On August 20 and 21, the second dialogue of the interdisciplinary project BIOCIVIS, which is led by ZIN members Prof. Doris Fuchs and ZIN member Prof. Bodo Philipp, took place in the Botanical Garden of the WWU Münster. This so-called "Biodialog", organized in cooperation with the "Arbeitsstelle Forschungstransfer" (AFO) of the WWU Münster, was attended by 16 citizens* and 9 practice partners* from different sectors of society. Together they discussed opportunities and challenges of the bioeconomy with regard to the transformation towards sustainability.

Various information elements served as a basis for the discussion, including explanatory videos produced by the project team, an exhibition of various bioeconomic products, and guest lectures by external speakers. Within the framework of various discussion formats, the participants developed opinions on the sustainability potential of the bioeconomy (see above) and on the question of how citizens would like to or should be involved in decisions on complex issues for the future.

These opinions are only one element of the diverse and extensive data material that is now being analyzed by the project team in the follow-up to the dialogue in order to develop answers to the central question of the BIOCIVIS project: By which participatory processes can the benefits of bioeconomic technologies be socially secured and at the same time a strengthening of democratic participation be realized? As soon as the first answers are available, you will also find information on this website.

A more detailed illustrated report on the Biodialogue in August 2021 can be found here on the Biodialogues website.