The DanuBioValNet Awareness Workshop in Varna, Bulgaria

The Association of Business Clusters (ABC) introduced the DanuBioValNet project to cluster managers and stakeholders during the awareness workshop in Varna on 6 July 2018. The event was another important step in raising awareness about the prospects and challenges of the bio-based industry in Bulgaria. The Executive Director of the ABC, Svetlin Ranguelov, presented the project partners and activities, stressed the need of the bioeconomy bolstering and the opportunities that it creates not only for Bulgaria but for the entire Danube Region. 

The workshop highlighted the DanuBioValNet pilot value chains (bio-based packaging, eco-construction and phytopharma) and demonstrated the opportunities for cooperation offered by the project. The special attention of the participants was given to the examples of innovative bio-based products, such as molded pulp form made from recycled newsprint, bio-based plastic packaging for food, sheep wool insulation and also the terrace flooring made of composites of recycled plastics and cellulose from meadow grass components. The workshop was concluded with an important message about the need for the development of sustainable bioeconomy structures in the Danube Region.

Author: Association of Business Clusters, Bulgaria

The Open Space Innovation Arena - designing workshop

On 18 and 19 September 2018, the Open Space Innovation Arena (OSIA) designing workshop of the DanuBioValNet project was organized in Bucharest, Romania.

The main objective of the event was to discuss and design the most proper OSIA format that will be used to facilitate cooperation across regions and sectors with the focus on bio-based innovations. The aim of the OSIA workshops is to connect different actors along the three bio-based value chains tracked by the DanuBioValNet project, i.e. Eco-construction, Phytopharma and Bio-based packaging, and provide the relevant environment for creating eco-innovations and new business ideas.

The existing results of the DanuBioValnet project, such as Roadmapping Reports and examples of other OSIA formats (e.g. Focus Group), which were presented by the project partners at the workshop, served as the inputs for the development of the OSIA methodology to be delivered by CLUSTERO (Romanian Cluster Association) within the Tool Development work package of the project. The workshop ended with a beneficial creative interaction among the participants.

Author: National Cluster Association, Czech Republic

Policy Forum in Bioeconomy Masterplan for the Danube Region

On 25 September 2018, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of Slovenia hosted the Policy Forum on Bioeconomy Masterplan for the Danube Region, with the co-hosts of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing Baden-Württemberg Germany, and Anteja ECG d.o.o.

Aligned with the strategy of DanuBioValNet project, the invited participants discussed constraints, gaps and concrete actions for the uptake of the bio-based industry in the Danube Region. The discussions were divided into three working groups, covering the Cluster, National and Macro-regional policy aspects. The outputs of the Policy Forum were gathered in the working paper “Synthesis Report on the Bio-based Value Chains Roadmapping in the Danube Region”.

During the event, the representatives from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Peter Volasko), Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (Jernej Salecl) of Slovenia and the DanuBioValNet project consortium (Mateja Dermastia, Anteja ECG d.o.o.) rewarded two Slovenian Clusters (TECES and Wood Industry Cluster) with Silver Label and one Slovenian Cluster (GIZ Plasttehnika) with Bronze Label for Cluster Management Excellence of the ECEI.

Author: Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of Slovenia

The DanuBioValNet Communication Manager at DTP events

The representatives of the National Cluster Association – CZ (NCA), being the Communication Manager of the DanuBioValNet project, attended two international workshops under the umbrella of the Danube Transnational Programme. Both events were closely connected to the topic of bioeconomy.

Katerina Piclova took part in the “Circular Economy in Building Industry” workshop was organised under the ECOInn Danube project in the Circular Hub in Prague on 20 September 2018. Adam Rujbr, architect, explained how to incorporate as much principles of circular economy as possible in a project from its initial proposal to the end of the building’s life cycle. The afternoon topics of the Czech circular cities and the industrial symbiosis as the basis of the circular economy in Czechia and Europe were accompanied by a matchmaking event. The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade introduced its Catalogue of building products and materials containing secondary raw materials, which launched a debate between professionals and general public how to eliminate prejudices and barriers in the implementation of the circular economy.

