EBU Towards Bioeconomy Education, Research and Innovation on an International Scale
The Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) hosted the second in-person Coordination Group meeting on 17-18 June 2024, which brought together representatives from all EBU universities. The discussions covered the governance of our alliance, including the development of new internal agreements, as well as the enhancement of EBU’s engagement at both the European and international levels.
Strengthening the Governance of the Alliance
As our alliance continues to advance, refining the governance structures within the EBU alliance is crucial. Effective governance ensures the strengthening of collaborations, but also a more efficient use of the capacities and resources available. During the meeting, the discussions focused on establishing clear mechanisms for the EBU Alliance structure to foster a more organised and efficient governance framework.
Considering the recent addition of SGGW and SLU as core members, strategies were discussed to extend the already existing Multilateral Framework Agreement for awarding Double Doctoral Degrees (known in short as Co-tutelle Agreement) to all EBU universities. This is meant to create an inclusive environment that offers equal opportunities to PhD students coming from any of the universities involved, which reflects the collective interest in promoting research and education in bioeconomy across the network. Additionally, the coordination group identified new ways to make better use of already existing tools. This includes establishing a proper protocol for using the EBU online learning platform and granting access to existing resources for students from all EBU universities.
Formalizing new agreements and expanding EBU’s reach on both European and international stages are pivotal for fostering collaboration, research, and innovation across borders. Several new agreements were signed, paving the way for joint research projects, student and staff exchanges, and shared resources. Strategies to enhance EBU’s presence and influence on European and international levels were discussed, including participation in key global forums and aligning initiatives with international bioeconomy goals. Planning for upcoming events was also on the agenda, focusing on showcasing our alliance’s achievements and engaging a broader audience.
Promoting Bioeconomy Education, Research and Innovation on an International Scale
Seeing the growing role of EBU in the European arena, the Coordination Group continued the planning for international cooperation with other institutions in the field of bioeconomy, as well as the preparation for two highly anticipated EBU events that we have already hinted at previously. As a result of EBU’s participation at the Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival event in Brussels in March 2024, EBU continued exchanges with the European Commission for advancing bioeconomy education in the European Bioeconomy Strategy expected to be released in 2025.
Concerning the EBU events, the meeting served to kick off the design of a workshop that will take place in Vienna in October 2024. The workshop, aimed at identifying EBU’s vision and understanding of the future of bioeconomy and the role of higher education institutions in it, will bring together 30 researchers and scientists from all EBU universities. Additionally, to celebrate the upcoming 5th anniversary of the establishment of the alliance on 3 July 2019, EBU will celebrate this milestone with an event on 19 November 2020. Further details on both events will be shared in the next weeks. However, due to limited spots, both events are only upon invitation.
The Warsaw meeting underscored the strength and potential of the EBU alliance. Looking forward to these upcoming events, we are more committed than ever to our shared vision of promoting education, research and innovation in the bioeconomy sector in Europe and beyond. We take this opportunity to thank the hosts of our meeting, the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), for their exquisite hospitality.