Matís is one of nine partners participating in the EU project BIO2REG. The project is a three-year Coordination and Support Action (CSA) funded by the Horizon Europe programme. BIO2REG aims to enable the systemic transition of greenhouse gas-intensive regions through concrete and actionable measures to become bioeconomy model regions.
Between the 19th and 20th of January 2025, participants of the BIO2REG project met for their annual meeting in Jülich in Germany to discuss upcoming work. The meeting was held at Forschungszentrum Jülich, as they coordinate the project.
The status of the project was reviewed at the end of its first year, and participants worked together to shape the future of the project. Ahead lie, among other things, workshops to be held across Europe. To ensure these are conducted as effectively as possible and to gather the maximum amount of information for the project, various practical matters were discussed. One of the main objectives of the project is to engage with stakeholders and explore their needs when it comes to transitioning regions towards a bioeconomy.
Such meetings do not only take place indoors, and the group went on an excursion in the surrounding area, visiting among other things Germany's largest coal mine, the Hambach mine, which is still in operation despite government policy to phase out coal. The mine is open-cast, but it is now planned that mining operations will cease within 10 years and the site will be transformed into an enormous man-made lake.
Another stop on the excursion was the so-called Startup Village, a business park consisting of a cluster of buildings that small companies can rent for their operations. The colourful buildings are designed as a launchpad for innovation, and the proximity makes it easier for companies to connect, collaborate and draw inspiration from one another. The buildings are constructed sustainably using the latest energy-saving technology for both lighting and heating.
We at Matís extend our sincere thanks for the generous hospitality and look forward to continued collaboration in the years ahead.
