European Commission
en English en

alternative text
BERRY+

Context

The starting point of BERRY+ is circular bioeconomy as a driver for growth, investments and exports. Our aim is to focus on collaborations developing early-stage innovations (usually TRL 0 – 4) and liaise with other partnerships for close to market collaborations (TRL 5 – 9). One of the multiplier effects of this approach is that early-stage innovations can be diversified in different markets, to invest in different commercialisation paths. All regions with relevant research-based strengths, can benefit from this approach, initially reinforcing economies of scope and gradually evolving into economies of scale. To reach the level of related, well-functioning methodologies for economies of scale, we are emphasising the collaboration between and among regional policy makers.

As time evolved, we have also explored the context, feasibilityand competitiveness for circular bio-economy. Additionally, more themes in relation to circular bioeconomy are considered for collaboration in the partnership at the moment. For instance, the value chain of collaboration, regulatory and competitiveness priorities, revealed, the importance of including energy issues and AI into our collaboration domains.

Year established: 2020

BERRY_logo

Regions (lead and partner)

  • Coordinating region: Kainuu (FI)
  • Leading regions: Kainuu (FI) [Components 1 & 2], Western Macedonia (EL) [Component 3]
  • Participating regions: Attica (EL), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (IT), Lombardy (IT),Moldova (MD), Malopolska (PL), Lapland (FI); Helsinki-Uusimaa (FI) is active only for project development.
  • Observer regions: Catalonia (ES), Centro (PT), Lombardy (IT).
  • Associated partners, eligible/prioritised for project cooperation: Goriska (SI).
MAP_BERRY

Mission

The partnership is dealing with three main challenges:

  1. To turn value chains (VC) into effective development, growth tools and part of regional policy.
  2. To link VC methodologies to the strengths - productive, technological, demand - of specific industrial domains in the partner areas, to embed he process at regional and interregional levels.
  3. To encourage interregional exchanges essentially linked to the VC-based development model.
  4. Strategic collaboration of regional policy makers at interregional level.

BERRY+ supports excellence-based processing of renewable natural resources and their side streams by

  1. selectively exploring renewable natural resource & sideflows research-based opportunities;
  2. accessing strong consumer markets;
  3. investing in and developing new specialisation paths & breaking away from lock-ins;
  4. confronting enterprise challenges related to value chains and upgrading them accordingly. Implementing these contributes to industrial modernisation based on circular economy solutions and digital transformation applications as part of value chains.

Objectives

The overarching objectives of the partnership are:

  • To reach interregional investments & integrate partner regions’ innovations into existing and / or emerging European Value Chains (EVC).
  • To establish and register with the ECCP an interregional cluster as a way for constructing added value at regional and interregional levels in the long run.
  • To maximise coherence between regional and interregional initiatives and investments.
  • Learning through:
    • Grasping commercial opportunities, including substitution of VC elements with better products.
    • Design, development, and testing (DDT) investments.
    • Research-based product & product line development/ additional research priorities.
    • Optimal localisation of industries aiming at added value in-and re- shoring of VCs in the regions.
    • Ensuring horizontal compliance to related Directives & adoption of standards.
    • Learning and scaling up interregionally the production process, joint applications of data analytics and Industry 4.0 solutions when needed.

Main activities

The partnership has received valuable support from the S3 CoP for demonstration actions, which aligns with the science-based approach adopted in BERRY+. These demonstration sessions, combined with work on regional policies, have led the partnership to adjust its value chain strategy. To achieve this, we has used an inductive approach by starting from a concrete results and negotiated the wanted outcomes with the partners, to proceed with possible collaborations. This approach is grounded in the scoping document and leverages each partner’s deep understanding of their environment. In cases where a regional innovation ecosystem lacks necessary knowledge or research, the partnership is exploring opportunities for strategic collaboration with other regions. It is particularly optimistic about engaging in constructive, in-depth exchanges with regions participating in the interregional policy group.

As such the BERRY+ partnership consists of the steering group of active partners that have outlined the overall objectives, to which value chains have been identified and leaders of the value chains have been identified as outlined in the figure below.

