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ogy, and production of various biomaterials, as well as innovations of business models and stakeholder interactions. Bioeconomy as a knowledge-driven concept [30], relies on strong science and technology, as well as utilisation of innovative approaches, where sup- port from the public sector, market, industry, investors as well as by policymakers and civil society is needed [12,31]. Therefore, a whole spectrum of innovations is needed to deploy a functioning and efficient bioeconomy [12,32], both on the supply and the user side [33,34]. This paper thus contributes to illustrating various innovation types coming from NWFPs, exemplifying the manifold ways in which these can be of importance in bioeconomy. By integrating different literature streams and combining NWFPs with the innovation system (IS) approach in the analysis, we believe that this paper will make a significant academic contribution. Purpose of the Paper The partial neglect of the presumably higher potential of NWFPs stems from, first, a limited marketability, connected to the often-found public good character of such products but, second, a limited attention of established sectoral innovation systems, thus providing only limited support of or even barriers against their development [23]. The paper starts from the second observation and aims to analyse with empirical examples what this unfortunate environment means for innovations. Particularly we ask: What do innovation systems around analysed NWFPs cases look like? Then we elaborate on: What is the NWFPs’ potential and contribution to the bioeconomy? and What support from the innovation system is needed to unlock the potential of NWFPs for the bioeconomy? 2. Methodology This paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of innovation processes in 20 NWFP- related cases across Europe. Innovations are understood broadly, comprising new products and processes, new organizational or marketing methods [35,36] as well as institutional or social reconfigurations [37–39]. The United Nations FAO generally understands NWFP as “products of biological ori- gin other than wood derived from forests, other wooded land and trees outside forests” [40]. However this definition excludes all other woody raw materials such as chips, charcoal or fuelwood, resin, Christmas trees, or even cork. For the purpose of our study, we broadened the perspective of NWFPs and include smaller wooden products or other materials from forests that are used for artisanal goods. This way, our study takes into account all wild and semi-wild products such as chestnuts, resin or game [21]. However, we exclude products from intensive cultivation which qualify as agricultural crops. 2.1. Case Selection and Data Collection The case study analyses were conducted in the frame of a European-wide research project ( FP7 StarTree “Multipurpose trees and non-wood forest products: a challenge and opportu- nity” ) which allowed the collection of numerous in-depth cases across European countries by using a common research design and a coordinated data collection and analysis process. The study presents 20 cases from 8 European countries (11 administrative regions) across a wide range of products (plant and animal foods, chemical extracts, decorative materials, handcrafted products) as well as innovation types [36]. The cases were collected in a bottom-up process by local experts (via the project’s expert panel) from partner countries to represent situations in different European regions (Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, UK). Our cases cover regions with different significance of NWFPs, different regional economic situations and different governance characteristics, including countries with economies in transition. The selection of cases was performed in order to reflect typical developments in the countries and to illustrate multiple innovative aspects in the field of NWFP development. For each case, data were collected by the local researchers in local languages and following a common data collection guide which covered the analysis elements mentioned
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