Bioeconomy in the South Baltic Area: Biomass-based lnnovation and Green Growth

Bioeconomy is the production and utilisation of biological resources, innovative biological processes and principles to provide sustainably produced food and industrial goods and energy. Bioeconomy can be described as the next economic development wave shaping the post-fossil society. Thus the bioeconomy and its biological resources represent a unique platform for innovation efforts and business opportunities. In many countries SMEs are key drivers of biomass-based innovation. Yet there is a lack of innovation capacity and a need to empower the SMEs to participate in bioeconomy development in the South Baltic Area. The materials deriving from the agro-industrial value chains can be converted into a variety of food, non-food products and energy. Emerging from the biomass resources, the enterprises and the production systems in the participating regions concrete proposals for biomass-based products and production processes will be identified and developed, and existing and new knowledge will be transferred between the regions and disseminated to SMEs and other actors in the bioeconomy business eco-systems. Based on the interaction with the SMEs and other stakeholders the project will provide new knowledge and concrete solutions for innovative products, processes and business opportunities. The development of innovative products and modified production processes aim at better resource management eventually decreasing the amount of non-recycled waste from production processes, and therefore decreasing pollution discharges in the area.