Trento, Italy
30–31 May 2025
In the framework of the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives, the BIOFAIRNET Work Package 1 (WP1) team travelled to Trento to take part in the International Research Colloquium on Cooperatives, organised by EURICSE in collaboration with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA CCR), EMES International Research Network, CIRIEC International, and the University of Trento.
The colloquium brought together global researchers and institutions to reflect on the role of cooperatives in addressing sustainability challenges, and to co-develop research agendas across disciplines and world regions. For the BIOFAIRNET project, which targets the sustainable transformation of GHG-intensive sectors like coal mining and intensive agriculture, this event provided a valuable opportunity to align its ongoing efforts with international cooperative research.
Work Package 1 – State-of-the-Art Analysis and Assessment Strategy, coordinated by UNINA with the support of UNIFE, UNITN, UNK, TBD, and URT, focuses on analysing the current state of traditional and bio-circular value chains in selected European and international regions. WP1 aims to identify transformation hotspots and build frameworks for sustainable business models and stakeholder co-creation.
The Trento colloquium offered a timely opportunity to:
- Present WP1’s goals and methodology to international cooperative scholars.
- Engage in dialogue on regional transformation models that are participatory, inclusive, and community-based.
- Gather inputs for Task 1.4 (Stakeholder Workshops) and Task 1.5 (Co-Creation Model) by learning from ongoing cooperative initiatives across Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
BIOFAIRNET’s WP1 activities directly contributed to the colloquium’s aims by offering grounded examples of how cooperative principles can support green and just transitions in high-emission regions:
- Task 1.1 (Comprehensive Research and Hotspot Identification) is currently analysing five regions to map out traditional and emerging value chains with the greatest potential for bio-circular transformation.
- Task 1.2 is reviewing local business models to determine their sustainability and identify pathways for adaptation.
- Task 1.3 aligns well with the colloquium’s focus on tools and methods, as it evaluates existing toolkits for community engagement and citizen science.
- Tasks 1.4 and 1.5, focused on stakeholder engagement and co-creation, benefit directly from the peer exchange and methodology discussions held in Trento.
Participating in this global academic event allowed WP1 partners to reinforce BIOFAIRNET’s commitment to cooperative and evidence-based regional transformation. The event also highlighted how cultural and territorial contexts influence transition pathways—an insight that will be central to WP1’s final co-creation model.
As BIOFAIRNET continues to support fair, inclusive, and data-driven approaches to sustainability in agriculture, mining, and industrial regions, contributions like those made at the Trento colloquium will enrich its methods and broaden its impact.
