4th SCAR Foresight Stakeholder Conference

8 October, Charlemagne Building, European Commission, Brussels

The European Commission, DG Research and Innovation in close cooperation with the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) organizes the conference “Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the Bioeconomy – A Challenge for Europe” on 8 October 2015 in Brussels, European Commission, Charlemagne Building.

Objectives

This conference is expected to be a cornerstone in the wide foresight process, initiated by the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) in 2006, aimed at identifying principles which would enable the primary production sectors agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture to cope with a range of complex and interlinked challenges over the next 30-40 years. The 4th SCAR Foresight Exercise launched in spring 2014 explores the interactions between the primary sector and the bioeconomy. With an emphasis on the future, the exercise explores not only what will happen, but also what might happen by developing the paradigm of the bioeconomy, with the fundamental constraint of sustainability. Internal contradictions within primary production sectors and possible conflicts among sectors were a major point of interest.

Report

The event opens a wide debate, based on the findings of the work carried out by the Fourth Foresight Expert Group (FEG4) aimed at reaching a common understanding on the state of the bioeconomy and principles leading to a sustainable bioeconomy. A consensus was reached on new insights following exploration of what bioeconomy may mean for primary sectors and recommendations on underpinning principles, scope and emerging themes and organisational principles for a sustainable bioeconomy and the possible implications this may have for long-term research and innovation agenda and policy orientations.

Scenarios for a Sustainable Bioeconomy

To facilitate the debate an info-graphic about the possible scenarios inspired by the report was produced in all EU languages. The aim is to steer the discussion not only in EU institutions but also at member state level. The foresight exercise, the recommendations should steer national discussion on the future of the primary production sectors and about the challenges ahead of us. For reprinting and dissemination purposes the info-graphic is available for download.

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Download Infographic in PDF (PDF icon 437 KB)

Involvement

The 4th SCAR Foresight Exercise is a participatory process involving the stakeholders from the beginning. The conference gives the possibility to even widen more the discussion on how to set the research and innovation agenda, establish priorities and it provides ground for policies. For the Stakeholder Conference 350 participants (high Commission level delegates, private and public sphere representatives, researchers and experts from different sectors) are expected to exchange their views. The renewed role of SCAR and possible next steps on the foresight exercise will be explored. The conference will provide an important contribution to the work on the further development of the European and national bioeconomy strategies., not only to orient the discussions on the research and innovation investments in the Bioeconomy, but also to contribute to the ongoing discussions during EXPO MILANO “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” 2015.

 

More Information

Source

European Commission, press release, 2015-08.

Supplier

European Commission
European Union
EXPO Milano 2015
Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR)

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