Danube GeoTour team members from the University of Presov in Presov presented the project, its goals, past ongoing and future activities at the Social-, Service-, and Eco-innovations in Bio-Economy: Best Practice Workshop on Capacities and Opportunities, organized as activity of the project Made in Danube.

On 30th January, the ZSI – Centre for Social Innovation (Vienna, Austria) in cooperation with the Union of Slovak Clusters (UKS) hosted a workshop to bring together representatives of higher education institutions, clusters, SMEs and NGOs, to foster local innovation capacity through good practises examples and knowledge exchange on cross-cutting issues related to bio-economy such social-, services- and eco-innovation.

The workshop was made under project Made in Danube - Transnational Cooperation to transform knowledge into marketable products and services for the Danubian sustainable society of tomorrow.  The Danube macro-region provides ideal framework conditions for bio-economy due to high-quality natural resources, well-known universities and a strong industrial tissue of SMEs. However, the region is still lagging behind its possibilities and missing links between research and innovation hamper the access to required knowledge and resources. 

With the aim, to improve to actual situation, the workshop provided opportunity to discuss possible solution to challenges, we are facing. Wide range of institutions presented their knowledge, experience and new ideas, through representatives, from Slovakia, Poland and other countries, where overall situation, from the view of problems and barriers, is in many aspects, very similar. Danube GeoTour team members from the University of Presov in Presov, presented within the workshop shortly the general information about the project and in the context of specific thematic focus, also the linkage between the geoparks and bioeconomy, which is regarded as a key element for smart and green growth in Europe and the Danube Region, on the base of the rising population and associated demand for renewable biological resources.

Within the sections of workshop, we discussed the various range of topics, as e.g. the balance between the bioeconomy and nature protection, especially in the areas with significant natural heritage, which is situated also in geoparks. Based on the knowledge and experience of participants, we had the chance to know the best practice which prove the opinion, that there is able to develop sustainable ecosystem of cooperation between private companies, producing classic and innovative products and services, and authorities responsible for regulation of activities performed in the natural area. Moreover, as the market is becoming more and more competitive, such a cooperation with these authorities, indicating the social responsible approach of company, as well as providing to customer products connected with the special natural heritage, can lead to creating of more attractive brand.

Copyright Pictures University of Presov