ROBIN partners gathered in Cork from October 4th to October 6th for ROBIN’s 3rd project meeting at MTU’s premises. The two-day meeting played a crucial role in ROBIN’s development and set the ground for the project’s second year, which involves developing Regional Action Plans and testing them in each pilot region.

During the meeting, all team members discussed updates related to co-creating governance models and structures, as part of WP2 tasks. Additionally, MTU, AUTH, and QPL presented the first draft of the ROBIN toolbox.

Let’s dive into the ROBIN Toolbox! The ROBIN Toolbox will include:

• Knowledge Platform (Regional Governance Models and Good Governance Practices)
• Tools (Circular Bioeconomy Governance Model Canvas, Policy Monitoring System, Environmental Protection Tool)
• Support Actions Portfolio

Continuing the Toolbox discussion, each pilot region presented the governance models and practices that had been co-created in the previous months, along with CTA’s portfolio of support actions for regional capacity building.

To shape and finalise the Regional Action Plans, outlining the specific support actions to be offered in each region, a cross-fertilisation workshop among ROBIN partners was held. Each regional team briefly discussed their planned support actions, and the ROBIN consortium provided valuable feedback. Regional teams are expected to finalise their support actions by the end of November when they will proceed with the setup and operation of their co-created governance models.

On the second day, BPRO presented their plan to elaborate on tailored strategies for guiding the testing and validation of the ROBIN toolbox. This includes engaging stakeholders in testing and validating the toolbox through regional governance structures, as well as fine-tuning it based on collected feedback.

The PEDAL team, responsible for monitoring activities, summarized the evaluation process and outlined the next steps in monitoring and assessing the project’s outcomes and impacts. They also discussed the exchange of best practices and lessons learned among the targeted regions.

Updates on dissemination, exploitation, communication, and project management activities were also discussed, with ROBIN’s coordinator, QPL, presenting the next key steps and timeframe for ROBIN’s deployment.

ROBIN will continue to advance regional bioeconomies, so stay informed and don’t miss out on the next developments in the Regional Action Plans!