AlpLinkBioEco 
Linking BioBased Industry Value Chains Across the Alpine Region
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Outcomes

Overview

Despite the potential of bio-based economy in the Alpine Space, the relevant clusters, companies and researchers often work separately at national or regional levels, which prevents the production of innovative and high value products or services. To tap into this competitiveness potential, AlpLinkBioEco analysed and developed four value chains, in the wood, agriculture, food/pharma and chemistry sectors. These examples contributed to the development of a cross-regional and circular bio-based economic strategy including a roadmap and advice to assess, select and create innovative value chains for the Alpine Space. The Value Chain Generator devised by the project will help to identify, evaluate and match hundreds of potential new value chains for bio-based business opportunities.

Factsheet

  • 2014 – 2020
  • Innovative
  • Improve the framework conditions for innovation in the Alpine space
    • Group 2: To increase the economic potential of strategic sectors
    • Group 6: To preserve and valorise natural resources, including water and cultural resources
    • Group 7: To develop ecological connectivity in the whole EUSALP territory
  • 04/2018
  • 04/2021
  • 2.288.372 EUR
  • 1.730.617 EUR

Partners

Plastics Innovation Competence Center (Lead partner)
  • Lead partner
  • Switzerland
  • Espace Mittelland
  • Fribourg
    Business Upper Austria – OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur Ltd.
    • Austria
    • OberAustria
    • Linz
        ClusterAgentur Baden-Württemberg, hosted by VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH
        • Germany
        • Stuttgart
        • Stuttgart
            Poly4EmI hosted by Anteja ECG d.o.o.
            • Slovenia
            • Vzhodna Slovenia
            • Ljubljana
                Centre of Alpine Studies of Pieve Tesino
                • Italy
                • Provincia Autonoma di Trento
                • Pieve Tesino
                    Confindustria Lombardia
                    • Italy
                    • Lombardia
                    • Milano
                        BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH
                        • Germany
                        • Stuttgart
                        • Stuttgart
                            Trentino Innovation Hub
                            • Italy
                            • Provincia Autonoma di Trento
                            • Trento
                                Technology Center Horb GmbH&Co.KG
                                • Germany
                                • Karlsruhe
                                • Horb am Neckar
                                    Lombardy Green Chemistry Association
                                    • Italy
                                    • Lombardia
                                    • Milano
                                        Plastipolis
                                        • France
                                        • Rhône-Alpes
                                        • Bellignat
                                            France Clusters
                                            • France
                                            • Rhône-Alpes
                                            • Lyon
                                                Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
                                                • Slovenia
                                                • Vzhodna Slovenia
                                                • Ljubljana
                                                    Chemistry Cluster Bavaria
                                                    • Germany
                                                    • Oberbayern
                                                    • Munich
                                                        Fraunhofer Italy Research Scarl
                                                        • Italy
                                                        • Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen
                                                        • Bozen
                                                            • 46.79770947.1471621
                                                            • 48.318625214.306415972591235
                                                            • 48.7789016499999959.173618882755711
                                                            • 46.050026814.5069289
                                                            • 46.06960111.6101174
                                                            • 45.460240359.19199400337146
                                                            • 48.7794350500000049.166990240085838
                                                            • 46.066422811.1257601
                                                            • 48.45299798.6968312
                                                            • 45.45124639.2518388
                                                            • 46.25058535.6313305
                                                            • 45.75458394.8417273
                                                            • 46.05741444999999614.515583203707724
                                                            • 48.133140411.5277164
                                                            • 46.478475311.3323298

                                                            Outcomes


                                                            • Joint Masterplan on circular bio-based economy

                                                              Strategy
                                                              The Masterplan collects inputs, resources and assets analyzed through the AlpLinkBioEco Project and presents valuable recommendations and best practices to boost and support the definition of a joint bioeconomy strategy in the Alpine Region.
                                                              The capacities and resources mapped and analized through the AlpLinkBioEco Project are the basis for a common vision for circular bioeconomy. The Alpine Space counts relevant assets to consolidate the transition towards circular bioeconomy: sufficient biomass; a substantial critical mass of stakeholders; regional strategies in place and new Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) and Operational Programmes 2021-27, acting as institutional instruments for a better alignment with EUSALP. The Masterplan aims at inspiring and contributing to the EUSALP integration in the Alpine macro-region.

                                                            • The Value Chain Generator

                                                              Tool
                                                              The Value Chain Generator (VCG) is a software based on natural language algorithms allowing to match actors from a database into value chains.
                                                              The Value Chain Generator was developed within the Interreg Alpine Space project AlpLinkBioEco in the context of the development of bio-based solutions for current environmental and societal challenges. The Alpine Region is indeed recognized as having huge potentials for the development of bioeconomy value chains. But what sounds fancy on paper, often turns out to be complex in practice. What is needed to turn lofty opportunities into action is a hands-on, data-driven approach to support the ongoing strategic bio-economy efforts across regions. This is exactly what the methodology of the Value Chain Generator provides. The live version of the software is hosted by the Institute of Complex Systems at the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg. The source code of the software is available under a free software license.

                                                            • Pilot Experience from the Project

                                                              Network
                                                              Bio-based business opportunities explored and developed via the Value Chain Generator.
                                                              After identifying actors and stakeholders from project partners' regions, the Value Chain Generator was filled with the researched data. So-called “descriptors” have been developed, which define value chains with the corresponding inputs and outputs of the actors concerned. Subsequently, existing value chains were taken into account as starting point and inspiration for the development of new, innovative and above all bio-based business ideas. In the next step, these ideas were presented to the actors and technical, economic and ecological aspects were debated in joint discussion sessions ("piloting sessions") in order to create business opportunities out of them.