The factsheet was produced through the Climate-KIC Biohorizons and the Interreg IVB NWE Bio Base NWE projects.
BioHorizons
The Climate-KIC Biohorizons project was led by Dr Edward Hodgson, Aberystwyth University, UK and co-ordinated by NNFCC, UK. Project partners were Imperial College, UK, South Pole Carbon Ltd. Switzerland; University of Valencia, Spain; University of Bologna, Italy; PANNON Pro Innovation Services Ltd. Hungary; University of Kassel, Germany; INRA, France.
BioBase NWE
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 Bioenergy 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 French bioeconomy innovation technology system. It includes the key government interventions, research initiatives, networks and finance instruments, in France.
Bioeconomy Governance in France
The key government bodies are the:
- Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Digital Technology (MEIN)
- Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (MAAF)
- Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Energy (MEDDE)
- Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, and Research (MESR)
Bioeconomy Strategies
France currently has no bioeconomy roadmap, but the subject is on the political agenda, and there are several government policies and national strategies related to bioeconomy, including:
- The National Strategy for Research and Innovation 2015 includes among its themes: fossil carbon substitutes for energy and chemistry; from production to diversified uses of biomass.
- The New Industrial France Policy 2013 is implemented through 34 industrial plans, with several related to bioeconomy, among them:
o Green chemistry and biofuels
o Wood industries
o Recycling and green materials
- National Waste Plan 2014-2020
- Forest Orientation Law 2001
- French chemical industry Roadmap 2013
- National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2003 with objectives about renewable energy development, biofuels, and waste reduction
- The Ministry of Agriculture has published two notebooks from the Council on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas about “Biomass – Energy – Climate” (2011) : Land Energy (Vol 1) and Wood Energy (Vol 2) and a paper about Sea Energy (2011)
- The “Grenelle de l’Environnement” 2007 has induced focus on “green growth” value-chains, especially carbon-free ones
For more information about the French bioeconomy please download the factsheet above, 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: