Better and cheaper access to testing and scaling infrastructure for biosolution innovators, benefiting the bioeconomy ecosystem and European competitiveness.
Background and Purpose
With a workforce of 18.6 million and an annual turnover of over €2 trillion, the bioeconomy sector offers significant potential for sustainable growth.
However, bioeconomy innovators struggle to bring ideas from the lab to full-scale production due to the high investment required in the pilot phase, weakening Europe's competitiveness.
The COPILOT project addresses this challenge by creating a comprehensive database of open bioeconomy infrastructures, integrated into a self-sustaining platform across Europe. The database will enable faster and more cost-effective access to the infrastructure while facilitating collaborations through key services, training and matchmaking opportunities.
The overall goal of the COPILOT project is to unite and connect the bioeconomy ecosystem by integrating infrastructures, innovators and facilitators into one dynamic community.
In addition, COPILOT's broad consortium, which includes clusters, startup networks, spin-offs, companies, investors and public authorities, will ensure strong bioeconomy expertise and cover all relevant EU regions.
How to proceed
The COPILOT project aims to implement a sustainable scaling-up framework that supports capacity building in the EU bioeconomy, thus fostering innovation and accelerating the growth of bioeconomy innovators. The key objectives include:
Developing a sustainable platform based on Pilots4U knowledge and creating dynamics that improve the availability and accessibility of open infrastructures.
Engage, connect and stimulate open access to EU bioeconomy infrastructures to strengthen the European scale-up ecosystem. This includes both support and funding for pilot and demo infrastructures to facilitate their participation in COPILOT activities as well as participation in networking and matchmaking activities to deliver services, skills and value to innovators.
Identify, engage, connect and stimulate innovators through scale-up courses, webinars, pilot visits and networking opportunities to unlock their potential to develop breakthrough bio-based technologies and products.
Engage scale-up actors (innovators, infrastructures, facilitators) and empower leaders while building a framework to strengthen and develop the scale-up community.
Establish an autonomous and self-sustaining platform that extends beyond the duration of the project, based on a tested business model and supported by a strong, engaged community.
Expected results
By bringing together all bioeconomy innovators, COPILOT will strengthen the scientific and technological capabilities needed to fully exploit the EU's potential for bio-based industrial activities. COPILOT's contributions include:
Accelerating research and development and scaling up innovative, climate-neutral, circular and sustainable bio-based technologies, processes and products, facilitating access and driving innovation across industrial sectors.
Fostering multidisciplinary collaborations between innovative actors that address challenges in the bioeconomy sector and benefit from diverse expertise.
Generating valuable data and insights on upscaling capabilities in Europe through open scientific processes, influencing market trends, policy decisions, research directions and business strategies. At the same time, technological upscaling knowledge is strengthened and sustainable practices, methods and insights are shared across sectors.
Accelerate business growth, investment and job creation in the European bioeconomy sectors by facilitating access to scale-up facilities for bioeconomy innovators with the aim of achieving at least a 40% increase in gross value added per person employed in the bioeconomy sector.
Empowering entrepreneurship by improving networking opportunities and open access to infrastructures across Europe, leading to the emergence and scaling up of bioeconomy start-ups and spin-offs, thus driving economic growth and job creation.
Unlocking the potential of underrepresented bioeconomy strategies at national and regional level and strengthening local and regional initiatives, with an expected impact in 25% of underrepresented regions and countries.
Support the development of bioeconomy projects that are environmentally friendly, socially inclusive and economically viable.
Raising awareness and communicating the value that the different bioeconomy sectors bring to the EU, limiting exports and reducing the consumption of fossil-based products.
