The potential contribution of transition theory to the analysis of bioclusters and their role in the transition to a bioeconomy

Frans Hermans

doi:10.1002/bbb.1861

Abstract

AbstractBiocluster initiatives have become an important tool for governments to establish, promote, and strengthen economic collaboration, learning, innovation, and employment within particular regions. However, in addition to issues like competitiveness and employment, bioclusters operate with the additional goal of fostering the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. The profound changes that are required for a successful shift from a fossil‐based economy to a bioeconomy are called transitions and the relatively new scientific field of transition theory has emerged to study them. The aim of this paper is to show the contribution that transition theory can make to the study of bioclusters. In this paper I will review frameworks from the study of sustainability transitions (multi‐level perspective and technical innovation systems) and frameworks from theories of evolutionary economic geography and cluster studies (regional and sectoral innovation systems). The review shows how the choice of a particular framework will shape the analysis of the biocluster through the particular focus and delineation associated with each framework. The review shows the advantages and disadvantages these frameworks have for incorporating the various issues related to the shift towards a bioeconomy that are currently neglected in the literature on bioclusters. © 2018 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Highlights

The growing global population, which will become increasingly affluent, combined with the projected effects of climate change, requires a major shift in the way food, energy, and raw materials are produced, consumed, processed, and disposed of
In addition to the shift away from a fossil-based economy toward renewable energy, the bioeconomy promises to contribute to the creation of new economic opportunities – for instance, through new business formation and entrepreneurship, increased resource efficiency, energy independence, and employment creation in knowledgebased sectors related to biotechnology and genomics, plant breeding, and plant-based processing
Porter defined a cluster as ‘a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated organizations in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities.’[7]. This paper focuses on bioclusters: clusters that specialize in the various fields of the bioeconomy and that are expected to play a key role in its development.[8,9]

Summary

Introduction

The growing global population, which will become increasingly affluent, combined with the projected effects of climate change, requires a major shift in the way food, energy, and raw materials are produced, consumed, processed, and disposed of. The bioeconomy encompasses the production of renewable biological resources (biomass like wood, plants, and algae) and the conversion of these resources and their waste streams into value-added products, such as food, feed, bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, and bioenergy.[1] The ultimate goal of the bioeconomy is to replace our current fossil-based sources of carbon with renewable sources of carbon that are based on photosynthesis. In addition to the shift away from a fossil-based economy toward renewable energy, the bioeconomy promises to contribute to the creation of new economic opportunities – for instance, through new business formation and entrepreneurship, increased resource efficiency, energy independence, and employment creation in knowledgebased sectors related to biotechnology and genomics, plant breeding, and plant-based processing. These promises have made the concept of the bioeconomy very popular with policy makers in the European Union, as well as in other countries like the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and China.[3,4]

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion