RELIEF's Bioeconomy Toolkits

The RELIEF project introduces an innovative approach to teaching bioeconomy along with toolkits for its implementation with the aim to support the European agricultural sector in sustainably overcoming increasing challenges.?

What if there was a feasible way to adapt to the many growing challenges the agricultural sector is facing? What if this solution would not only strengthen food security and tackle resource scarcity as well as other climate and environment-related issues but also strengthen the economy of rural areas in the EU??

Over the past years, the interest in the bioeconomy has increased on a European level. However, farmers and other agricultural professionals are under pressure to quickly adapt to emerging challenges as well as the proposed solutions to them. To transition to bioeconomy – which involves the use of renewable biological resources to produce food, materials and energy focusing on sustainability and circularity – we need to support our workforce.?

The RELIEF project targets the lack of awareness and bioeconomy teaching in universities and vocational training through an innovative and multidisciplinary approach to bioeconomy education in agriculture. Throughout the project, we have created learning resources intended to deepen farmers’, students’ and agronomists’ understanding of the bioeconomy, its impacts and business models.??

Both the curriculum for higher education institutions (HEIs) and vocational education and training (VET) consists of five modules that include four learning units each. Four of the modules focus on aspects of the bioeconomy such as renewable energy solutions, climate change, digital technologies and AI, circular economy, and controlled environment agriculture. The final module tackles horizontal skills including soft, green, entrepreneurial, and digital skills. Within the curricula, we are combining the transmission and in-depth understanding of theoretical knowledge through hybrid learning approaches with practical approaches in the form of workshops and study visits.?

Here, you can find the RELIEF toolkits – a guide to the curricula adapted to HEIs, VET facilitators, students, farmers and agronomists. Each of these toolkits gives a brief overview of the findings of our research and introduces the structure and content of the curricula as well as their methodologies. They further provide step-by-step instructions on how to access the learning tools along with recommendations on how to use the materials either as a complete course or by integrating individual modules into already existing courses.?

For more information, visit the RELIEF website: relief.uop.gr, take a look at our social media Facebook and LinkedIn, or contact us: [email protected].??

If you are interested in the RELIEF courses and learning about the bioeconomy, you have the opportunity to participate in a selection of free courses this autumn. SwIdeas is offering 3 courses from the RELIEF curriculum for vocational education and training through a mixture of online and face-to-face meetings. Similar courses are organised by RELIEF partner organisations in Sweden, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus, including M?lardalen University (MDU) which offers 3 courses from the curriculum for higher learning institutions. To sign up for the courses facilitated by SwIdeas and MDU, use this form.