Written by: Patrizia Borsotto, Laura Mirra, Francesco Basset, Rita Iacono, Roberto Cagliero and Ilaria Borri, CREA

Bio-based Technologies for Agricultural and Forestry Innovation – CREA takes the field on the valorisation of agricultural and forestry biomass!

On 13^th March 2025, the 1^st BBioNets Italian Info-Day was held at the Agricultural Mechanisation Fair (MAG) in Savigliano, Cuneo, Italy. Organised by project partner CREA, the event aimed to communicate to agricultural and forestry entrepreneurs, citizens, researchers, and other stakeholders the achievements of BBioNets so far and its future objectives in establishing thematic networks for the valorisation of agricultural and forestry biomass, with the goal of promoting Bio-Based Technologies (BBTs).

It also provided the opportunity to discuss the potential of transforming biomass residues into an economic growth opportunity for the region while also contributing to environmental sustainability.

The speakers consisted of Patrizia Borsotto, Ilaria Borri, Rita Iacono, Francesco Basset, and Laura Mirra, members of the scientific and organising committee from CREA-PB, along with Paolo Aceto from the Piedmont Region, who serves as Head of the Agricultural Development Services and Controls Sector. Moreover, presentations were delivered by Giancarlo Spezia (Tecnovit) representing the NOVIAGRI Operational Group, and Giorgio Talachini (La Foresta) representing the PROBEST Operational Group.

In particular, the two Operational Group (OG) representatives from the Piedmont Region presented both the technical aspects of the innovations implemented and the social interactions within their respective partnerships.

• NoviAgri presented the development of a decision support system aimed at optimising the use of agronomic inputs for vineyard management.
• ProBest showcased the work of a forestry-focused OG that has developed a solution for energy production using forestry waste, such as branches and ashes.

To conclude the event, the President of the Piedmont Region provided an overview of the mechanisms and participation procedures for the current call aimed at encouraging the formation of new operational groups.

Thanks to the diversity of the speakers and the engaged audience, the event proved to be highly stimulating and perfectly aligned with the approach to agricultural innovation diffusion, based on knowledge transfer models.