Europe’s Bioeconomy at a Crossroads as Valbiom Pushes for Scalable Hemp and Bio-Based Materials

Your mandate is regional development in Wallonia. How do you ensure that innovation support reaches marginalised or rural communes, rather than consolidating gains in already well-resourced zones—especially when the initiative is publicly funded?
Valentine Donck: Ensuring territorial equity is central to Valbiom’s mission. Our projects are designed to benefit rural and less-resourced areas, not just industrial centres. With Hemp4Circularity, for example, the impact on rural communes is direct: it introduces a new, high-value crop for farmers, with strong agronomic and environmental benefits. Beyond long-fibre hemp, we also support complementary projects on other hemp uses to build a resilient model that secures opportunities for all types of farmers.

One of Valbiom’s recognised strengths is its capacity to communicate and engage with diverse audiences. With 20+ years of experience, we have developed a wide range of tools to reach every corner of Wallonia: field visits, workshops, user committees, conferences, and practical guides. This reputation for clarity, neutrality, and quality of information has earned us the trust of rural communities. Farmers and local stakeholders know that when Valbiom speaks, the information is reliable and relevant to them.

Thanks to this strong network and trusted communication channels, innovations we support are not confined to already well-equipped areas but are accessible to marginalised and rural communes, ensuring that the benefits of the bioeconomy are shared widely across the region.

Valbiom supports bioenergy, biochemicals, textiles, and more. Do you risk diluting impact by trying to address too many sectors? What’s your priority, especially when resources are finite?
Valentine Donck: Bioeconomy is by nature cross-cutting, touching agriculture, industry, energy, research, and the environment. No single actor can cover it all, which is precisely why Valbiom exists: to act as a hub of expertise and connection, ensuring that opportunities are not lost in silos but transformed into concrete projects.

That said, we are conscious of our resources and do not try to be everywhere at once. Valbiom focuses on two core domains where we bring depth as well as breadth:

• Bioenergy
• Bio-based materials

Within these domains, we go deeper where there is clear regional potential, pressing innovation needs, and strong expertise in-house. For instance, flax is already a mature and established sector, while hemp offers new opportunities for circularity and innovation. This is why we have invested in hemp textile projects such as Hemp4Circularity.

Our approach is therefore strategic: we keep a broad vision of the bioeconomy, while directing our efforts toward areas where Valbiom can have the most impact for Wallonia and beyond.

You serve both public institutions and private actors. When project goals conflict (e.g., environmental ambition vs. local economic gain), how does Valbiom choose sides — and whose interests win?
Valentine Donck: At Valbiom, we don’t see environmental ambition and local economic gain as opposing forces—our guiding principle is that true sustainable development must deliver on both. Projects we support are those that combine environmental responsibility with economic viability, creating lasting value for society.

Our strength lies in our neutrality and public-interest mission. As a non-profit organisation, Valbiom is not driven by political agendas or private interests, but by the objective of developing a robust bioeconomy in Wallonia. We carefully assess each initiative to ensure that it respects resources, biodiversity, and citizens’ needs, while also enabling local industries and farmers to thrive.

Rather than “choosing sides,” Valbiom acts as a bridge-builder and facilitator. We bring together diverse actors — from farmers to industrials, from researchers to policymakers — and ensure that projects are shaped through dialogue and scientific evidence. This cross-cutting, multi-level approach (regional, federal, and European) ensures that solutions are both ambitious and realistic, balancing ecological integrity with economic opportunity.

You conduct feasibility studies, regulatory benchmarks, and diagnostics. Are these findings published or peer-reviewed? If not, how can stakeholders verify the effectiveness of your work?
Valentine Donck: Much of the work we deliver—feasibility studies, diagnostics, regulatory benchmarks—is carried out for specific clients and partners, which means results are often confidential. For this reason, our findings are not usually peer-reviewed in the academic sense.

However, stakeholders can rely on the objectivity and quality of our work for several reasons:

• Neutrality: Valbiom is a non-profit organisation with a public-interest mission. We do not represent any federation or lobby, which ensures independence.
• Scientific and technical rigour: for nearly 20 years, Valbiom has been recognised for the credibility of its expertise and the robustness of its methods.
• Transparency through outreach: while detailed studies may remain confidential, we share key insights widely through our strong communication channels—field visits, workshops, conferences, and publications—so that innovation and knowledge reach stakeholders across Wallonia, including rural areas.
• Trust built on networks: farmers, industries, researchers, and policymakers have come to trust Valbiom because of the consistency and reliability of the information we provide.

In short, even when our studies are not published, Valbiom guarantees that results are evidence-based, impartial, and geared toward the common good. Our role as a bridge-builder in the bioeconomy reinforces accountability: our work must stand up to scrutiny from a very diverse set of partners, from local farmers to European institutions.

In Wallonia alone, there are multiple regional development agencies, agricultural extension services, and EU support programmes. How does Valbiom distinguish itself — and avoid overlapping with similar entities?
Valentine Donck: Wallonia has a rich landscape of institutions active in agriculture, industry, and innovation. Valbiom distinguishes itself by being the reference centre dedicated specifically to the bioeconomy. Our mission is not to compete with existing agencies, but to complement and connect them.

What makes Valbiom unique is:

• Independence and objectivity — as a non-profit organisation with a public-interest mission, we provide scientifically rigorous and objective expertise.
• Cross-sector connections — we bring together farmers, industries, researchers, and policymakers to build synergies that individual actors cannot achieve alone.
• Acceleration of innovation — we help transform promising ideas into viable projects that strengthen the regional and European bioeconomy.

Operating at the crossroads of the private, public, research, and education sectors, Valbiom acts as a bridge between the field and decision-makers, ensuring that innovation responds to both local needs and global sustainability challenges.

Since its creation, Valbiom has built its credibility on trust, objectivity, and a strong network. This allows us to unite a diverse community—from primary producers to industrial players, from regional authorities to European initiatives—around the common goal of developing a robust and sustainable bioeconomy.

Platforms like “Hemp Perspectives” showcase innovations, but often serve as promotions. How do you measure and report post-event outcomes — actual investments made, contracts signed, and real scale achieved?
Valentine Donck: For us, events like Hemp Perspectives are not just showcases — they are starting points for concrete collaborations. We measure success by the follow-up: projects launched, partnerships formalised, and funding secured. While we don’t disclose all figures for confidentiality reasons, we actively track post-event outcomes through our close network with farmers, industries, and policymakers. This ongoing dialogue ensures that innovations don’t stop at promotion but translate into real investments and industrial uptake.