D3.1 Results from multidimensional competency biomass mapping

This deliverable outlines the development of a multi-dimensional indicator framework designed to assess national readiness for the bioeconomy. The approach focuses on four critical categories: workforce skills (social competencies), technological readiness (technological competencies), business and innovation environments (economic competencies), and national biomass potential. By leveraging a robust indicator framework, the methodology bridges the gap between available data and actionable insights, enabling BOOST4BIOEAST HUBs to support informed decision-making at the national level.

During the first year of the BOOST4BIOEAST project, monitoring needs in each of the four categories were identified and validated with project partners. These monitoring needs served as a baseline for the extensive literature review of academic articles, EU project reports, and established indicators. This process informed the development of an initial indicator catalogue, which was subsequently prioritised per category by national HUBs to define core indicators.

Indicators were characterised with a description of their purpose, definition and assessment method by DBFZ (competency indicators) and BME/TKK (biomass potential indicators). Utilising a Guideline for Indicator Assessment (García Laverde, et al., 2024) (hereafter the Guideline) as tool to document the indicator framework and its methodology, the framework was first shared with four voluntary HUBs for testing, namely Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and Latvia. Feedback from the testing phase coupled with valuable revisions from the testing countries, allowed for the refinement of the methodology, and ensured its adaptability to national contexts. Finally, the revised Guideline was shared with all other HUBs to commence the indicator assessment phase across all countries.

The finalised indicator framework and its core indicators are presented in this report, encompassing 29 competencies indicators and 35 biomass potential indicators. Additionally, an overview of the planned steps for the indicator assessment within Work Package (WP) 3 is presented at the end of the report and their relevance for other work in BOOST4BIOEAST. In particular, the results of indicators will be essential for:
• Establishing national bioeconomy actions plans in WP7.
• Conducting a gap analysis in Task (T) 3.3 by identifying desired levels per indicator, per country.
• Deriving insights for policymakers in T3.4.

Through the application of the indicator framework, key areas for development will be identified, supporting BOOST4BIOEAST countries in advancing their national bioeconomies. The structured methodology offers a practical and maintainable approach to address the complexities of national bioeconomy readiness.