As part of its growing network of synergies, RIBES is pleased to spotlight BIOFAIRNET, a Horizon Europe project working to advance a fair and sustainable bio-circular transition. The new connection creates an opportunity to strengthen mutual visibility and exchange around bioeconomy governance, stakeholder participation, and locally grounded pathways for transition.
BIOFAIRNET focuses on two greenhouse gas-intensive sectors, agriculture and mining, and aims to support their transition through digital collaboration and bio-circular innovation. Specifically, it promotes the co-creation and testing of innovative solutions through a digitally cooperative network, with a strong emphasis on circularity, stakeholder engagement, and systemic transformation. Its wider objective is to support a resilient and low-carbon future while embedding fairness, inclusivity, and environmental responsibility into the transition process.
At the core of BIOFAIRNET is the development of a digital collaboration platform and web-based transition toolkit, built through co-creation, testing, and continuous stakeholder feedback. The project’s methodology combines impact assessment, open-access digital tools, pilot activities, and strong stakeholder involvement from the outset. This approach is designed to help identify practical post-transition pathways while ensuring that the benefits of the transition remain socially equitable and economically viable.
As such, this creates a natural point of connection with RIBES. On the RIBES side, the project mission is to advance the circular bioeconomy in ten European regions that lag behind, with a particular focus on stronger governance structures and stakeholder engagement. Through its Multi-Actor Transformative Forums, RIBES brings together policymakers, researchers, industry actors, and civil society to support regional cooperation and accelerate the transition towards sustainable, circular, and locally rooted bioeconomies.
Although the two projects operate with different entry points, their priorities clearly complement one another. BIOFAIRNET brings a strong focus on fair transition, digital cooperation, and sector-specific innovation in agriculture and mining. RIBES, meanwhile, brings a regional and governance-oriented perspective that focuses on inclusive bio-based entrepreneurship, social innovation, and stakeholder-led transformation. Together, these approaches speak to a shared ambition: building bioeconomy transitions that are not only innovative, but also participatory, place-based, and socially meaningful. This is an inference from the two projects’ published objectives and methods.
For RIBES, this synergy is valuable because it opens the door to wider exchange with initiatives that are also exploring how collaboration, local knowledge, and practical innovation can support Europe’s green transition. For BIOFAIRNET, the link with RIBES adds another relevant bridge to regional bioeconomy governance and stakeholder-led transformation. As both projects continue to grow their outreach and communities, this new synergy offers a promising space for cross-project visibility, knowledge exchange, and shared inspiration.