Bioeconomy in North Rhine-Westphalia

Background and objectives

Bioeconomy, which is dedicated to renewable biological resources and their use in, among other things, food, energy and bio-based products, comprises many sectors (food and various production industries, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, biotechnology and process technology, energy industries, trade, logistics, etc.) and is characterised by a complex landscape of actors and interests.

The aim of the study is to produce a systematic overview of bioeconomic activity in NRW and to analyse the expectations and ideas of the relevant actors regarding a revised bioeconomy strategy in NRW in order to identify thematic and/or regionalised approaches and needs and to address them specifically in the revised strategy.

This results in the following sub-objectives which are to be pursued in the context of the study:

• Taking stock of current bioeconomic activities in NRW
• Identification of relevant/central actors in the policy field “Bioeconomy in NRW”
• Identification of actor-specific priorities for a regionalised bioeconomy strategy
• Derivation of fields of action for a “Regionalisation Strategy Bio-economy NRW”

Expected results and synergies

Based on a successful data collection within the framework of the study, target-group-specific ideas for a regionalised bioeconomy will be determined. Normative and descriptive statements of the stakeholders allow both the assessment of the status quo and the identification of thematic regional focuses, differentiated into the fields of action “bioeconomy in rural areas” and “bioeconomy in industrial and urban areas”. Furthermore, the study design allows for an analysis of the networking between spaces, actors and clusters, which allows for the identification of central actors and the generation of multiplier effects with targeted strategy formulation and implementation measures.