UrBIOfuture

UrBIOfuture

Boosting future careers, education and research activities in the European bio-based industry

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Project details

Type of project
Coordination and Support Action
Project focus
Market, policies & awareness
Project period
1 May 2019 - 30 April 2020
Status
Completed
CBE JU Contribution
€ 946 567,65
Call identifier
H2020-BBI-JTI-2018

Summary

The European Union has already made substantial progress in adopting a bio-based economy. However, it cannot afford to stand still; it must continue to advance. To do so requires continued analysis of the specific needs of this industry sector. The UrBIOfuture project has been designed to address this, by boosting education, research and careers in the bio-based industries in order to keep Europe at the forefront of the sector.

The project will map industry needs and the skills gap and facilitate interaction between the education sector, academia and industry. Based on its insights and engagement, UrBIOfuture will create a series of promotional events, including train-the-trainer and train-the-student workshops. This will help Europe sustain its leading position in the bio-based sector by ensuring that there are adequate numbers of well-trained and enthusiastic people entering the industry.

As well as its benefit to the bio-based industry as a whole, UrBIOfuture project will deliver a number of important societal benefits. It will:

  • Identify opportunities and gaps for careers in the bio-based industry, education and research.
  • Provide people with the skills to help Europe build and sustain its pre-eminence in the bio-based sector.
  • Reach out to and engage students at an early stage, to promote careers in an important emerging industry sector.
  • Use the vision of Europe’s existing expertise in the sector to highlight the skills that will be needed in the coming generations.

The UrBIOfuture project’s activities should deliver a number of valuable impacts. It will:

  • Enhance the overall professionalism of those within the bio-based industry.
  • Provide the sector with a detailed overview of completed and ongoing programmes addressing curricula addressing bio-based activities. This will identify skills gaps and help provide the resources to bridge them.
  • Assist the sector in defining potential career paths for those choosing to enter the bio-based industry sector. This will help produce bio-agricultural professionals, bioeconomy leaders and innovators and agricultural technologists capable of teaching others.
  • Align education and research with industry expectations, offering the skills employers need and the opportunities entrants seek. This will help the industry and increase employment in the sector.

Consortium map

Project coordination

  • UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA Cerdanyola Del Valles, Spain

Consortium

  • VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V. Mol, Belgium
  • STICHTING IHE DELFT INSTITUTE FOR WATER EDUCATION Delft, Netherlands
  • TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY Espoo, Finland
  • FBCD AS Tjele, Denmark
  • CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE Roma, Italy
  • SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS EUROPE SL Madrid, Spain
  • FUNDACION CORPORACION TECNOLOGICA DE ANDALUCIA Sevilla, Spain
  • FUNDACJA UNIWERSYTETU IM ADAMA MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU Poznan, Poland