Characteristics of Innovation in Bioeconomy

In recent years, the research field of bioeconomy has experienced significant global growth based on an increasing number of annual publications in the last 10 years. Bioeconomy received a strong political push by European policymakers after the instalment of a "knowledge-based bioeconomy" 15 years ago. While playing an essential role in recent European Union (EU) policies, bioeconomy still lacks a coherent understanding across multiple layers and especially regarding innovation activities. Innovations undoubtedly form one of the basic building blocks of the success of the knowledge-based bioeconomy and its increasing reach, but it must nevertheless be noted that frequently their innovation is not well-understood, and misconceptions prevail. Therefore, this chapter attempts to characterize innovation in bioeconomy. Based on a theoretical discussion of different concepts and aspects of innovation and a literature review at the intersection of bioeconomy and innovation, a catalogue of criteria about what can influence innovation in bioeconomy is proposed. Thus, seven criteria categories are deduced, as well as multiple keywords assigned to each of them. The proclaimed categories are then discussed and ultimately help to identify innovation triggers for bioeconomy. Thus, the article attempts to propose a realistic foundation and theoretical assessment of innovation in bioeconomy to reinforce future discourse on the matter.