Jean Monnet, the founding father of the European Economic Union, famously commented that 'people only accept change when they are faced with necessity, and only recognise necessity when a crisis is upon them.' But even when change is accepted, ensuring it leads to success is hard. The challenge of change is very apparent when it comes to those building the bioeconomy in Europe – a vibrant but varied area that encompasses agriculture, fisheries, forestry, paper, chemicals, energy and consumer products among other sectors.
