CONCEPTS OF BIOECONOMY. ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES

Bioeconomy uses new knowledge and innovation to produce a wide range of biobased products and energy, including also waste utilization. This is the reason that is considered as a basic component of sustainable development. Thus, while bioeconomy lies to science and technology, its perspective and impact may have quite wider results. The main approaches are ecological or technological oriented, while some others focus to the development of the bioeconomy market. The aim of the present paper is to shed some light on the emerging concept of bioeconomy, focusing to the Greek economic and production reality and to set the foundations for the shaping and determination of the meaning, using environmental, economic, scientific and technological approaches from specialized surveyed keystakeholders. The research ads to the relative contemporary existing literature on the issue. Thus, it is anticipated to contribute to the clearing of the foggy landscape regarding the way we can define bioeconomy and how the concept could be evolved to a new scientific research area. Furthermore, the research can be the catalyst for the formation of a concrete basis for the development of a national bioeconomy strategy in Greece and the development of supporting policies. This paper will present the theoretical background, the research questions and the research methodology of the investigation. The primary research was contacted in Greece in 2020.