Cluster name: Bioeconomy Cluster Slovakia
Country: Slovakia
Description:
Established in 2015, Bioeconomy Cluster (BEC) is a pioneering innovation ecosystem based in Nitra, Slovakia, at the heart of the country's agri-food sector. BEC serves as a dynamic interface between research, industry, and policy, facilitating knowledge and technology transfer across bio-based value chains. Its mission is to catalyze sustainable innovation, foster rural development, and drive the transition toward a circular, climate-resilient bioeconomy.
BEC connects over 50 official members, including innovative SMEs, farmers, food companies, and strategic partners involving research institutions (National Agricultural and Food Research Centre, Institute of Landscape Ecology), academia (Slovak University of Agriculture), AKIS Coordination Body, Slovak Agroforestry Association, the Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber. It also collaborates with a network of over 100 external partners from across the agri-food and bio-based sectors.
BEC is actively engaged in European and national policies in agricultural innovation, in supporting and networking of SMEs, as well as in connecting the entities of knowledge triangle. It facilitates a good interconnection of different partners in the area of bioeconomy at national level and it is strong in agri-food and bioeconomy policy research, rural development research, cluster development and value chain development.
BEC is an active member of several influential European and national initiatives that foster cross-sectoral collaboration and policy dialogue. These include the European Bioeconomy Clusters Alliance, which connects leading bioeconomy clusters across Europe; the Danube Transfer Center Network, being a dynamic transnational structure dedicated to fostering innovation and transfer of knowledge; EUSDR WG Circular Economy and Bioeconomy, promoting and developing circular bioeconomy through the support of enterprises, connection of stakeholders and organization of events, as well as the Slovak AgroBioFood Platform contributing to establishing Food, Nutrition and Health Research Infrastructre.
BEC has been involved in numerous international project financed by Interreg, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, CBE JU, COSME, etc.
Stakeholders involved: More tha 50 cluster members involving SMEs, start-ups, academia, R&D organizations, associations
Bio-based sector/Industry: Agriculture, Food industry, Bio-based sectors
Results/Achievements:
BEC‘s track record includes the following main activities:
- Contribution to the preparation of the Slovak Bioeconomy Strategy, the initiation and leadership of the Slovak Bioeconomy Hub, and the contribution to the development of a Bioeconomy Roadmap and Action Plan through participatory processes involving industry, R&D and policy stakeholders.
- BEC built a national network of climate demo farms in Slovakia, with support of Climate Farm Demo and ClimateSmartAdvisors projects and in cooperation with AKIS Coordination Body and the Ministry of Agriculture. It involves more than 30 farms from all around the country.
- At European level, BEC has been actively involved in Horizon Europe, Interreg, I3 and CBE JU projects related to circular bioeconomy, soil health, climate-smart farming and regional innovation ecosystems.
- BEC has carried out innovation audits, mapping of companies and innovation ecosystems, identification of best practices, preparation of factsheets, practice abstracts, interregional investment business cases, and bioeconomy value chain analyses.
- BEC supports innovation uptake through advisory services, EIP-AGRI Operational Groups, a pilot voucher scheme for bio-based innovations, and facilitation of multi-actor cooperation across agriculture and the bioeconomy.
Link to the website/Social media:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioeconomy-cluster-slovakia
https://www.facebook.com/BioeconomyCluster
https://www.youtube.com/@BioeconomyCluster-nx4kd