In Slovakia, one of the key needs for the bioeconomy is to better translate existing knowledge, expertise, and innovation into practical, market-ready solutions. Within this context, the RIBES Multi-actor Transformative Forum creates a space for dialogue, cross-sector exchange, and a more coordinated, application-oriented approach to bioeconomy development. It also sits within a wider ecosystem of initiatives led or supported by the Bioeconomy Cluster, including Communities of Practice and the National Bioeconomy Hub, all of which contribute to shaping collaboration and strategic thinking in the field.
Since the beginning of the project, the Slovak MTF has developed as a flexible and evolving platform, built around a core group of experts and adapted over time as RIBES value chains took shape. Its value lies above all in connecting people, exchanging knowledge, and keeping circular bioeconomy visible as a shared topic of regional and national importance. Below, the Slovak MTF reflects on the journey so far, the main insights emerging from the process, and the role the forum is starting to play in the wider bioeconomy landscape.
1. In your view, what are the main bioeconomy-related challenges or needs in your region that the MTF is helping to address?
In our region, and in Slovakia more broadly, there is a need to better translate existing knowledge and innovations into practical, market-ready solutions. The MTF helps address this by creating a space for dialogue, connecting actors across sectors, and supporting a more coordinated and application-oriented approach to bioeconomy development.
2. Why is the work of the MTF important in your regional context?
We see the MTF as part of a broader ecosystem. Bioeconomy Cluster itself is a networking organisation contributing to regional development through a wide range of activities. We create connections, support collaboration opportunities, and open discussion on relevant bioeconomy topics. We also run several Communities of Practice, where we bring together experts on specific themes, and we are one of the founding members of the National Bioeconomy Hub, where we interact with policymakers, researchers, and businesses to help shape the national policy and strategic framework for bioeconomy. In this context, the MTF is one of the initiatives that helps connect the dots and complete the wider picture of what is happening in the region and at national level.
3. How does your MTF contribute to RIBES’ wider ambition of supporting inclusive and sustainable bio-based entrepreneurship?
The MTF serves primarily as a platform for dialogue, so its impact on the bio-based entrepreneurship ecosystem is rather indirect. Its value lies more in shaping ideas, exchanging knowledge, and inspiring collaboration than in delivering immediate, tangible outcomes for businesses. At the same time, it provides a space for networking and therefore acts as one of the tools supporting sustainable bioeconomy development in the region.
4. How has your MTF developed since the beginning of the project?
Our MTF is an evolving organism. From the beginning, it has been built on a core group of experts with whom Bioeconomy Cluster has long-standing relationships, covering perspectives from business, policy, social issues, and beyond. As the RIBES value chains were taking shape, the composition of the MTF adapted accordingly, bringing in new experts with relevant knowledge while others stepped back. This flexibility has helped us keep the forum relevant, even if maintaining the long-term engagement of busy experts remains an ongoing challenge.
5. Which stakeholder groups have been involved, and why has their participation been important?
The MTF involves experts with diverse expertise across bioeconomy, rural development, business, social innovation, and related areas. This diversity is essential because it allows us to combine different perspectives and better understand how value chains, business models, and governance approaches interact. The essence of our MTF lies in this interdisciplinarity and complementary knowledge.
6. Have you seen any changes in stakeholder awareness, dialogue, or willingness to collaborate through the MTF process so far?
The stakeholders involved in the MTF are already highly knowledgeable, so awareness and willingness to collaborate have been present from the start. The main challenge is rather to maintain their active engagement by offering discussions that are focused enough and relevant to their expertise. So far, some MTF activities have been more general in nature, which can limit their direct added value for certain participants. This underlines the importance of tailoring topics to their specific interests and needs.
7. What have been the most important discussions, insights, or turning points within your MTF so far?
One of the most important insights has been the need to better understand and map the existing bioeconomy landscape in Slovakia. Through discussions across stakeholder platforms, including the MTF and related initiatives, attention has focused on identifying ongoing projects, expertise, and initiatives, and exploring how these can build on one another. A key moment was a networking event organised within RIBES, where stakeholders from the wider bioeconomy community came together to exchange experiences, identify synergies, and explore concrete opportunities for collaboration, from joint events to sharing tools and knowledge. This helped shift the focus from isolated activities to a more connected and strategic approach to bioeconomy development.
8. Have any specific barriers or enabling factors emerged regarding social entrepreneurship, circular bioeconomy development, or regional value chain development?
One of the key barriers is the fragmentation of stakeholders and the limited coordination across sectors, which slows down the development of regional value chains. At the same time, an important enabling factor is the strong existing expertise and the growing number of initiatives, which create a solid foundation for collaboration if they are better connected and aligned.
9. What would you say are the most meaningful outcomes or lessons learned from your MTF up to this point?
A key outcome is simply that the dialogue is ongoing. People are talking, connecting, and maintaining bioeconomy as a topic of shared interest. This in itself is an important foundation for future collaboration.
10. Has the MTF helped identify opportunities for better governance, stronger cooperation, or better informed decision-making in your region?
At this stage, the impacts of the MTF have been rather modest. While it has created space for dialogue and exchange of information, it has not yet led directly to changes in governance or decision-making processes. Its longer-term potential lies in translating these exchanges into more structured cooperation, possibly through a more developed national bioeconomy hub involving a broader range of stakeholders. In addition, the cross-border exchange of information and practices among the MTFs participating in RIBES could create stronger cooperation opportunities in the future.
11. Have you seen any signs that the MTF is helping create momentum for more inclusive, socially driven, or locally relevant bio-based solutions?
When you bring the right people into one room or around one table, you can immediately see the connections they establish and the ideas they generate. The real impacts take longer to materialise, but the signs of change are already there. Solutions start to grow organically from the realities of the region and from the potential that exists and is already recognised.
12. Is there one example, moment, or exchange that best illustrates the value of your MTF?
Rather than a single moment, the value of our MTF is best illustrated by its role within the broader bioeconomy community that is steadily growing in Slovakia. This is supported by the activities of Bioeconomy Cluster and by projects that bring new insights and perspectives into how value chains work and how multi-actor approaches can increase the dynamics of ecosystems.
13. If you had to explain in two or three sentences what difference your MTF is making in your region, what would you say?
Rather than three sentences, I would use three expressions: connecting people, exchanging knowledge, and bringing nature-based solutions into the spotlight. Initiatives like the MTF help keep circular bioeconomy high on the agenda while fostering collaboration across sectors.