Biomass has one of the highest energy potentials both, in South East Europe and in the EU27. It covers more than half of the renewable energy sources for heat applications, and as heat covers more than half of the final energy consumption in Europe, biomass obviously is a key domain to meet the ambitious 2020 targets of the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC). The project FOROPA aims at promoting and strengthening clusters and networks for an improved use of lignocellulosic biomass in the SEE area. Existing national and regional capacities will be coordinated and enhanced in order to increasingly utilise the available biomass potentials of forests, short rotation plantations and wood waste. FOROPA will analyse innovation needs in the biomass sector, investigate the transferability of Biomass Supply Chain Operational Reference Processes within the SEE territories, and define and demonstrate a series of pilot applications based on the needs of the project participants. The transnational cooperation between triple helix actors involves a wide range of stakeholders from industry, research and public authorities and will result in innovation mechanisms to increase biomass potentials and to establish improved supply chains.
