Cascading and Sustainable Innovation for the Bioeconomy

CASI-BIO transforms EU bioeconomy sustainability principles into actionable governance, tools, and policy roadmaps. It responds directly to Horizon Europe Destination 7 by enabling evidence-based policy mixes and multi-level governance for a just, sustainable transition.The project’s objectives are to: (1) translate principles such as cascading biomass use and the food-first hierarchy into operational rules; (2) assess sectoral biomass availability and demand to guide businesses, policymakers, and citizens; (3) integrate distributional and inter-generational justice into the EU Bioeconomy Monitoring System; (4) measure ecosystem impacts and develop protection and restoration options; and (5) scale deployment through replicable Living Lab methodologies and global transfer guidelines.CASI-BIO brings together 15 partners from 14 countries, including Uruguay, Kenya, and New Zealand, to stress-test EU principles in diverse governance contexts. Thirteen Living Labs across land and aquatic value chains act as testbeds, co-creating 180+ innovations and pilots with farmers, SMEs, public authorities, and citizens. A digital, interoperable toolbox, open dashboards, and an expanded CASIPEDIA database will deliver transparent, comparable results.The consortium applies open science, FAIR data, and reproducibility standards, with SSH partners leading social justice and gender integration. Policy briefs, roadmaps, and advisory boards ensure direct links to CAP, AKIS, Zero Pollution, and Mission Soil objectives.By project end, CASI-BIO will deliver governance-ready solutions, policy-aligned roadmaps, and a sustainable infrastructure for continued use, enabling Europe and global partners to embed sustainability principles into bioeconomy transitions and contribute to Green Deal, biodiversity, and climate targets.