Sustainable Co-Production:

stakeholders and knowledgeholders

“Tobacco as sustainable production platformof the natural biopolymer cyanophycinas co-product to oil and protein”

ERA CoBioTech Call 1 as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020

research and innovation programme under grant agreement No [722361]

https://www.indear.com/en/

(COORDINATOR)

https://weblog.wur.nl

https://www.uni-rostock.de

sunchem http://www.sunchem.nl/

https://www.leuphana.de

Consortium Members

University of Lüneburg

Ursula Weisenfeld

Antoniya Hauerwaas

Cristina Blohm

1. The project

2. Our tasks

3. Challenges

4. Insights

5. Conclusion

“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of

the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-

product to oil and protein”

Agenda

Combines plant and industrial biotechnology in order to:

1. increase the value of commercially grown

tobacco with products that can sustainably

substitute fossil raw materials,

2. establish a new economically feasible

production system for the biopolymer

cyanophycin (CGP) as a by-product of tobacco

without relevant additional costs.

“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of

the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-

product to oil and protein”The project (1)

...has a specific goal: introducing CGP into tobacco plant

...and specific sub-goals:

Production in commercial varieties with high seed yield,

purification: Uni Rostock

CGP application: WFBR Wageningen

Field trials: INDEAR, Rosario

Cultivation of CGP producing nicotine-free tobacco:

sunchem, Italy

Economic feasability, acceptance: WU Wageningen

Societal issues, communication: Leuphana, Lüneburg

“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of

the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-

product to oil and protein”The project (2)

...would support sustainability by

replacing fossil fuel in selected applications,

supporting local economy,

introducing new market opportunities.

“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of

the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-

product to oil and protein”The project (3)

Communication,

integration of stakeholders/knowledgeholders,

exploring context

Here: stakeholders/knowledgeholders

interviews, discussions & networking with focus

groups (our intentions: to talk to small farmers,

NGOs, regulators etc.)

“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of

the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-

product to oil and protein”

Our tasks

1. Delays in field studies

2. Re-Orientation of Argentinian partner

3. Change of original plan to visit Argentina in

December 2019; new planned date March 2020,

needed to be postponed because of the pandemic.

“Tobacco as sustainable production platform of

the natural biopolymer cyanophycin as co-

product to oil and protein”Challenges

Insights

Identification of key stakeholders

• Argentina: Farmers, State, Science, NGOs, Industries, Media, …

• Europe: potential consumers

Exploring stakeholders‘ interests and concerns

• Desk research

• Interviews, discussions

Ongoing communication with stakeholders

Consumers‘ perceptions in Europe: consumer choice analysis

The Research with Stakeholders in Argentina

concerns and views of the relevant stakeholders

interests and acceptance patterns of the various

stakeholders in the technology and what advantages and

disadvantages they associate with it

Methods (1)

Open Interview phase:

Qualitative ethnographic interviews in Rio-de-la-Plata-

Spanish

Conduct interviews with respect, cultural sensitivity,

great attention and openness

To build a trustworthy (non-asymmetrical) interview

situation

Emic perspective (personal or culture-specific

construction of reality)

Serendipity

Guideline interview phase:

semi-standardized guideline interviews

Guide as stimulus for a more structured survey

To identify the various acceptance patterns of stakeholders

To achieve comparability with the other Stakeholder

interviews

Methods (2)

Impact of the Corona Pandemic

Changes in the methodological approach

From interviewing in person to interviewing by

telephone

No face to face contact

impossibility to create a trustworthy atmosphere

Rejection of interview requests

Telephone interviews only possible with a few

stakeholders

Preliminary results

Perspective on the system Type of knowledge & task

Geographic proximity

Dimensions of stakeholderengagement

Type of knowledge & task

Geographic proximity

Socialscientists

Natural

scientists

Farmers

Localgovernm

.

National governm

.

consumers

Perspective on the system

Activists

companies

Thank You!