BioSC Competence Platform Transform2Bio: Integrated Transformation Processes and Their Regional Implementations: Structural Change from Fossil Economy to Bioeconomy

Description
Ensuring the well-being of current and future generations without surpassing environmental limits is an overarching objective of the sustainable bioeconomy concept. Achieving this objective will require major transformations of existing resource systems, value networks, business models, infrastructures and governance systems. The recent decision of the German government to phase-out coal mining will initiate major transition processes in the lignite mining region, the Rheinische Revier, creating a unique opportunity for understanding the socio-technical dynamics and implementation options towards an entire sustainable bioeconomy region.
Against this background, Transform2Bio systematically identifies transformation trajectories for the implementation of a bioeconomy in the Rheinische Revier. These transformation routes must meet all of the following criteria: (a) they must be desirable (from a sustainability perspective), (b) feasible (from a techno-economic perspective), and (c) acceptable (from a stakeholder consensus perspective). Pooling expertise from (agricultural) economics, operations and innovation management, entrepreneurship, political science, economic development, consumer psychology and socio-technical systems analysis, the research approach of Transform2Bio follows an inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research agenda. As part of this multi-dimensional approach, Transform2Bio will establish an interactive stakeholder network, the Stakes2Bio Lab. It will provide scope both for continuous stakeholder dialogue (‘society to science’) and the establishment of regional ‘science to society’ networks.

Project Duration
September 2019 to August 2022. Extension until December 31, 2022.

Funded by
FOCUS FUND within the NRW strategy project BioSC – Phase2.
Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Project Partners
RWTH Aachen University – Chair of Operations Management
University of Bonn – Institute for Food and Resource Economics (ILR) / Center for Development Research (ZEF)
Forschungszentrum Jülich – IBG-2

Principle Investigator IEK-STE
Dr. rer. pol., Professor as Juniorprofessor Sandra Venghaus

Results
Publications
BioSC Brochure Transformation monitor 2022 (German)
Documentation of final project workshop

Contact
Dr. rer. pol., Professorin als Juniorprofessorin Sandra Venghaus
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Systems Analysis and Technology Evaluation (IEK-STE)
e-mail: s.venghaus@fz-juelich.de

Project Website
http://www.biosc.de/transform2bio