On November 26, members of the BIOPOLISTA team took part in the annual Status Meeting of the Bioeconomy Junior Research Groups in Gießen. The event brought together four research groups funded under the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Spatial Development’s (BMFTR) programme “Bioeconomy as Societal Change”. Since 2014, this funding line has supported interdisciplinary research on the social, economic, technological, and ecological dynamics shaping the transition toward a sustainable, bio-based economy.

This year’s meeting was hosted by the TRABBI project at Justus Liebig University Giessen. BIOPOLISTA members presented preliminary findings from their recent fieldwork, offering first reflections on how political dynamics, stakeholder perspectives, and regional contexts shape bioeconomy governance and policy processes. The presentation sparked productive exchanges with colleagues from the other groups, providing valuable feedback to further sharpen the analytical direction of upcoming project phases.

Beyond the formal presentations, the meeting fostered a rich interdisciplinary dialogue on the scientific and societal implications of bioeconomy transitions. The BIOPOLISTA team looks forward to continuing this collaboration and contributing to the collective effort to better understand and shape the future of the bioeconomy.