WG 3 of the Industrial Bioeconomy Dialogue Platform holds web conference

The WG 3 “Demonstration Plants and Technology” of the Industrial Bioeconomy Dialogue Platform exchanged information and ideas in a web conference. The group began by discussing the progress made in the Rhenish mining district, where preparations are underway to create a model bioeconomy region. It was pointed out that the experiences gained in this former coal-mining region could serve as a blueprint for the creation of further bioeconomy regions. Representatives from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and experts from Project Management Jülich then reported on the status of the ex-ante evaluation and the next steps regarding funding announcements on the topic of demonstrators. The funding, they said, will likely be divided into various modules. For example, module 1 might aim to facilitate the access of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to existing demonstration plants through measures such as the issuance of vouchers. Module 2, on the other hand, might focus on supporting preparatory measures for constructing demonstration plants. A medium-term time horizon of seven years has initially been proposed for these two modules, with annual submission requirements in order to ensure better planning capability for industry and to provide the necessary flexibility. Further modules, such as the creation of model regions, would be undertaken at a later stage. Here the initial focus is expected to be on coal-mining regions in order to support their structural transformation. The group plans to develop an “Atlas of Model Bioeconomy Regions” as a preparatory measure. The data used to create the atlas will be gathered with the help of the federal states, the chemistry parks, the BioRegions and the relevant industrial associations.