{"id":44766,"date":"2024-03-04T09:52:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-04T09:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=44766"},"modified":"2024-03-04T10:26:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T10:26:40","slug":"training-industrial-doctorates-in-the-transition-towards-biobased-value-circles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/training-industrial-doctorates-in-the-transition-towards-biobased-value-circles\/44766\/","title":{"rendered":"Training industrial doctorates in the transition towards biobased value circles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biobased Value Circle<\/a> establishes a paradigm shift in the innovation process for biobased materials to accelerate the transition from a\u00a0 fossil-based to a biobased circular economy.<\/h2>\n

Biobased Value Circle trains the new generation of industrial doctorates in the transition towards biobased value circles. It offers a unique interdisciplinary research and training environment tailored for 12 PhD researchers excited by the development of innovative biobased products, respecting the principles of the circular economy.<\/p>\n

The mission of Biobased Value Circle is to establish a paradigm shift in the innovation process for biobased materials to accelerate the transition from a fossil-based to a biobased and circular economy. This is essential to tackle urgent societal issues, such as climate change and plastic pollution.<\/p>\n

The programme brings together cutting-edge research and development spanning the biobased materials value circle, involving companies (including SMEs) and academic institutes across Europe. The Biobased Value Circle consortium consists of four European universities, one research institute, and eight European companies that hired PhD researchers or hosted secondments as part of the training programme co-ordinated by Maastricht University.<\/p>\n

The objective is to train PhD researchers in a set of 12 interlinked projects that cover the conversion of biomass to materials, the development of materials into applications, the environmental and economic impact of biobased materials, and the societal changes required to transition to a circular biobased economy. Together, the PhD researchers will contribute to the development of a common language and methodology to stimulate co-operation along the value circle and speed up the product development process.<\/p>\n

The industry and academic participants co-supervised stimulating research projects to provide each PhD researcher with valuable insights into the industry and academic research environments. Next to that, it is paired with a range of inspiring training modules that reflect the unique interdisciplinary and inter-sectorial environment created by Biobased Value Circle, including training relevant to the biobased industries and academic, industrial, and transferrable skills. This ensures that the values of the European Industrial Doctorates Program are addressed by creating a new generation of researchers who will benefit from crosscutting skills that allow them to thrive in both industry and academia, leading to more co-operation between these sectors and enhancing the competitiveness of Europe.<\/p>\n

Research<\/h3>\n

Biobased Value Circle aims to contribute to the development of the biobased circular economy by removing the barriers: No common language and methodology for product development, no integration of the social and environmental impacts and insufficient Life Cycle Assessment methodology. This long-term aim cannot be achieved by Biobased Value Circle alone. The 12 PhD projects are the first essential steps, targeting strategically chosen biobased products. The projects all develop a common language and methodology. On the one hand, this contributes to solving specific problems in each value circle. On the other hand, the experiences of each PhD researcher contribute to the improvement of the biobased value circle methodology.<\/p>\n

The mission is to establish a paradigm shift and accelerate the innovation process to reach the market.<\/p>\n

The specific objectives of Biobased Value Circle research projects are to develop:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Biobased fibres for two technical applications;
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Biobased fibres for three medical applications;
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Biobased functional polymers for four technical applications;
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A common interdisciplinary language to facilitate communication between all experts involved in the development of biobased value circles (product engineers, chemists, biologists, economists, sustainability scientists, sociologists, etc.);
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A product development methodology to facilitate collaboration of all experts involved in developing biobased products. The method spans the entire value circle, including all development steps from product design and laboratory research to full-size industrial applications. Scaling of processes is a key element of the methodology. It allows for swift iteration over the entire value circle and to collect input from all disciplines involved. The methodology takes into account the environmental performance of the processes under development; and
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An improved Life Cycle Assessment methodology to assess the environmental impact of circular biobased products.<\/p>\n

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Fig. 1: Biobased product development, state-of-the-art, and the achieved integration in Biobased ValueCircle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 2: Ph.D. projects organised along the biobased value circle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Training<\/h3>\n

A distinctive training programme was developed for PhD researchers, specifically tailored to equip them with the essential competencies in developing biobased products. The curriculum is meticulously designed to transform knowledge and ideas into products and services that yield economic and social benefits. The key competencies encompass:<\/p>\n