Following the NWE Annual Event in Dublin, the CASCADE project partners met on 7 November 2024 for a transnational meeting hosted by the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA). The meeting provided an important opportunity for partners to reflect on the outcomes of the conference, discuss project progress and outline next steps for the year ahead.

Focus of the meeting

The meeting served as an internal platform for all partners to share news and experiences from their respective regions.

Key objectives included:

• Reflections on the NWE Conference: partners discussed their involvement during the event, feedback from stakeholders and potential collaborations arising from their participation.
• Project progress and upcoming tasks: each partner gave an update on activities in their pilot regions, highlighting ongoing work on biochar applications, including pre-treatment processes, monitoring systems and pilot implementation plans.
• Strategic planning for the future: The group reviewed project deliverables, including capacity-building initiatives, the hybrid CASCADE exhibition, and the citizen science programme. Plans for upcoming meetings, events, and potential new project ideas were also on the agenda.

Visitors to the stand were able to explore these examples in miniature and view samples of biochar produced as part of the project. Information materials such as flyers, newsletters and a looped project video provided further insights into the aims and results of CASCADE

Highlights of the discussions

During the meeting, the partners addressed the following topics:

• Local pilots: updates on the biochar opportunities being explored in each region, including innovative applications in agroecology, carbon management and sustainable construction.
• Key deliverables: progress on specific work packages, such as pre-treatment processes in Kassel, and the development of a monitoring manual and a database of good practices.
• Future opportunities: initial ideas for a potential new Interreg project focusing on the circular carbon economy in the agro-construction sector, with a focus on hemp cultivation and alternative construction materials.