Prestudy for Method Development for Project Portfolio in Forest Bioeconomy Europe – Canada

Important results from the project

The purpose of the prestudy was to test a scalable approach to analyze regional innovation systems and identify strategic opportunities for Värmland actors to collaborate with Canadian partners in the bioeconomy-based Horizon Europe context. This was achieved through the identification of 70 innovation and research actors, a strategic action plan, and a readiness assessment tool for organizations seeking to deepen international collaborations.

Expected long term effects

As a results of the prestudy, it is clear that Värmland is in a transition phase where more actors need to be involved in the design of the vision for the bioeconomy, which will then be included in the updated regional strategy for smart specialization. In addition to the regional development opportunities, the feasibility study has seen a need and an opportunity to develop a national strategy for Sweden–Canada cooperation but in an EU perspective that includes various national actors.

Approach and implementation

The prestudy was based on data collection with a priority on practical relevance and usability and not exhaustive academic coverage. This was carried out through desk research, discussions with stakeholders, insights from existing cooperation projects between the EU, Canada and Sweden, and mapping against policy frameworks (Horisont Europa, OECD, etc.). The results were discussed and developed through five project meetings during the prestudy period, in which all actors participated.