On 26 September, Zuzana Polova of the NCA attended the First Policy Dialogue and the EUSDR PAs’ (the EU Strategy for the Danube Region Priority Areas´) Cross-fertilisation Workshop on Competitiveness and Innovation for Long-lasting Transnational Collaboration in the Danube Region´s Bio-economy Field. It took place in Zagreb, Croatia, under the Made in Danube project. The workshop focused on the bioeconomy dynamics in the Danube Region and possible synergies among the EUSDR PAs related to bioeconomy. Within the event, the relevant updates and implementation of Action Plans within the PA Sustainable energy, Knowledge Society and People and Skills were presented. The event also offered great opportunity to meet the representatives of others projects focusing on bioeconomy and find possible synergies with the DanuBioValNet project.  Specifically, the Danube S3 Cluster project proved the similar necessity of transnational cluster cooperation in bioeconomy sector (focusing on Agro-food sector).

Author: National Cluster Association, Czech Republic

The 7th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR)

The 7th EUSDR Annual Forum was held on 18 - 19 October in Sofia. The Forum was organised jointly by Bulgaria and the European Commission in cooperation with the Danube Transnational Programme (DTP) as a key event of the Bulgarian EUSDR Presidency. About 800 participants from all the Danube countries attended the Forum. The main focus of the event was on tourism development and topics related to preservation of cultural and historical heritage, new technologies and digitalization in the tourism sector, ensuring safety and security in tourism, and also the transport connectivity and mobility.

On the first day of the event, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing of Baden-Württemberg together with BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH and the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of Croatia organised a “Tourism meets Bioeconomy” workshop. The workshop was designed for the EUSDR Priority Area coordinators, representatives of DTP projects, local and regional public authorities (cities, ministries and others), actors of business development, tourism sector and also bioeconomy sector with the aim to discuss the possibilities of new business models and value networks between bioeconomy and tourism. 

The second day opened the topics of the DTP contribution to the Danube Region and the EU Macro-regional strategies and the discussion on opportunities for future cooperation. The DanuBioValNet project gained the privilege (together with other three projects from all of the DTP projects) to be presented at the Panel 2 of the Forum. Dominik Patzelt from BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, the Lead Partner of the project, introduced the importance, goals and results of the project.

Author: National Cluster Association, Czech Republic

Awareness Workshop in Pilsen, Czech Republic

The National Cluster Association – CZ organized the “DAY OF CLUSTERS in the Pilsen Region” event in cooperation with the Cluster MECHATRONICS, Pilsen Region and City of Pilsen Authorities. The event attended by more than 70 participants was held on 18 October 2018 in Pilsen within the Czech-Bavarian Cultural Days. Similar to previous successful events in five regions of the Czech Republic, the emphasis was placed on practical achievements of the cooperation among firms, universities and research institutions in clusters. The programme of the event was enriched by guests from Bavaria - both clusters and the Bavarian government representative responsible for clusters, Stephan Pflugbeil.

The DAY OF CLUSTERS in the Pilsen Region offered a unique opportunity to promote the topics and ideas of the DanuBioValNet project to the Czech and Bavarian cluster managers, interested researchers, businesses and other participants of the event. The DanuBioValNet project and the role of clusters in it was presented by Zuzana Polova within the official agenda of the event and as a part of the National Cluster Association – CZ exhibition.

Author: National Cluster Association, Czech Republic

Sustainable and Circular Bioeconomy in Slovakia

PEDAL Consulting, Slovak University of Agriculture, Slovak Bioeconomy Cluster and National Agicultural and Food Centre organized the workshop on “Sustainable and Circular Bioeconomy in Slovakia”. The workshop, that was held on 22 October 2018 in Nitra, Slovakia,  was the official “side event” of the main Bioeconomy Conference held in parallel in Brussels. It focused on the need for sustainable and circular bioeconomy to enhance the transition in a changed EU policy context and towards a new environmental, social and economic reality. During the workshop, the video connection with the main conference in Brussels took place, where the leader of the Association of Slovak Young Farmers presented the statements towards the value added of bioeconomy for young farmers. The key message from the Slovak young farmers was that they respect traditions, they are innovative and motivated regarding the bioeconomy challenges they face in their everyday life.

In addition, various projects implemented in the area of bioeconomy were presented during the workshop, too. Dominika Pancakova from Prounion, the Slovak partner of the DanuBioValNet project, presented the objectives and activities of the project, the overall importance of the bioeconomy and the opportunities it creates for the whole Danube Region.

Author: PROUNION, Slovakia

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