With just six months left until the end of the BIOFIN-EU project, the consortium gathered in Thessaloniki for its Plenary Meeting, a key checkpoint to align, reflect, and plan ahead. Hosted by Rainno and coordinated by University of Limerick, the three-day meeting brought together BIOFIN-EU partners for structured discussions, hands-on planning, and collaborative breakout sessions.
Day 1: Aligning on Progress, Technology, and Systems Thinking
The plenary kicked off with an overview of BIOFIN-EU’s goals and expected outcomes, followed by comprehensive briefings from each Work Package. These sessions allowed partners to share updates on milestones, results, and KPIs, offering insight into progress made since the last plenary meeting.
A major highlight of the day was the interactive Dashboard Demo & Discussion led by Maastricht University. This workshop allowed partners to review the latest iteration of The NbS Dashboard, discussing risk models, potential new user cases (besides the private lending and public-private partnerships), and user interface improvements.
The afternoon featured a deep-dive Systems Thinking session led by University of Limerick. Participants broke into sub-groups to co-design questions for different categories of nature finance experts, exploring complex topics like the EU Taxonomy, disclosure reporting, incentive mechanisms, and system-level changes.
The day concluded with a session on Exploring pathways for biodiversity-finance intermediation led by Naturalis. The session explored how BIOFIN-EU intermediation can bridge the gap between mainstream finance and Nature-based Solutions by engineering the rules, timing, and stability needed to overcome systemic barriers such as information asymmetry.
Day 2: Policy Forum, KPIs, and Knowledge Accelerators
Day two began with casual 1-to-1 meetings, allowing consortium members dedicated time to connect and synchronise their specific tasks.
The focus then shifted to the co-design of the upcoming Agri-food Policy Forum, organised by Queen’s University Belfast. The consortium brainstormed key themes to address at the forum, such as corporate supply chain accountability, new financial instruments, and the tension between biodiversity and food security.
In the afternoon, the consortium conducted a rigorous review of Project and Dissemination KPIs, led by UL and Rainno. This session provided a transparent look at targets that have been met, those in process, and areas requiring attention as the project is moving towards its conclusion.
Following this, Sulitest took the floor to demonstrate the new Skills and Knowledge Accelerators. Through an interactive quiz demo and a co-creation workshop, partners worked together to identify key knowledge gaps among financial actors and draft targeted educational questions.
Parallel Sessions: Capturing BIOFIN-EU Voices
Throughout Days 1 and 2, video and podcast recordings were organised and hosted by Rainno, BIOFIN-EU’s leader for Communication & Dissemination. These sessions brought together consortium members from both the financial and ecological sides of the project.
Participants shared insights from BIOFIN-EU’s Learning Sites, highlighting the innovation and vision driving the project.
Day 3: Scientific Contributions and Research Excellence
The final day of the plenary was dedicated to the robust scientific foundations of the BIOFIN-EU project. Chaired by the University of Gothenburg, the morning featured six dedicated presentations of academic papers by consortium members, including researchers from University of Padova, University of Limerick and Maastricht University.
Looking Ahead
As BIOFIN-EU entered its final phase, the Thessaloniki plenary served as a productive and energising moment. With all partners aligned and clear roadmaps in place, the consortium is ready to move from development to delivery, in order to successfully flip the script and unlock mainstream finance for biodiversity protection and restoration.
Thank you to all BIOFIN-EU partners who joined in person and online.
Let’s make the most of these final months, and finish strong.
