What happened when scientific, technological and business perspectives came together around a shared goal?
Three days of scientific exchange, collaborative problem-solving and stakeholder engagement brought the ROBOCOOP-EU consortium together to connect technological innovation, sustainability, cooperative business models and Living Labs on the pathway towards circular bioeconomy impact.
From 15 to 17 September 2026, the ROBOCOOP-EU consortium gathered in Istanbul, Türkiye, for its first in-person workshop since the project’s relaunch in June 2026. Entitled “Co-creation and Fostering the ROBOCOOP-EU Community of Practice,” the three-day meeting provided a space for partners to take stock of progress, discuss remaining challenges and strengthen connections across the different dimensions of the project.
ROBOCOOP-EU – Circular Bioeconomy Business Models Owned by Agro-Cooperatives – brought together partners working across different areas of the circular bioeconomy, connecting technological innovation, sustainability, cooperative business models and stakeholder engagement.
The first day opened with an overview of the project’s progress since its June relaunch, focusing on milestones, deliverables, results and the challenges that remained ahead.
Maroun El Moujabber, CIHEAM Bari Project Coordinator, together with Juan Félix González from the University of Extremadura, presented the overall project status, while Noureddin Driouech of CIHEAM Bariand Project Leader of Apulia LL HUB, moderated the discussion and animated sessions activities. Work Package leaders subsequently presented their main achievements, outputs, critical pending issues and support required from the consortium.
The discussion then moved to WP4 and the ROBOCOOP-EU Community of Practice, with CIHEAM Bari teammoderating the session. Partners explored modelling, flowsheeting, scale-up and techno-economic assessment, while examining how these activities connected with the wider technical work of the project.
This focus on integration continued throughout the workshop. The programme brought together the technological pathway – including pilot validation, scale-up and scientific integration – with work on Living Labs, cooperative business models, exploitation, communication, stakeholder engagement, capacity building and impact.
A central objective of the Istanbul meeting was to further develop the ROBOCOOP-EU Community of Practice as a platform for knowledge exchange, stakeholder engagement, exploitation and longer-term collaboration beyond individual project activities.
The co-creation sessions brought partners from different Work Packages together to identify connections, address common challenges and work towards a shared implementation roadmap.
The workshop therefore went beyond a review of project activities. It created a space to connect different areas of expertise and bring together the technological, business and stakeholder dimensions of ROBOCOOP-EU, with a view to strengthening the pathway from project results to practical impact.
By bringing technological development together with sustainability, cooperative business models, Living Labs and exploitation, the Istanbul Workshop strengthened the link between project results and practical applications, supporting the development of more circular, resilient and competitive bio-based value chains.
The final day moved the workshop beyond the conference venue through a technical and networking visit to Başakşehir Living Lab, providing an opportunity to connect the ROBOCOOP-EU experience with Istanbul's local innovation ecosystem.
Led by Omer Onur, the visit generated a rich exchange with ROBOCOOP-EU partners around areas of common interest, including Living Lab approaches, open innovation, entrepreneurship, stakeholder engagement, technology uptake and the role of local innovation ecosystems in supporting sustainable development.
The meeting provided an opportunity to present ROBOCOOP-EU and exchange perspectives on how municipalities, innovation centres, research organisations, businesses and communities can work together to create enabling environments for innovation and sustainable development. It also opened perspectives for future networking and collaboration between the project's Community of Practice and local innovation actors.
The Istanbul meeting therefore marked an important step in the project's post-relaunch trajectory: from restarting activities to integrating knowledge; from parallel expertise to co-creation; and from project results towards exploitation, replication and impact.
To learn more: https://robocoop-project.eu
