As part of Engage4BIO project, the Austrian hub team implemented the first co-creation workshop in row of four. Collaboratively the hub created vision and strategy for a regional, sustainable bioeconomy in the wood and interiors sector in Austria. A mixed group with representatives from policy, education and business collaboratively worked together to shape the future of the Upper Austria region.
The hub has intensively dealt with offers in the field of education and awareness raising as well as innovative approaches for the organization of a value chain in Upper Austria. The participants developed three visions for the next 5 years:
- Awareness raising: The citizens know and understand the Upper Austrian value chain and are able to comprehend it. They are clear and well informed about resource consumption, scarcity and availability. The understanding of bioeconomy is anchored in everyday life and is communicated clearly and simply to the target group.
- Education: In five years, through experiential, tangible formats, education enables a collaborative, self-empowering experience with the enhancement of a regional self-awareness involving all stakeholders located in the region.
- Governance: In five years, the political and legal framework and economic incentive for the creation of regional cycles and new business models is in place, and the awareness for the reusability of products is included, companies take responsibility for their actions (product, process, social).
Furthermore, participants collected ideas on how to achieve these visions. They already have come up with aspects Engage4BIO needs to tackle and have gathered concrete ideas for activities to be worked on in the further co-creation processes that will take place in fall 2023.
