research

Enabling Actions

Connecting research, industry, and communities to turn bioeconomy knowledge into real-world impact.

decrease in food waste by 2030

recycling rate of plastics by 2030

Key Challenges

Researchers

Our Mission

Empowering the Circular Bioeconomy

At BiOrbic, we’re enabling the research and innovation needed to build a sustainable circular bioeconomy in Ireland. This pillar focuses on providing the tools, training, and frameworks that help researchers, communities, and businesses translate knowledge into practical action.

By supporting collaboration, scaling of technologies, and public engagement, we aim to make the bioeconomy more inclusive, resilient, and impactful for society and the environment.

Research Programmes

What Research is BiOrbic Doing?

The Enabling Actions pillar ensures all challenges have access to critical services and expertise. Each challenge is supported with frameworks, tools, and guidance to integrate life cycle thinking, public engagement, training, and scale-up of bioeconomy innovations.

Enabling Actions

Economic, Social & Policy Aspects

This challenge explores how knowledge, innovation, and policy can support a sustainable circular bioeconomy in Ireland. Researchers are developing frameworks to translate research into practical strategies that benefit businesses, communities, and the environment.

key research areas

Develop sustainable bioeconomy value chains and business models.

Support governance, policy coherence, and stakeholder engagement.

Assess economic, social, and environmental impacts of new technologies.

active Projects

Agrowise

Agrowise Guidelines for farm-specific or crop-specific rules for mitigating pesticides impacts while ensuring sustainable agriculture

Staff

Fiona Thorne

Funded by

LIFE

Research Area

Economic, Social and Policy Aspects

ComMEATted

Committed to the responsible development of meat replacement products and practices

Staff

Maeve Henchion

Funded by

EU - Other

Research Area

Economic, Social and Policy Aspects Food Waste

ROSETTA

Reducing food waste due to marketing standards through alternative market access

Staff

Maeve Henchion

Funded by

Horizon Europe

Research Area

Economic, Social and Policy Aspects Food Waste

Enabling Actions

Education & Public Engagement

This challenge focuses on engaging citizens and communities in bioeconomy research. Researchers develop frameworks, tools, and strategies to embed participatory approaches, including co-design, citizen science, and cultural narratives, especially in rural areas.

key research areas

Develop blueprints for citizen engagement.

Connect rural communities to the bioeconomy.

Promote co-design and living labs.

active Projects

BLUEPRINT

Building Living Urban Ecosystems through Participatory Renovation and Innovation Tools

Staff

Francesco Pilla

Funded by

Horizon Europe

Research Area

Digitalising the Bioeconomy Education and Public Engagement

C-NEWTRAL

smart CompreheNsive training to mainstrEam neW approaches for climaTe-neutRal cities through citizen engAgement and decision-making support for innovative governance and integrated pLanning

Staff

Francesco Pilla

Funded by

Horizon Europe

Research Area

Education and Public Engagement

Empowering BiOrbic researchers with frameworks and tools to engage with the civic society at large

To empower BiOrbic researchers with frameworks and tools to engage citizens in the research they are carrying on. The activities will focus on embedding bottom-up approaches recommended by the European Climate Pact and European Green Deal and used in Horizon Europe research projects, such as the living lab framework, citizen science activities, and co-design of solutions for example.

Primary Investigator

Francesco Pilla

Funded by

Research Ireland

Integrating Irish language and knowledge into the bioeconomy

A central aspect of our work is the exploration of the intersection between language, heritage, culture, and bioeconomy, encapsulated in our BioCultúr project.

Primary Investigator

Tom Curran, Maire Nic an Bhaird, Laoise Ní Chléirigh

Funded by

Research Ireland

Negotiating a cultural narrative for the development of the bioeconomy with rural communities in Ireland (BioCultúr)

Build on a cultural narrative to implement a programme that will enhance rural awareness & knowledge of the bioeconomy and connect isolated, rural communities with the bioeconomy through cultural, heritage and lifestyle perspectives, while delivering tangible community-based (local) employment opportunities. Jamie: BioCultúr embodies a concerted effort to bridge disciplinary boundaries, foster transdisciplinary collaboration, and empower stakeholders to embrace a holistic vision of sustainability that acknowledges the intrinsic connections between culture, language, heritage, and the transformative potential of bioeconomy strategies. This research seeks to unearth valuable insights that can inform policy formulation, educational strategies, and community engagement initiatives aimed at fostering a more resilient and equitable bioeconomy.

