More on the Bioeconomy:
The Bioeconomy, which is about the resources, the processes and the products that are based on the Biotech and its 4 colours: Red (health and Pharma), Green (agriculture, forestry), Blue (Oceans, fisheries, etc...), or White (Industry, Manufactirug, biofuels, biomaterials, biotechnology). For the EU, the broader EU bioeconomy generates roughly €1.9–2.7 trillion in value added, equivalent to about 11–16% of EU GDP, with 42–60 million jobs when related services are included.
Triggered by advances in Digitalitzation and Life Science (the ohmics!), a revolution is emerging in the Bioeconomy that will have a deep impact on our societies and our well-being,
It is also facing challenges and opportunities, touching environmental impact, land use, biodiversity, use of public resources, adequate use of novel technologies such as CRISP-CAS of GMO, consumer acceptance and Trade Competition. And any project will have to be scrutinized under these lenses.
Tools for the Projects Impact Assessment
While the tools and methodologies supporting the assessments of Innovation Projects in the Bioeconomy are not yet fully harmonized, some best practices tend to emerge:
- Sustainable Finance, especially Impact Finance, probably defines the framework for impact assessment
- The scope of the reporting is provided by the Theory of Change
- Non Financial Reporting tends to get harmonized, with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and the SASB
(Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) getting the references.
- The issues with Circularity, and its metrics is best captured by the Circularity Gap Report, updated yearly, or by the Allen MacArthur Foundation
- and adressing the double materiality, now getting mandatory in Corporate Sustainability Reporting
Our main source of Data is of course the World of Data
A focus on Food Systems
The Food Systems is a major component of the Bioeconomy. There is a broad acceptance that it has to be reformed if we want to ensure the food security for a population of 10 bio by 2050. This will mean:
- promoting an agriculture that is more regenerative, and protecting the soil
- promoting a nutrition that is both more healthy and compatible with a sustainable agriculture
- promoting more efficiency through circularity and waste reduction.
Several organisations have issued a position on what a sustainable foodsystem should look like, such as (among others!):
- the FAO, with its Sustainable and circular bioeconomy for food systems transformation report
- the SAPEA report: A sustainable food system for the European Union
- the WBCSD, about the role of industry in providing Sustainable, Nutritious and Affordable Food
- or the WEF, with a proposal for transforming the food system
In the EU, the arcane of the Foodsystem Policy is sharply affected by its regulation (summarized by the SAPEA), and the EU-CAP . Foodsystem is of course an important element of the pillar 2 of Horizon Europe
The Biotechnology Environment: a comparison between USA and the EU
While Europe has world-class competencies in Biotechnology Research and skillset, it is struggling to scale up innovations. The OECD has issued a report providing their niews on the respective situation in the EU and the USA. While both are similarly competitive on publications and research, USA is filing about twice more patents, has a Venture Capital size of a multiple order of magnitude versus the EU, is much better at pooling public/private resources, is much less fragmented, and has a leaner regulatory framework. Said shortly, it has a strong edge on scaling up outcomes from Research. More on this here.
The EU is putting a framework for a Competitive Bioeconomy:
The EU is finalizing the EU Biotech Act, that should adress a way to provide Regulatory predictability and harness the Technology without stiffling the Competitiveness of this extremely important sector. A Briefig on this here.
Switzerland: a major Player in the emerging Biotech Revolution.
Switzerland is hosting worldclass Companies and Universities (more on this by DeepTech Nation here) and is therefore well positioned to be a key player in this emerging Biotech Revolution. More on this in the Swiss BioTech Report 2026 .
Switzerland: a major Player in this Emerging Field
Switzerland is hosting global companies active in Biotech, a rich environment of start-ups, and a worldclass Research in BioTech and AI. More on this by the Swiss DeepTech Nation focus on Bio, here. It is therefore well positioned to be a key player in this emerging Field. More on this in the Swiss Biotech Report 2026 here.