BIOECONOMY FOR CHANGE

Their core work

Bioeconomy for Change (formerly IAR, the French bioeconomy competitiveness cluster) is a French innovation cluster that accelerates the transition from fossil-based to bio-based industries. They specialize in connecting research with industrial scale-up for bioplastics, bio-based chemicals, alternative proteins, and sustainable materials derived from plant biomass and microalgae. Their core contribution in EU projects is bridging pilot results to flagship-scale demonstration, particularly in biorefinery value chains covering food packaging, green solvents, and insect-based feed ingredients.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2017–2019), B4C focused on diverse bio-based materials and processes — natural fibre composites, insect protein farming, and chemoenzymatic routes to fine chemicals. From 2020 onward, their work converged sharply on replacing fossil-derived plastics and solvents: PHA bioplastics for packaging, bio-based solvents from sawdust, and microalgae-derived bioactives. This shift signals a clear move from broad bioeconomy exploration toward industrial-scale substitution of petrochemical products.

B4C is increasingly focused on flagship-scale demonstration of fossil-plastic replacements, making them a strong partner for anyone working on industrial biorefinery scale-up or circular bio-based packaging.

How they like to work

B4C overwhelmingly participates as a partner (7 of 8 projects) rather than leading consortia, with only one coordinator role (ReSolute). They work in large consortia — 109 unique partners across 16 countries indicate broad networking rather than repeated partnerships with the same groups. This profile is typical of a competitiveness cluster: they bring ecosystem connections and industrial deployment expertise rather than deep lab research, making them an accessible and well-connected partner to onboard.

B4C has collaborated with 109 unique partners across 16 countries, indicating a wide and well-distributed European network. As a French bioeconomy cluster, their connections likely span Western and Northern European biorefinery and agri-food hubs.

What sets them apart

As France's dedicated bioeconomy competitiveness cluster (Pôle IAR), B4C occupies a unique intermediary position between academic research and industrial deployment. Unlike a university lab or a single-technology SME, they bring an entire regional ecosystem of bio-based industry players to any consortium. Their strength is in demonstration and scale-up — evidenced by their heavy participation in Innovation Actions (5 of 8 projects) — which means they help move technology from pilot to factory floor.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ReSolute
  Their only coordinator role — a flagship project to produce cyrene, a green solvent from sawdust at full industrial scale, signaling their ambition to lead bio-based chemical scale-up.
• FARMYNG
  A large-scale demonstration of industrial mealworm production for alternative protein, representing the frontier of insect-based feed and food ingredients.
• NENU2PHAR
  Tackles the full PHA bioplastics value chain from production to food packaging to recycling — directly addressing the European plastic waste challenge.