The three-day event combined the NET-Fuels semestral Project Meeting, a regional Stakeholder Workshop, and an international Scientific Symposium, creating a unique forum for project coordination, scientific exchange, and dialogue with industry and institutions.The Project Meeting gathered 14 project collaborators to review technical progress, consolidate results, and define priorities for the project’s final phase.

The following day, the Stakeholder Workshop brought together the 14 project collaborators and 14 stakeholders from across the Emilia-Romagna region to discuss the regional integration of NET-Fuels and other biomass-based carbon removal systems. Participants represented industry, research, and innovation organisations, including Snam, Bunge, Enomondo, Rosetti Marino, Biological Care, Herambiente, BioKW, Unigra, Clust-ER Greentech, Nanoshuttle, the University of Bologna, and the CGIL-Filctem trade union.

NET-Fuels coordinator, Diego Marazza, presenting at the Symposium

Through interactive discussions and participatory working groups, participants examined the opportunities and challenges of deploying BiCRS technologies in Emilia-Romagna. They identified the region’s strong industrial base, biomass resources, and emerging carbon management infrastructure as key strengths, while also highlighting barriers such as investment risks, biomass availability, market uncertainty, and social acceptance. The workshop produced a shared set of recommendations, including demonstration plants, stronger governance, closer industrial collaboration, targeted training, and greater stakeholder engagement.

On the third day, the Scientific Symposium, entitled “Biomass-Based Carbon Removal: Pathways to Gigaton-Scale Industrial Transition”, welcomed 61 participants from academia, industry, and public institutions. Keynote lectures, scientific sessions, posters, and a high-level roundtable explored carbon removal pathways, industrial symbiosis, biomass valorisation, policy frameworks, governance, and the social dimensions of industrial defossilisation.

By combining scientific excellence with participatory stakeholder engagement, NET-Fuels2026 strengthened collaboration between research, industry, agriculture, and policymakers. The conference outcomes will support the final activities of the NET-Fuels project while extending its impact through the conference proceedings and a growing community of practice committed to advancing biomass-based carbon removal and sustainable industrial transition.