This past week, Europe's biomass processing sector and the European Commission kicked-off the Bio-based Industries Public Private Partnership - PPP research and innovation initiative. The partnership aims to promote and develop the European bioeconomy sector - both research and industrial innovations. 

 

A budget of almost EUR 4 billion has been earmarked to support projects that start through the Partnership over the next seven years. Most of the funding will come from industry; the European Commission is providing about EUR 1 billion.

In the negotiations, the biomass processing sector was represented by the Bio-based Industries Consortium (biconsortium.eu) established in December 2012. The Consortium's founding members include the Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster (FIBIC) (the bioeconomy's part of SHOK - Strategic Centres for Science, Technology, and Innovation), Kemira, Metsä Group, Stora Enso, and UPM. Members also include, for example, Metgen Oy, the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla), the University of Oulu, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and the Åbo Akademi University. 

 

When the partnership was initiated, the Bio-based Industries PPP's first work program was also unveiled. Project proposals must be submitted by October 15 and the projects that are selected to receive funding are to start in early 2015.