CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY
RESEARCH GROUP

In today’s global economy, the circular bioeconomy is recognised as a strategic path toward balancing environmental, economic, and social challenges—paving the way for a sustainable future for generations to come. This approach combines the use of renewable biological resources with circular economy principles, aiming to reduce waste and decrease reliance on fossil fuels. While circular bioeconomy research has attracted attention across various disciplines, our group brings a distinct focus on the social sciences. Instead of concentrating on technological or environmental aspects, we explore how the circular bioeconomy impacts socio-economic development—its social, cultural, political, and economic contexts, all with people at the centre. We are committed to developing solutions that not only address climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource efficiency, but also enhance societal well-being. Our mission is to promote a fair, inclusive, and effective circular bioeconomy that delivers benefits for all. Our research investigates how to build fair circular value chains, with attention to every stage—from policy analysis and regional specificities to the socio-economic impacts of transitioning from a linear to a circular model. To ensure our work has real-world impact, we go beyond academic research. Our team actively contributes to policy development, stakeholder engagement, and public awareness, helping to shape bioeconomic strategies that are both sustainable and socially accepted. The university’s broader specialisation in life sciences and engineering creates strong synergies between our circular bioeconomy research group and other research teams, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and fostering innovation.