BIOFAIRNET partner UNIFE took part in the ICA CCR Europe Conference held in Helsinki, Finland (12–13 June 2025), a flagship gathering for scholars and practitioners advancing cooperative research. Organised by the University of Eastern Finland in cooperation with the University of Helsinki, this year’s edition embraced the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives with the theme “Cooperative Identity – Who are we as a movement, as a form of organization and as cooperators?”
Ahead of the main conference, the CCR Young and Emerging Scholars Day in Joensuu (11 June) provided master’s, PhD and post-doctoral researchers with an intensive forum for discussion, feedback and networking in a cooperative municipality setting. As shared by presenter Asia Guerreschi, the day featured methodological insights from Tim Mazzarol and a workshop led by Annalisa Vallone for the #coops4dev projects (Cooperatives Europe).
During the conference, Asia Guerreschi presented ongoing research (co-authored with Dr. Christoph P. K.) on the scholarly and content impact of work at the intersection of circular economy and eco-innovation in cooperatives. The meeting also served as a mini BIOFAIRNET reunion with colleagues Tortia Ermanno, Marco Lomuscio and Jerome Nikolai Warren, underscoring the project’s collaborative momentum across European research networks. Highlights included a keynote by Maryline Filippi on agricultural cooperatives, as well as roundtables, panels and parallel sessions that explored both traditional and contemporary lenses on cooperative identity.
Reflecting the conference’s “for and with everyone” ethos, UNIFE’s participation aligns closely with BIOFAIRNET’s mission to build a digitally enabled, co-creative network for a just, bio-circular economy—linking rigorous research with practical pathways for stakeholders. The ICA CCR Europe community also announced that next year’s edition will be hosted in Bulgaria, continuing a tradition of dialogue that connects scholarship, policy and practice.
BIOFAIRNET extends warm thanks to the organisers and contributors for an event that strengthened ties, inspired new lines of inquiry, and showcased how cooperative identity can drive innovation and impact across sectors.
