Launched in January 2023, BioBoosters – Boosting Circular Transition – project connects 9 regions with strong bioeconomy innovation ecosystems to help circular bioeconomy business transition in Baltic Sea Region with a Hackathon service. The partnership involves business clusters, science and business parks, NGOs, sectoral agencies, and innovation platforms of higher education institutes that are all key meeting places and connectors of their regional bioeconomy innovation ecosystems. Partners are strongly connected in business and research fields and have a strong knowhow on innovation processes.
Bioeconomy Innovation Accelerator run by Jamk University of Applied Sciences from Central Finland has piloted a Hackathon service with 12 companies to help find solutions to sustainability challenges. After successful national piloting, this Hackathon model is now taken international with the support of a 3-year project and a budget of 2.8 million Euros. The project is co-financed by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme and European Regional Development Funds.
Calls for innovation from leading bioeconomy companies are heard in networks of 7 countries and 9 regions
BioBoosters partnership will implement 18 Hackathons in international network co-operation. The aim is to design, pilot, and refine an international co-operation model and service concept for organizing Hackathons, to be used also after the project lifetime.
Each Hackathon has a leading bioeconomy company as a challenge provider. The challenges are focused on the circular economy transition of bioeconomy business, in other words, the application of circular economy business models in the bioeconomy companies. The challenge provider as well as mentors and solution providers are searched from Sweden, Finland, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Each partner will organize two Hackathons in collaboration with the challenge providers from bioeconomy industry and with the support of the network. The two rounds of piloting will offer a learning process that helps the partnership to perfect the Hackathon service and to find a workable model for long-term co-operation.
International Hackathon is a meeting place that initiates cross-sectoral and inter-regional co-operation
When organizing a Hackathon, a key benefit of the international co-operation is the access to a greater and more diverse network of potential solution providers. As the partners have in depth knowledge of their regional and national networks, they are able to target the messages to potential solution providers more effectively. As the involved regions have different bioeconomy strengths, there is more opportunities to find needed knowhow and innovations to the circular transition challenges. Via cross-sectoral connections and multidisciplinary co-operation, there is a greater potential to discover out-of-box solutions that can have a significant impact to business competitiveness and sustainability.
For SMEs and startups in the Baltic Sea Region, the Hackathon offers an international platform for showcasing and refining innovative ideas with potential clients. Hackathon can help SMEs and startups in starting a dialogue with leading bioeconomy companies. This can result in co-operation to pilot new solutions or in commercial deals. International mentoring will also provide a wider perspective in the market opportunities across the Baltic Sea Region. Furthermore, as the Hackathon process involves mentoring and networking, the outcome can often be new regional development or research projects that bring together wider partnerships.
