Developing bioeconomy features is high on the European policy agenda to tackle societal challenges such as climate change, the phasing out of fossil resources, and the advent of much-needed ecological and energy transitions. However, transitioning into an economy based on regionally available biological resources will substantially increase the demand for biomass from forestry and agriculture. It may incur adverse effects on biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions or water resources. Comprehensive, rigorous and transparent assessment procedures are thus required to ensure that the bioeconomy will deliver on its sustainability promise.
Assessment methodologies have so far failed to embrace the various dimensions of sustainability and the multiple facets and stakeholders of bioeconomy systems. This lack of an integrated, holistic approach constitutes the key scientific question that DESTINY will address by developing novel methods and tools and demonstrating how they can be mobilized to maximize systems performance in a range of generic value-chain case studies.
Since such concepts mobilize a number of disciplines, from agronomy and engineering to economics and political and social sciences, a novel type of scientist is warranted: the bioeconomist. The DESTINY Doctoral Network will train this new generation of researchers and practitioners through a multi-disciplinary curriculum, equipping Doctoral Candidates with the knowledge they need to design and assess novel biomass production systems and bio-product value chains. In their research programme at the crossroads between bioeconomy and sustainability science, these candidates will design sustainable bioeconomy systems for Europe, factoring in social, economic and governance aspects. DESTINY graduates will bridge a well-evidenced gap in the labour market for the bioeconomy. They will secure jobs in the agricultural and forestry sectors, the bioeconomy industry, academia, consultancies and governments.