BioBase NWE
The factsheet was produced through the Interreg IVB NWE Bio Base NWE project. The Bio Base NWE partnership consists of seven European organisations, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, Belgium; Bio Base Europe Training Centre, The Netherlands; NNFCC, UK; Technology Centre for Biorefining and Bioenergy (TCBB), Republic of Ireland, CLIB2021, Germany; REWIN, The Netherlands and Gent Bioeconomy Valley, Belgium.
The Bio Base NWE project has now come to an end. However, BioBase4SME is a new 3-year project launched in 2016, as a continuation of BioBaseNWE with additional support services for SMEs.
Factsheet overview
This factsheet gives an overview of the Belgian bioeconomy innovation technology system. It includes the key government interventions, research initiatives, networks and finance instruments, in Belgium.
Belgium has three different governing bodies
Belgium is divided into three regions, Wallonia, Flanders, and Brussels, with different languages and Governments, and little policy integration. Bioeconomy governing bodies are present in Flanders and Walloon.
Bioeconomy Strategies
While Belgium as a whole has not produced a National Bioeconomy Strategy, the Flanders region has developed one:
In 2013, the Flemish IWG for the Bioeconomy produced the strategy Bioeconomy in Flanders, setting out the Flemish Government’s vision and strategy with an integrated cross-policy approach for a sustainable and competitive bioeconomy in 2030.
- The Bioeconomy strategy is in line with the Flanders in Action (VIA) project that has the intention to develop Flanders into an economically innovative, sustainable and socially warm society by 2020.
- Also in 2013, the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) published Sustainable use of and creation of value from renewable raw materials for biobased industrial production such as biomaterials and green chemicals in Flanders.
- Other Flemish Governmental bioeconomy initiatives include the New Industry Policy, a biomass inventory, Innovation steering groups and Action Plan Biomass Residues.
More information
For more information about the Belgian bioeconomy, please download the factsheet, or contact Dr Caitlin Burns, NNFCC.
Bioeconomy Factsheet Series
This factsheet series provides a concise summary of how different EU governments are supporting the growth of the bioeconomy through policy, strategy and research. Other Factsheets in this series include: