Bioeconomy is a major opportunity for regional and local communities. Despite broad political agreement, the potential of many European regions to develop a thriving circular bio-based economy using their own resources remains largely untapped[1]. Many factors contribute to this situation, including lack of awareness and practical knowledge among regional/local authorities and stakeholders, low degree of cooperation and networking at all levels, insufficient involvement of local/regional stakeholders in drawing up bioeconomy strategies, or inadequate technology transfer and exploitation of innovation. New, sustainable technology options or business models suitable for local deployment are needed, as current integrated biorefinery models are predominantly based on complex technologies and are difficult to finance, so remain inaccessible to many players.