The Lucanian Cluster of Bioeconomy was born from the initiative of various public and private entities under the direction of the Basilicata Region which adopted the Regional Strategy for the intelligent specialization of research and innovation 2014-2020, identifying five thematic areas of potential development based on the structuring of specific clusters.
Among these areas is the cluster of bioeconomy, which includes the topics of water resource management, genomics for sustainable, precision and integrated agriculture, nutrition and health, green chemistry, and non-technological innovation in the agri-food sector.

The Europe 2020 strategy identifies the bioeconomy come un settore chiave per lo development of a smart and sustainable Europe. Advances in research and innovation will enable the sustainable management of renewable biological resources and the opening of new markets for food products and a new bio-based industry.

The bioeconomy It breaks down the traditional barrier between agriculture and industry, defining a new relationship between these two worlds based on innovation and the sustainable use of natural resources for new industrial activities.

The bioeconomy It essentially rests on two pillars:

1. A competitive agro-forestry system, of fundamental importance, which produces raw materials in the form of biomass for food or industrial uses;
2. Industrial technologies, able to fully utilize biomass to obtain various products that can be arranged along the segments of the value pyramid, such as, from top to bottom, drugs, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, biopolymers, bioenergy.

The subjects adhering to the Cluster, established as a non-profit association, are entities that operate in various capacities in the field of bioeconomy.

The members include the University of Basilicata, theALSIA (Agenzia Lucana di Development e di Innovazione in Agricoltura), il CNR, il CREA, and companies, especially SMEs, belonging to the main trade organisations operating in the production sector, collection and the industrial transformation of biomass.