CluBE and Western Macedonia’s transition to the bioeconomy

In a context historically dominated by carbon-intensive activities, the Greek region of Western Macedonia could be on the verge of embarking on an ambitious path towards the bioeconomy. A decade ago, Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia (CluBE), a non-profit organisation that brings together the public sector, academic institutions, environmental organisations and businesses in a cluster, was born with the aim of fostering this transition.

With the last coal-fired power plant in the region scheduled to close in the coming years, Western Macedonia – whose area is roughly equivalent to that of Cyprus – faces the need to transform its economy. Despite not yet having made a definitive shift towards any specific economic model and the enormous challenges associated with electricity production, the region – where some 250,000 people live – has significant advantages for the bioeconomy. With 55% of its land area covered by forests, and considerable livestock and agricultural activity, there is untapped potential in biomass and biowaste.

Ioannis Fallas, director of CluBE, underlines the importance of turning these challenges into opportunities: “This region has historically been trained to produce electricity from coal. Now, in this transition, we have a great opportunity to put the bioeconomy at the top of the agenda,” he says.

The role of CluBE and Zabala Innovation

CluBE plays a crucial role in acting as a mediator between the public sector, decision-makers, academia and local businesses. Dr. Fallas stresses the importance of talking to both decision-makers and the basis, opening horizons for companies to explore new opportunities in the bioeconomy. A concrete example is the collaboration with a local manufacturer of medium-density fibreboard, converting waste into usable biochemical molecules.

The collaboration with Zabala Innovation has been essential for the success of CluBE. The first exchanges between the cluster and the consultancy came about in 2017 through the Greenovate Europe initiative, a network of organisations supporting sustainable innovation. “At that time, we understood that Zabala Innovation is a strong player with good connections in the European Union, but also – and I would say more importantly – with a capacity to build deep relationships with any new client or partner,” Dr. Fallas underlines.

Since then, the relationship between the two entities has blossomed into several European projects, such as Stardust (smart cities), Rubizmo (innovative business models in the rural world), Model2Bio (bio-waste database), MarginUp (marginal land biodiversity), Teamit+ (entrepreneurship and sustainability), icoshell (innovative solutions for soil health) and the recently approved GreenH2orn (renewable hydrogen).

Dr. Fallas highlights Zabala Innovation’s ability to read European calls thoroughly and understand the needs of the European Commission. This skill has been crucial in the submission of successful proposals and the formation of effective consortia. The collaboration has gone beyond funding, as Zabala Innovation has contributed to expanding CluBE’s network of collaborators, providing a competitive advantage in the competition for European projects.

The combination of CluBE’s experience in the region and Zabala Innovation’s strategic capacity in proposal submission and consortium formation has proven to be a successful formula. This case exemplifies how effective collaboration between local organisations and specialised consultants can catalyse significant transformations towards a more sustainable and future-oriented economic model.