The following specific objectives have been outlined to structure the activities:

Objective 1: Strengthen circular economy through value chains innovations and SDG improvement related to partner regions’ RIS3. Value-chains are science & innovation based, i.e. towards development or scaling up of existing markets.

Objective 2: Value chain governance as an innovation system and policy instrument

  • Sub objective 2.1: Interregional cluster management unit; by building on interregional complementarities identified through value chains to form an interregional cluster management unit; interregional cluster organised and registered; (2.2) Project opportunities ad hoc and / or as a result of (2.1); (2.3) Strategic collaboration linkages and opportunities between and among regions.
  • Sub objective 2.2: Linking governance levels; identify funding paths and options ensuring funding continuities and tailored funding approaches depending on the nature of initiatives (public & eventually private funds); aim for multiplier effect.
  • Sub objective 2.3: Interregional governance; value chains as a regional policy instruments linked to RIS3; new concepts, capitalisation, diffusion. Interregional policy group.

Objective 3: Knowledge management, reinforce the iterative approach; knowledge integration, dissemination

BERRY-visual

Organisations involved

The partners’ involvement and interests are summarised in the below table, which evolves and adjusts to reflect progress and evolution of the partnership and its activities.

Finland

  • Regional Council of Kainuu (FI)
  • University of Oulu (FI)
  • Regional Council of Helsinki-Uusimaa (FI)
  • Regional Council of Lapland (FI)
  • Lapland University of applied Sciences (FI)

Greece

  • Region of Western Greece (EL)
  • AgrifoodWest cluster (EL)
  • Region of Western Macedonia (EL)
  • ANKO (EL)
  • Cluser of cheesmakers of Western Macedonia (EL)
  • Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) (EL)

Italy

  • Friuli Venezia Giulia region/RAF FVG (IT)
  • Friuli Venezia Giulia Agrifood & Bioecono Foundation (ex. Parco Agroalimentare)/FAB FVG (IT)
  • Region of Lombardy (IT)
  • Reindustria (IT)

Poland

  • Molopoloska Region (PL)
  • Molopoloska University (PL)
  • Klaster LifeScience Kraków (PL)

Portugal

  • Forest Institute (PT)

Associated partners:

  • Socca Valley Development Center (SI)

Observers:

  • Region of Lombardy (IT)
  • ACCIó (ES)
  • Beauty Cluster (ES)
  • Centro Region (PT)

Shared smart specialisation areas

  • Circular economy (forest industry side streams value chain, dairy industry side streams value chain, renewable and recylcable textiles value chain)
  • Functional ingredients of natural resources (including anti aging and regenerative cosmetics value chain, plant-based proteins value chain).

Related projects

  • BRIDGES Project: The BERRY+ S3 partnership implements Action 2 of the Kainuu region BRIDGES action plan. It builds on the BRIDGES project experience from interregional collaborative schemes based on RIS3 complementarities and the corresponding research, knowledge, and economic bases of the participating regions. (https://projects2014-2020.interregeurope.eu/bridges/)
  • Cross-border (Italy-Slovenia) Interreg proposal (DAIRY+, https://www.ita-slo.eu/en/dairy ).
  • VC1: COSMEND project; Programme: private funding [REINDUSTRIA] Linkages to BERRY+: results will be, inter alia, part of the base of the planned VC1 interregional project (Horizon/I3 or LIFE according to the TRL in which we are).
  • VC 3: (i) MEBIP - Processing of the side streams of forest bio-economy into value added products; Programme: Over-regional JUST TRANSITION FUND [JTF]; 3 regions of North East Finland are participating (Kainuu, Lapland and Oulu). MEBIP is aligned and supports the RIS3 of the 3 participating regions. (ii) GRAM, Business Finland project, with provisions for interregional collaboration.

Contact

BERRY+ OVERALL LEADERSHIP & COORDINATION

Coordination objective 1

Overall coordination:

Day-to-day management:


Coordination objective 2

Overall coordination, interlinkages & reporting:

Value chain-based coordination and leadership:


Coordination objective 3

Latest news and upcoming events

-