Primary Investigator

Tom Curran, Maire Nic an Bhaird, Laoise Ní Chléirigh

Funded by

Research Ireland

TenConnecT

Innovative ways to maximize the intra-regional benefits of TEN-T corridors

Staff

Francesco Pilla

Funded by

Interreg

Research Area

Circular Bioeconomy Design Education and Public Engagement

Enabling Actions

Sustainability Assessment

This challenge ensures all bioeconomy research incorporates life cycle thinking. Researchers provide expertise to quantify environmental and social impacts, share learning across challenges, and integrate consistent data and methods.

key research areas

Coordinate sustainability assessment activities across challenges.

Capture social and environmental impacts.

Upscale sustainability assessment methods across the centre.

Enabling Actions

Scaling the Bioeconomy

Energy drives every stage of the bioeconomy. This challenge ensures that bio-based systems use renewable, carbon-neutral power and that energy is managed efficiently across all sectors.

key research areas

Create fossil-free energy systems for the bioeconomy

Integrate renewable energy forecasting and flexible technologies

Develop carbon-negative fuels and energy recovery methods

Enabling Actions

Developing Future Leaders

This challenge builds skills and capacity for the next generation of bioeconomy researchers. Training across all platforms maximizes researcher potential and strengthens the delivery of research goals.

key research areas

Integrated, cross-platform training programs.

Mentor and support early-career researchers.

Foster leadership in bioeconomy innovation.

active Projects

“Making Drugs in Bugs”: Metabolic Engineering of Yeast for Production of LfcinB-2-AOA

Primary Investigator

Tanja Narancic

Staff

Katie Gilbert

Funded by

Research Ireland

Application of Flow Chemistry to Carbohydrate Chemistry

Primary Investigator

Eoghan McGarrigle, Marcus Bauman

Staff

Alessandro Petronilli

Funded by

Research Ireland

Application of the fungus Cunninghamella in phosphate recycling and bioremediation

Primary Investigator

Cormac Murphy

Staff

Patricie Niemcová

Funded by

Research Ireland

Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of BCHep-Containing Lipoxin A4 Analogues

Primary Investigator

Pat Guiry

Staff

Liam Casey

Funded by

Research Ireland

Asymmetric synthesis of tertiary and quaternary alpha-aryl stereocentres in heterocycles using DAAA and DAP

Primary Investigator

Pat Guiry

Staff

Niamh Lehane

Funded by

Research Ireland

Automated synthesis of monosaccharide building blocks and their application in oligosaccharide synthesis

Primary Investigator

Eoghan McGarrigle

Staff

Bodhayan Biswas

Funded by

Research Ireland

Bio- and Organocatalytic Cascade Methodology for the Synthesis of Chiral Heterocycles

Primary Investigator

Elaine O'Reilly

Staff

Amber Barry

Funded by

Research Ireland

Engineering of ώ-Transaminase from V. fulvialis for substrate scope expansion

Primary Investigator

Marina Rubini

Staff

Uha Pachakayala Akola

Funded by

Research Ireland

EU-Alltech

Primary Investigator

Tanja Narancic

Staff

Pauric Donnelly

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Bionet

Primary Investigator

Eoin Casey

Staff

Ana Del Hierro

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Carbery

Primary Investigator

Recep Kaan Deralli, Eoin Casey

Staff

Oscar Ceron

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Corbion

Primary Investigator

Lars Blank

Staff

Lorenzo Garica Tejada

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Corbion

Primary Investigator

Richard Van Kranenburg

Staff

Panagiotis Kopsiaftis

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-EnzyPep

Primary Investigator

Marco Fraaije

Staff

Darren Issacs

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Fribourg

Primary Investigator

Viola Vogler

Staff

Praveen Kumar

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Italbiotec-Molecular mechanism of biofilm regulation in the biotechnologically-important fungus Cunninghamella

