The 12th Bioeconomy Report in Europe confirms the increasingly strategic role of a sector that makes a significant contribution to economic growth and sustainability within the European Union. In 2025, the bioeconomy generated a production value of €3.174 trillion across the EU27, accounting for 8.8% of total economic activities and providing employment for more than 17 million people. Italy remains one of the European countries most specialised in the sector, with production worth €433.3 billion and more than 2 million employees. This growth is largely driven by the strength of the agri-food supply chain and the ability to transform research and innovation into new development opportunities.

Among the key findings of the Report is the growing importance of innovation, biotechnology and the sustainable valorisation of biological resources. The spread of new production models based on the circular economy, the efficient use of raw materials and the recovery of by-products is one of the main drivers of the European bioeconomy’s development.

These are themes on which Informest has long been active, promoting cooperation among businesses, research centres, clusters and institutions to encourage knowledge transfer and the adoption of innovative solutions. Within this framework lies the BioTech2Agri project, co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia Programme, in which Informest is a partner together with Cluster Agrifood FVG.

Launched in March 2024, the project supported the development of services dedicated to SMEs with the aim of strengthening innovation in agri-food supply chains, promoting biotechnological applications with potential impacts in the nutraceutical, cosmetic and agritech sectors, while paying particular attention to the sustainable valorisation of biological resources, by-products and production waste. A total of 26 Italian and Slovenian companies joined the services offered by the project, resulting in territorial benefits for Friuli Venezia Giulia, where nine companies received support in developing business ideas capable of strengthening their product supply chains.

In a context where the agri-food sector continues to be a driving force of the Italian bioeconomy, collaborations such as the one between Informest and Cluster Agrifood FVG are gaining importance. In the region, they connect businesses, research centres and innovation stakeholders to accelerate the development of bio-based solutions and strengthen the competitiveness of the agri-food sector. This mission is fully aligned with Informest’s objectives of fostering collaboration between research and businesses and supporting the adoption of innovations capable of generating both economic and environmental value.

The Report’s findings therefore confirm the growing importance of an economic model capable of combining innovation, sustainability and competitiveness, offering new opportunities for businesses and territories. In this context, initiatives such as BioTech2Agri help transform the challenges of the ecological transition into concrete growth opportunities by promoting the dissemination of knowledge, skills and innovative solutions for the benefit of SMEs in the Italy-Slovenia cooperation area.

To learn more, readers can consult the 12th Bioeconomy Report in Europe and discover the activities, results and opportunities offered by the BioTech2Agri project through the project website.