Financing, a solid ecosystem, and regulation: key challenges for Spain to drive the Bioeconomy forward
The state of the bioeconomy in Spain was analyzed during a debate sponsored by the European project ShapingBio at the fifth edition of the Green Innovation Forum.
The European Commission has emphasized the critical role of the bioeconomy in promoting sustainable development, reducing dependence on fossil resources, and fostering a circular economy across the continent. Brussels views the bioeconomy as one of the key pathways to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal, enhancing the EU's competitiveness, and positioning it as a leader in the transition to a greener and more self-sufficient future.
As in other innovative sectors, collaboration and knowledge transfer are essential for the development of the bioeconomy. In Spain, the current landscape reveals significant challenges, including financing, the absence of a robust ecosystem to support its national development, and regulation. These issues were at the center of discussions during the fifth edition of the Green Innovation Forum, held on November 19 in Pamplona (Navarra). The forum featured a panel organized by the European project ShapingBio, of which AseBio is a partner.
Organized by AseBio and the Government of Navarra through the public entity Sodena, the Green Innovation Forum brought together over 200 professionals at the Baluarte Conference Center to explore the opportunities biotechnology offers as a critical tool in transitioning to a more sustainable, carbon-neutral, and greener economic model.
“Navarra has been recognized as an Innovation Valley Region by the New European Innovation Agenda, thanks to its collaboration among regions to tackle shared challenges and leverage growth opportunities. In this context, Navarra is leading the European Circular Innovation Valley project, which involves nine territories spanning 17 regions with shared specialization strategies and challenges, such as innovation in the circular economy linked to the bioeconomy,” said Montse Guerrero, Deputy Director-General of Sustainability and Circular Economy at Sodena. She also highlighted Navarra’s synthetic biology business plan, promoted by the regional government and coordinated by Sodena. “This initiative will create collaboration opportunities in a field with great growth potential in the coming years, aiming to position Navarra as a leader in synthetic biology. It will drive an innovative, sustainable, and collaborative business ecosystem, promoting economic development, scientific advancement, and improved quality of life.”
The Bioeconomy in Spain: Growth and Consolidation Phase
“The bioeconomy in Spain is in a phase of growth and consolidation, with significant initiatives in key sectors like energy, agriculture, food, and waste management. Awareness of the bioeconomy’s importance is growing, but there are still substantial opportunities for investment and development, particularly in converting by-products into value-added products,” explained Goizeder Barberena, Business Development Lead at CENER BIO2C. She identified financing as one of the main challenges, as many bioeconomy projects require high levels of investment for R&D and large-scale demonstration phases.
Carlos Ignacio Franco, Technical Advisor at CDTI, underscored the strategic importance of the bioeconomy in Spain for fostering a more sustainable and competitive economic model. This model leverages renewable biological resources, such as agricultural, forestry, and marine waste, to produce high-value products, ranging from food and bioenergy to advanced biotechnologies. “The European Union has driven this transformation with policies and funding designed to help member states develop circular economy models and reduce reliance on fossil resources. In alignment with this approach, Spain has had a National Bioeconomy Strategy since 2017, along with various regional bioeconomy and circular economy strategies,” he added.
The Need for a Network of Technology Transfer Centers in Bioeconomy
“The bioeconomy requires close collaboration between the public and private sectors,” emphasized Barberena. She stressed the importance of fostering partnerships between technological and research centers, such as CENER, and businesses. These partnerships can help transform waste into value-added products, such as biofuels and bioproducts, by advancing from laboratory and pilot scales to demonstrative scales. “A culture of collaboration is crucial to ensure projects contribute to advancing the sector as a whole,” she said.
Franco pointed out the need to strengthen innovation ecosystems related to the bioeconomy and to improve coordination between Spain’s autonomous communities and the central government. “Mechanisms and spaces for collaboration, joint work, and cooperation must be promoted, involving key stakeholders from the public sector, businesses, research institutions, and civil society,” he emphasized.
Spain’s National Bioeconomy Strategy: Awaiting Implementation Since 2015
On the regulatory front, Spain has had a Comprehensive Bioeconomy Strategy since 2015, encompassing all major sectors of the EU’s economic activity. Its primary goals include promoting public and private innovation in the bioeconomy to meet the demand for new products and position Spain competitively. However, the strategy has not evolved or achieved significant impact. Franco noted that “it has not been sufficiently implemented, nor has its full potential been harnessed.”
He outlined key areas for further development, including the agro-food sector (Spain is a major agricultural country in the EU, and this sector plays a crucial role in the bioeconomy); biotechnology and innovation (leveraging the notable growth of biotechnology in Spain); focusing on circular economy and sustainability (integrating bioeconomy with circular economy projects to reduce waste and transform by-products into useful resources); and utilizing the forestry sector, given Spain’s vast forested areas. Franco also emphasized the bioeconomy’s role in driving rural development and creating jobs.
“Investing in applied research, developing and commercializing new biomass and by-product transformation technologies, and offering tax incentives to companies investing in the bioeconomy are essential. This would enhance project viability and foster the industrial-scale implementation of innovative technologies. Promoting education and public awareness about the bioeconomy and its fundamental role in achieving sustainability is equally critical,” concluded Barberena.