1. Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio
Bioeconomy in the Nordic countries Overview, regional insights and national policies
Jukka Teräs
Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio
Jelgava, Latvia
Dec 1, 2016

2. Annual turnover: ca 4 million Euro
Nordregio - a leading Nordic research institute within the broad fields of regional development and urban planning
Annual turnover: ca 4 million Euro
37 staff members and 13 nationalities
Nordic working groups in :
Demography & welfare, migration, social innovation Sustainable regional development in the Arctic Green growth: innovation and entrepreneurship Green growth: sustainable urban regions

3. Nordic Working Group 2013-2016: Green Growth – Innovation and Entrepreneurship
”The Working Group, set by the Nordic Council of Ministers, will focus on the regional policy dimension of Green Growth – innovation and entrepreneurship”

4. Nordregio studies on Green Growth 2013-2016

5. Nordic Green Growth Road Show 2016
Regional events to communicate research findings and to receive feedback on green growth
Kalundborg (DK), Luleå (SE), Kemi (FI), Copenhagen (DK), Isafjordur (IS), Turku (FI), Stockholm (SE), Bornholm (DK), Mariehamn (Åland), Grimstad (NO)
More than 200 participants

6. Green transition Nordregio Forum 2016 in Helsinki, Finland
Transition to a greener economy offers more than environmental sustainability – it can also serve as an engine for innovation, growth and resilience in the Nordic regions
Bioeconomy is ”glocal” – both global and local. Biomass cannot (usually) be easily or cheaply transported long distances.
Nordregio Forum (Photo: Jussi Mäkinen)

7. Cooperation between Nordregio and the Baltic states
Research projects
Nordic Roadshow on Green Growth in 2016 extended to Riga and Jelgava
Dissemination of the Nordregio research results

8. The crucial aspects of green growth (Nordic Working Group together with Gaia, 2016)
Cleantech
Industrial symbiosis
Bioeconomy
Digitalisation
Circular economy
GREEN GROWTH
Green growth is a broad concept including several areas that are partly overlapping and together have the potential to foster greener economic growth in Nordic regions.

9. Defining bioeconomy (Nordregio Policy Brief 2015)
The aim of bioeconomy is to develop an economy that is based on the sustainable utilization of renewable resources.
In its “Communication on Innovation for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy in Europe”, the EU considers the bioeconomy to consist of food, agriculture, paper and pulp, forestry and wood industry, fisheries and aquaculture, bio-based industries, biochemicals and plastics, enzymes and biofuel sectors.
In policy-making, a bioeconomy usually requires cross-sectoral approach

10. Bioeconomy (Matis 2015)

11. A thought to begin with…
”Before, everything was easier to understand. Centre of Excellence for Bioeconomy – it was Forest House. And Biorefinery – it was pulp mill.”
(Editorial , Lapin Kansa )

12. Bioeconomy in the Nordic countries 2011-2012 (Nordic Innovation 2014)

13. Nordregio study on Nordic Bioeconomy 2014
Case studies on regional bioeconomy in five Nordic countries
Regional good pracice on Nordic bioeconomy
The role of regions, enabling conditions, impeding factors, findings & suggestions

14. Case study regions: bioeconomy (Nordregio 2014)

15. Example: Vinnväxt and bioeconomy in Örnsköldsvik (VINNVÄXT: Innovation funding programme by Vinnova, Sweden, up to 10 years)
Bioeconomy cluster built around the Domsjö pulp mill
Processum cluster in 2003
Vinnväxt initiative “Biorefinery of the Future”
Source: Processum

16. Bioeconomy Policy Brief (Nordregio 2015)
Recommendations:
Create a common understanding of Bioeconomy
Financial incentives needed
Export promotion needed
Long-term commitment
Dig deeper for the regional economic potential and impact of bioeconomy

17. National Bioeconomy Strategies in the Baltic Sea Region
Finland and Germany: national bioeconomy strategies
Norway, Iceland: currently preparing national bioeconomy strategies
Sweden: National Agenda for circular and bio-based economy under progress
Denmark: ”Growth Plan for Water, Bio and Environmental Solutions ”, ”Growth Plan for Food”
Estonia and Latvia: strategy planning phase
Lithuania and Poland: no national bioeconomy strategies yet

18. The Finnish bioeconomy strategy (2014)
“The objective of the Finnish Bioeconomy Strategy is to generate new economic growth and new jobs from an increase in the bioeconomy business and from high added value products and services while securing the operating conditions for the nature’s ecosystems.”
The strategic goals :
1. A competitive operating environment for the bioeconomy
2. New business from the bioeconomy
3. A strong bioeconomy competence base
4. Accessibility and sustainability of biomasses.

19. Nordic institutions promoting Nordic & Baltic Green Growth & Bioeconomy co-operation
The Nordic Council of Ministers & Nordic institutions: initiatives, policies, research funding & regional studies on Nordic Green Growth
The Nordic Bioeconomy Panel (2016-): support and advice on the development of common Nordic bioeconomy policies and strategies
The Baltic Sea Region Bioeconomy Council, established by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2016, accelerates the transition towards the bioeconomy in the Baltic Sea Region.

20. Regional green branding of Nordic bioeconomy
Good Nordic examples: Bornholm, Värmland, Samso, Växjö,…
Värmland - combined with smart specialisation
How to strengthen national level & Nordic level ”green branding”?

22. 5 CATEGORIES:

25. in the short and long term
Roadmap for Nordic regional green growth (Nordic Working Group together with Gaia, 2016)
Vision
Nordic regions jointly lead the way to sustainable growth
in the short and long term
Green growth is an integral part of regional strategies and actions
Business in the regions is based on sustainable solutions
Regional actors are active in Nordic and global ecosystems

26. Thank you! www.nordregio.se
Photo: Kjell Nilsson
Thank you!