Bioeconomy Strategies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Bioeconomy is a concept which has become increasingly important in research and political debates over the past 20 years. In Germany and Austria, there are bioeconomy strategies on a national level. In Switzerland, the development of a strategy is being evaluated. This article presents an analysis of basic principles on the strategies of these three countries from a political-science perspective. It portrays the timeline of strategy development, shows which actors were involved in the development and whether the strategies meet the conceptual requirements of a political action plan. The results show that the strategic objectives in Austria and Germany cover many topics but are not formulated in very concrete terms. Promoting innovation and research are the mainstays of both countries' strategies. In order to develop a bioeconomy strategy in Switzerland, the conclusion must be drawn that broad-based support from actors from the fields of science and the economy, as well as latching on to other sectoral policies, are decisive factors.