooth operation of FANs throughout the project. The Stakeholder Matrix, a dedicated tool to keep track and monitor engagement of FANs members has been elaborated and will be kept up to date with the composition of the FANs. At the moment of writing this report, over 39 stakeholders have confirmed their acceptance to participate in the project´s FANs. The recruitment process is ongoing and will be open for new members throughout the course of the project. 20 Annexes Annex I – Terms of Reference 21 22 23 24 25 Annex II – Declaration of acceptance 32 33 34 35 36 Annex V – Stakeholder Matrix 37 Annex VI – Technical template 38 39 40 41