11 Actors and innovators in the
circular bioeconomy
An integrated empirical approach to
studying organic waste stream
innovators
Eric Iversen, Marco Capasso and
Kristoffer Rørstad
11.1 Introduction
This chapter addresses the need for a reliable way to identify actors in the
‘bioeconomy’ and to take stock of the innovative activities they engage in,
especially in terms of how these activities involve organic waste paths and the
circular economy. The focus is on what the actors do, not how they are initially categorised. Economic actors engage in activities that they either directly
associate with the bioeconomy or that can be associated with the bioeconomy
via scientific activity. We have screened a comprehensive range of available
data sources based on both more objective measures (e.g. patents or projects
linked to the bioeconomy) and on more subjective links (e.g. affiliation with
relevant interest organisations, or survey responses). This identification procedure yields a population of actors whose contribution to the bioeconomy
can be linked to one or more measures, allowing us to say something about
the population itself as well as the activities that the actors are involved in that
contribute to the bioeconomy.
The chapter starts by introducing the basic challenges that emergent and/
or sector- bridging industries face, before laying out an identification procedure to help stabilise that population and their activities. We then explain
the approach we use to identify actors according to clear criteria based on a
range of available data sources. The chapter has three empirical sections:
i R&D baseline: The first section establishes a baseline for research in the
bioeconomy, starting with the most standard measure possible, official
national research and development (R&D) statistics. It builds on a
customised study carried out in Norway in 2016 using 2015 data
(Rørstad & Sundnes, 2017).
ii Population of bioeconomy firms: The second section reports on the
empirical strategy used to flesh out the who and what of the emerging
circular bio- economy. The Norwegian Inventory of Bioeconomy
Entities (Iversen, 2018), which systematically integrates R&D, patenting
circular bioeconomy
An integrated empirical approach to
studying organic waste stream
innovators
Eric Iversen, Marco Capasso and
Kristoffer Rørstad
11.1 Introduction
This chapter addresses the need for a reliable way to identify actors in the
‘bioeconomy’ and to take stock of the innovative activities they engage in,
especially in terms of how these activities involve organic waste paths and the
circular economy. The focus is on what the actors do, not how they are initially categorised. Economic actors engage in activities that they either directly
associate with the bioeconomy or that can be associated with the bioeconomy
via scientific activity. We have screened a comprehensive range of available
data sources based on both more objective measures (e.g. patents or projects
linked to the bioeconomy) and on more subjective links (e.g. affiliation with
relevant interest organisations, or survey responses). This identification procedure yields a population of actors whose contribution to the bioeconomy
can be linked to one or more measures, allowing us to say something about
the population itself as well as the activities that the actors are involved in that
contribute to the bioeconomy.
The chapter starts by introducing the basic challenges that emergent and/
or sector- bridging industries face, before laying out an identification procedure to help stabilise that population and their activities. We then explain
the approach we use to identify actors according to clear criteria based on a
range of available data sources. The chapter has three empirical sections:
i R&D baseline: The first section establishes a baseline for research in the
bioeconomy, starting with the most standard measure possible, official
national research and development (R&D) statistics. It builds on a
customised study carried out in Norway in 2016 using 2015 data
(Rørstad & Sundnes, 2017).
ii Population of bioeconomy firms: The second section reports on the
empirical strategy used to flesh out the who and what of the emerging
circular bio- economy. The Norwegian Inventory of Bioeconomy
Entities (Iversen, 2018), which systematically integrates R&D, patenting