After three transformative years, the BioRural project—funded under Horizon Europe and coordinated by CERTH—officially concludes on 31 August 2025. Throughout its 36-month implementation, BioRural significantly advanced the uptake of small-scale, circular bio-based innovations in rural areas across Europe.
Among its major achievements, BioRural developed and launched the BioRural Toolkit: a freely accessible online platform offering blueprints, business models, training materials, and thematic modules covering bioenergy, biomaterials, agriculture, forestry, and water systems. Officially released in September 2023, the Toolkit serves as a long-term capacity-building resource, empowering rural stakeholders to adopt and scale bioeconomy practices. Access it here: biorural-toolkit.eu.
The project also successfully established the Pan-European Rural Bioeconomy Network (ERBN), bringing together a vibrant community of researchers, practitioners, SMEs, farmers, and policymakers. This network laid the groundwork for sustained collaboration and knowledge exchange among rural bioeconomy actors.
In addition, BioRural launched four regional bioeconomy platforms and organised targeted workshops in Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast Europe. These activities provided hands-on mentoring and enabled the pitching of innovative solutions. Twelve outstanding teams were selected to present their projects at the European Bioeconomy Challenge, held in Brussels in May 2025, where top bio-based solutions from across Europe were awarded. Congratulations to the three winning teams:
- Proservation (Germany) – honoured for a groundbreaking biodegradable packaging solution derived from grain husks.
- NonStop Food (Slovenia) – applauded for closing the loop in food production with circular flour made from brewer’s spent grain.
- Noema (Greece) – celebrated for combating fast fashion with circular, fully compostable garments made from bio‑derived fibres.
BioRural placed strong emphasis on real-world applicability, documenting 8 practical success stories covering topics such as bioplastics, algae applications, biomass-to-energy conversion, fish welfare, and sustainable forest management. As the project evolved, more than 35 success stories of bio-based innovations were identified, demonstrating the commitment of rural communities to circularity, bioeconomy, and sustainability. Notable examples include olive-pomace gasification plants, algae-based wastewater treatment, and eco-friendly straws made from wheat by-products.
Recognising that collaboration is key to impact, BioRural also built strategic partnerships, joining the Rural Bioeconomy Alliance and fostering synergies with other EU-funded initiatives that share a commitment to sustainability and circular economy principles.
Although the project officially concludes in August 2025, BioRural’s legacy will endure through ongoing access to its Toolkit and resources, the continued activity of the European Rural Bioeconomy Network, and the integration of its insights into EU-wide bioeconomy policies.
About BioRural
BioRural—”Accelerating circular bio-based solutions integration in European rural areas”—is funded under Horizon Europe with a €3 million budget. Coordinated by CERTH and involving 19 partners across 14 countries, the project begun in September 2022 and is approaching its conclusion, in August 2025. Its mission its to promote innovation, build capacity, and create viable pathways for a regenerative and inclusive rural bioeconomy.
