GBR-ACT – Green Biorefineries as Catalysts for Agroecological Transitions and Circular Value Chains

Creating new circular value chains for a sustainable and resilient European agriculture

GBR-ACT is a transnational research and innovation project that brings together leading research and innovation organizations from Sweden, France, Germany, Finland, Denmark, and Lithuania to accelerate the agroecological transition through Green Biorefineries.

European agriculture faces major challenges, including biodiversity loss, soil degradation, dependence on imported protein feed, and increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. GBR-ACT explores how Green Biorefineries can contribute to more resilient and circular agricultural systems by transforming grassland biomass into valuable products such as proteins for feed and food, bioenergy, biofertilizers, and biomaterials.

By linking agriculture with feed, food, bioenergy, and bio-based industries, GBRs have the potential to create new revenue streams for farmers, improve resource efficiency, reduce dependence on imported inputs, and strengthen rural economies. The project will develop innovative business models, assess environmental, economic, and social impacts, and create deployment strategies to support large-scale adoption across Europe.

A key element of GBR-ACT is its Living Lab approach. Through stakeholder engagement and co-creation activities, farmers, industry actors, policymakers, and researchers will work together to develop, test, and validate solutions that are both scientifically robust and practically applicable. This collaborative approach will ensure that the project’s outcomes are relevant, scalable, and aligned with regional needs and policy objectives.

Over the three-year project period, GBR-ACT will generate knowledge, tools, and recommendations that support the transition towards more sustainable, circular, and economically viable agroecological systems in Europe.

Chalmers Industriteknik’s role

• Project coordinator and leader of communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities
• Development of circular business models and value chains, stakeholder engagement support
• Support for deployment and scale-up strategies

Funding: GBR-ACT is funded through the AGROECOLOGY Partnership, a European initiative supporting the transition towards sustainable and resilient agricultural and food systems. The project is funded at the national level by the participating countries’ funding agencies. In Sweden, the project is funded by FORMAS.

More information: https://www.agroecologypartnership.eu/en/projects/gbr-act