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Pilots4U (2017-2019): A Network of Open Access Multipurpose Pilot and Demo Facilities for the Bioeconomy

Pilots4U, a BBI-JU CSA project (2017 – 2019) set up one very visible, easily accessible network of open access pilot and multipurpose demo-infrastructures for the European bio-economy by creating an OPEN DATABASE that currently contains more than 100 open access pilot & demo facilities offering scale-up service to innovators active in the bioeconomy. Since pilot- and demo equipment is very expensive and requires specific expertise, open access infrastructures are the most cost-effective manner to support the deployment of industry-driven innovations in the market and to grow the European bioeconomy.

The Pilots4U network also formulated (together with the SmartPilots project) a set of Policy Recommendations (for a summary, see video below) with the aim to further strengthen the ecosystem and boost the growth of the European bioeconomy.

After the project was concluded in 2019, the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant kept the network and database alive, a.o. through the organisation of a yearly Pitch Perfect and Boost the EU Bioeconomy event bringing together industry (start-ups, SMEs, corporates), investors, pilot & demo facilities and many other bioeconomy stakeholders.

The Pilots4U project consortium existed of six partners that were already coordinating bio-economy pilot or multipurpose demo-infrastructure networks, and therefore could assure the involvement of over 40 infrastructures right from the start:

• Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (coordinator of SmartPilots)
• VTT (coordinator of ERIFORE)
• Royal Institute of Technology KTH (coordinator of BRISK)
• Swansea University (coordinator of EnAlgae)
• Ghent University (coordinator of Biorefine Cluster Europe)
• NNFCC (as secretary of the BioPilotsUK initiative)

The cluster  organisation CLIC Innovation represented the industry voice in the project.

The Europan Regions, Research and Innovation Network with 150 member regions attracted interested European stakeholders (infrastructure owners and users) to get involved in the project, and NNFCC, the bio-economy consultant, led the studies performed.

With an 18.6 million-strong workforce and over €2 trillion generated annually, the bioeconomy sector offers an important sustainable growth potential. However, bioeconomy innovators struggle to bring ideas from the lab to full-scale production due to the high investment required during the piloting phase, and this lowers the European competitiveness. The COPILOT project addresses this challenge by co-creating a comprehensive, updated, expanded and future-proof database of European open access bioeconomy pilot and demo infrastructures embedded into a self-sustainable platform, further building on the already existing Pilots4U database,  network and the experience gained. The database will enable faster and cost-effective access to the infrastructure, while fostering collaborations through key services, training, and matchmaking opportunities.

But COPILOT has ambitions that go far beyond “just building a database”. It’s ultimate goal is to unify and interlink the bioeconomy ecosystem, integrating infrastructures, innovators, and enablers into one vibrant community. Moreover, COPILOT’s large consortium composed of clusters strongly linked to start-up networks, spin-offs, corporations, investors, and public authorities will ensure a broad pool of expertise within the bioeconomy field and will cover all relevant EU regions.

The COPILOT project aims to implement a sustainable scale-up support framework to support the EU bioeconomy’s capacity building, and thus stimulate innovation and accelerate the growth of bioeconomy innovators.

Key objectives include:

• Develop a sustainable platform based on Pilots4U knowledge and co-create dynamics to enhance the availability and accessibility of open-access pilot & demo infrastructures.
• Engage, connect, and stimulate open access to EU bioeconomy infrastructures to strengthen the European scale-up ecosystem. This includes both providing engagement and financial support to pilot and demo infrastructures to facilitate their involvement in COPILOT activities, as well as participating in networking and matchmaking activities to deliver services, competences, and value to innovators.
• Scope, engage, connect, and stimulate innovators through scale-up training, webinars, pilot visits, and networking opportunities to unlock their potential for developing disruptive bio-based technologies and products.
• Engage scale-up stakeholders (innovators, infrastructures, enablers) and empower leaders, while also building a framework to boost the scale-up community and foster its growth.
• Establish an autonomous and self-sustainable platform beyond the project’s duration through a tested business model and reinforced by a robust onboarded community.