On the 8th and 9th of April 2025, the ROBIN project was featured at the Research to Impact Showcase hosted by Munster Technological University (MTU) at the Bishopstown Campus. The two-day event brought together researchers and stakeholders from various disciplines to highlight research with societal impact and to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. The showcase included 63 engaging research posters, offering a wide-ranging look into innovative projects across MTU’s diverse research community.
The ROBIN poster, presented by Dragica Grozdanic and James Gaffey (MTU), focused on the project’s work in analysing and supporting regional circular bioeconomy governance models across the EU-27. It outlined the development of a typology for classifying good practices in governance and innovation support, based on extensive research into policy documents, case studies, and stakeholder surveys conducted across Europe. The work aims to help regional authorities replicate effective governance strategies and foster collaboration among local operators and innovation developers. Furter and deeper insights into the good practices can be accessed on the ROBIN project website under D1.2 Good Governance Practice and on the ROBIN toolbox site under the Knowledge Platform Tool-Good Governance Practices.
The poster emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the project, which engages actors across education, research, policy, and technology. It also showcased how ROBIN is working with multi-actor regional constellations to embed novel governance structures within existing political and organisational systems, thereby supporting the successful rollout of circular bioeconomy strategies at the regional level. Throughout the event, the ROBIN poster provided a platform to demonstrate the project’s commitment to policy innovation, climate action, and regional development. It contributed to ongoing discussions around how governance frameworks can better support the transition to more sustainable, circular economies.
Participation in the showcase helped to raise awareness of the ROBIN project within the Irish research and policy community and aligned strongly with the event’s goals of promoting collaborative, impactful research. We are proud to be part of a consortium that is shaping the future of circular bioeconomy governance across Europe and hope that the insights and tools developed through ROBIN will support future projects, policymaking, and interdisciplinary research in this important area.
