BRILIAN Design Steps for innovative Business Models D4.1

This deliverable presents the methodological framework developed within BRILIAN for the design of innovative, cooperative and circular business models for rural bio-based value chains. It establishes a common and adaptable design pathway for assessing how agricultural feedstocks, residues and side streams, local processing capacities and stakeholder cooperation can be organised into viable and replicable business models. The methodology combines territorial and market analysis, stakeholder engagement and business model development through a two-step approach. A Macro Scan assesses the opportunity and readiness of each value chain, considering feedstock availability, relevant actors, potential markets and key barriers. This is followed by a Micro Scan focused on business model design and feasibility, using tools such as maturity assessment, Value Proposition and Business Model Canvases, and preliminary economic and exploitation analyses. The methodology is applied to the three BRILIAN pilots in Italy, Spain and Denmark, covering the valorisation of low-input oil crops and associated biomass streams, starch-rich streams from potato processing, and rapeseed cake for higher-value applications. The assessment highlights differences in technological and market maturity, stakeholder structures and exploitation opportunities across the pilots. The deliverable also identifies key lessons and conditions for transferring the developed approaches to other rural regions. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of primary producers, cooperatives and intermediary organisations, stakeholder co-design, fair value distribution, logistics and infrastructure, market validation, regulatory alignment and economic feasibility. Overall, the deliverable provides an adaptable methodology to support the future replication and deployment of cooperative circular bio-based business models in different European rural contexts.