BioBeo projects officially starts!

The €2million Horizon Europe Project BioBeo Kick Off Meeting was held at University College Dublin and Maynooth University from 16th – 18th November 2022. Coordinated by Associate Professor Tom Curran, UCD, BioBeo will be delivered by 15 partners across 10 countries, including Maynooth University and An Taisce in Ireland. The overall aim of BioBeo is to develop and deploy an education programme that will enhance understanding and engagement across society regarding ‘circularity’ and the bioeconomy. Children, parents and communities  This work will centre around five bioeconomy themes – interconnectedness, outdoor learning, forestry, life below water, and the food loop.

The European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union Mairéad McGuinness launched the Kick-Off Meeting and highlighted the importance of the project which will enable young people, their families and their communities to “be the future drivers of a bio-better Europe.” Leading the education development work, Dr Máire Nic An Bhaird, Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University, said: “A key focus is on embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into primary and secondary education programmes across Europe, leading to an enhanced society-wide understanding of a sustainable future for the next generation. This is a great opportunity for Maynooth University to play a key European leadership role in this rapidly developing area of education.”

The ESD comic for children aged 8 + Finding Beo which is also available in Irish as Tóraíocht Bheo written by Laoise Ní Chléirigh (Maynooth University), Máire Nic an Bhaird (Maynooth University) and Tom Curran (UCD) funded by UCD Institute of Food and Health was also launched and can be downloaded from UCD research repository.

https://researchrepository.ucd.ie/handle/10197/13251

https://researchrepository.ucd.ie/handle/10197/13252