Natural Products as Health Drivers in the Bioeconomy: BioVal an Integrative Framework for Sustainable High-Value Product Development

Nature has long provided solutions for human needs, from medicine and food to materials and energy. The scope of this study focuses on plants, fungi and algae as sources of diverse classes of compounds with biological activity, named Bioactive Natural Products (BioNPs). As global bioeconomy strategies expand, BioNPs present significant opportunities for innovation in food and medicine. However, regulations, intellectual property, scale-up infrastructure and knowledge transfer represent barriers to commercialisation. Through the lens of Natural Products (NPs), this perspective article highlights the central role of biomass and its derived compounds in supporting health. It presents the integrative ‘Bioactive Natural Product Valorisation Framework’ (BioVal Framework) that emphasises resources, processes, skills and additional domains required to transform local biomass into commercial opportunities. It is intended to be transdisciplinary in nature to complement existing tools, which offer detailed assessments within specific domains, such as sustainability, technological readiness and regulatory compliance. In its current state, the framework and the illustrative assessment tool presented are conceptual. They contribute a structured reflective decision-support approach for cross-sectoral and cross-functional stakeholders, including those without specialist expertise across domains. Through a systems-thinking perspective, they facilitate awareness of the interdependencies of domains and highlight the need to consider these collectively. They aim to be readily understood by transdisciplinary stakeholders to encourage cohesive considerations in the translation of biomass and side streams into sustainable solutions. The framework was developed using a multi-source process, including policy documentation, stakeholder engagement and analysis of the literature. Using Ireland as a case study within the EU bioeconomy ecosystem, this paper provides a perspective that may offer relevant insights for other regions navigating similar developments and challenges.