The overarching aim of the Energy Union by 2030 and 2050 is a secure, affordable, competitive, efficient and decarbonised European energy system. Bioenergy is flexible and storable has a key role in providing all forms of energy in such a system. This project aims to support the contributions of biofuel and bioenergy stakeholders to the Energy Union and, more specifically, the Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan. The project will assist the European Biofuels Technology Platform (EBTP), which, following decisions taken in the frame of the new SET-Plan governance in 2015, is currently preparing for the transition to a European Technology and Innovation Platform Bioenergy (ETIP Bioenergy), in providing these contributions. Key elements are to facilitate • contributions to the SET-Plan activities and strategy, e.g. on renewable energy integration, technology cost reduction and upscaling • defining priorities, strategies, R&I investment decisions and programmes; • collaboration between stakeholders in addressing energy system integration challenges; • identification of technical and non-technical barriers to the delivery of innovation to the energy market; • assistance to the European Commission and Member States in defining the research programmes, financial instruments, and addressing the mentioned barriers for the areas of advanced biofuels and bioenergy. Building on a 10 year track of support to EBTP, the ETIP Bioenergy-SABS project will aim at an increased cohesion of bioenergy stakeholders by motivating discussion and interaction on hot topics related to advanced and innovative bioenergy. Key instruments to achieve this aim will be the ETIP Bioenergy website, factsheets, reports, newsletters and networking events at different scales. The project will compile scientifically sound, fact based information on technical and non-technical bioenergy issues.

The Bioeconomy Awareness and Discourse Project (BioCannDo) will raise awareness and acceptance of the broad public towards the bioeconomy and bio-based products through a strategic, stakeholder-driven information campaign and education. Convincing people that the bio-based economy offers something desirable, with new products, functionalities and applications for their daily life, that provide answers to societal concerns (e.g. climate change), requires neutral and science-based information. BioCannDo will present such information in a way that is easy to understand for the broader public. It will provide various means for feedback, interaction and encourges engagement in a discourse on common questions and concerns. Collaborating with bio-based stakeholder networks and communities at EU, regional and national level, BioCannDo will provide information, educational materials and key communication messages through such channels as a community of related projects and educational partners and an Inhub which combines different means of online communication (i.e. social media, blogs, videos, journalistic articles). BioCannDo will build on the legacy of previous projects (i.e. by using their networks, or social media accounts), existing material developed by them and be active in collecting, connecting, aggregating and reformulating content from different actors and resources. It will generate new content addressing the most urgent gaps in information and education. Such dual approach will help to maximise synergies and increase impact of both existing and new material. The developed content and key communication messages will be assessed and tested by stakeholders and target users through focus groups and a market survey. Findings will be used in feedback loops to adapt the content and messages.

ETIP-B-SABS 2 will support and empower renewable fuel and bioenergy stakeholders’ contributions to the Energy Union and, more specifically, the Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan. The European Technology and Innovation Platform Bioenergy aims to actively engage with these stakeholders and link their needs to policy making of the European Commission, and the project´s objective is to support ETIP-Bioenergy in this task. Specific objectives are to facilitate the following activities of ETIP-Bioenergy: • contributions to the SET-Plan activities and to the Strategic R&I Implementation Plans; • collaboration and interaction with other relevant initiatives addressing renewable fuels, decarbonisation of transport, bioenergy and biomass valorisation/ bio-based value chains; • constant provision of scientifically sound, unbiased, up to date information on the status of the renewable fuels and bioenergy sector • engagement with stakeholders as to better understand the actor perspective and the socio-technical aspects of technology development and implementation; with a special focus on support for outreach and engagement of actors in the civil society • assistance to the European Commission and Member States in defining research programmes, financial instruments, while addressing lower TRL research needs as well as advancing close to market technologies.