Primary Investigator

Matty Janssen

Staff

Maria Ciotti

Funded by

Horizon Europe

EU-Tirlan

Primary Investigator

Jim Kinsella, Maeve Henchion

Staff

Natália Silvério

Funded by

Horizon Europe

Haloaminocyclizations for the Stereoselective Synthesis of Saturated Nitrogen Heterocycles

Primary Investigator

Paul Evans

Staff

Matthew Kiernan

Funded by

Research Ireland

Investigating the glycosylating properties of thioglycosides

Primary Investigator

Xiangming Zhu

Staff

Zoe Beato

Funded by

Research Ireland

Life cycle assessment of new generation sustainable thermoelectric materials and devices

Primary Investigator

Nick Holden

Staff

Unza Jamil

Funded by

Research Ireland

Merging flow synthesis with biocatalysis for the sustainable synthesis of bioactive entities

Primary Investigator

Marcus Baumann, Elaine O'Reilly

Staff

Ruiari Crawford

Funded by

Research Ireland

MSCA-Sappi

Primary Investigator

Bert Largrain

Staff

Khaled Al Shwafy

Funded by

Horizon Europe

Post-Translational Modifications of Human Interferon Gamma for Improved Therapeutics

Primary Investigator

Marina Rubini

Staff

Celine Erkey

Funded by

Research Ireland

Surface Display of Enzymes on Bacterial Storage Granules.

Primary Investigator

Ger Cagney, Tanja Narancic

Staff

Jia-Lynn Tham

Funded by

Research Ireland

Synthesis and Application of Chiral Oxazoline Ligands in Asymmetric Catalysis

Primary Investigator

Pat Guiry

Staff

Ava Rogers

Funded by

Research Ireland

Synthesis and Semi-synthesis of Cyclic Antifungal Lipopeptides and Fluorinated Analogues for Structure-activity Relationship Studies.

Primary Investigator

Marina Rubini, Cormac Murphy

Staff

Periklis Karamanis

Funded by

Research Ireland

Synthesis and Semi-synthesis of Cyclic Antifungal Lipopeptides and Fluorinated Analogues for Structure-activity Relationship Studies.

Primary Investigator

Marina Rubini , Cormac Murphy

Staff

Periklis Karamanis

Funded by

Research Ireland

Synthesis of Novel Axially Chiral P,N-Ligands and their Applications in Asymmetric Catalysis

Primary Investigator

Pat Guiry

Staff

Aoibhinn Downes

Funded by

Research Ireland

Systems biology investigations into the development of new, valuable materials from waste generated by biopharmaceutical drug processes.

Primary Investigator

David O'Connell, Gerard Cagney

Staff

Laura Murphy

Funded by

Research Ireland

Talent4BBI

Training future Leaders 4 the European Biobased Industries

Staff

Kevin O'Connor

Funded by

MSCA

Research Area

Future Leaders

impact

Why This Research Matters

A strong enabling framework accelerates the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy. Our work empowers researchers, connects communities, and supports industry, creating knowledge that translates into real-world impact.

Maximise Research Potential

Equip researchers with tools, training, and frameworks to deliver ambitious projects.

Engage Communities

Connect citizens to the bioeconomy, incorporating culture, heritage, and inclusive participation.

Scale Innovation

Help novel technologies grow from lab to market efficiently and sustainably.

Integrate Life Cycle Thinking

Ensure all projects account for environmental and social impacts.

Strategic Alignment

Aligned with BiOrbic Targets

This pillar supports translation of knowledge into practical solutions, enabling industry collaboration, scaling bioeconomy technologies, and fostering open science, inclusive participation, and the next generation of bioeconomy leaders.

Translation of knowledge generated within BiOrbic into practice to support a transition to a climate neutral circular bioeconomy

Education & Public Engagement
Demo farms
Scale up of technology
Collaboration with industry
License technology to industry
Policy development