The Nordic countries have launched an ambitious plan to fast-track the development of a sustainable bioeconomy in the region. The Nordic Bioeconomy Programme describes 15 action points that push for a boost in research and innovation, policies to accelerate the transition, and stronger collaboration to develop new bio-based products and new markets. This will fuel growth in innovative bio-based businesses and pave the way for improved use of biological resources, including new value chains from crop residues, industrial sidestreams and wastes.
“This is a blueprint of how we advance the bioeconomy,” says Hörður G. Kristinsson, Chief Science and Innovation Officer at Matís and chair of the Nordic Bioeconomy Panel, which formulated the action plan. “Each of the Nordic countries has their own ambitions for the bioeconomy, which are based on their different resources. The goal here is to bring them together to pick up the pace, build and harvest synergies and advance innovation in all sectors of the bioeconomy.”