Let's use biodegradable plastic for the future

"<< Background >>Today, polymers have found a wide range of applications thanks to their lightness, cheapness, and easy formability from kitchenware to artificial heart valves and they can remain intact for many years. Polymeric waste is frightfully increased with ‘single-use’ plastics each year. To reduce all negativities caused by polymers, ""A EU Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy"" and “Plastic Waste: a EU strategy to protect the planet, defend our citizens and empower our industries” has been developed. According to the EU Green Deal, reducing wastes, compensating carbon footprint emissions, saving resources, and sustainability are key priorities for the EU now and in the future. Reusability and nature- degradable polymer (BDP) production are important parts of these strategies. As known, BDPs as material are crucial technology. For a more livable and GREENER world, biopolymers should be developed and used. There was no Turkish educational material in this matter. To close the gap, to increase the awareness, and be used as educational material all over the EU, an innovative curriculum, a Lecture Guide Book, and educational interactive materials has been created.<< Objectives >>The target group of the FutureBio project is all project stakeholders, including the project team members, university teachers and students, industrial institutions and their workers, high school students and teachers, public and private institutions, associations, individuals, and general society. The results of the project are to develop a curriculum, to prepare a guidebook, and to produce education materials with innovative and interactive tools for university students. The objectives of FutureBio were classified based on target groups of the project as follows: For ACADEMICIANS and university STUDENTS ⮚To create an innovative curriculum, open education resources (OERs), virtual reality (VR) tools, laboratory videos, a lecture guidebook, ⮚To encourage the development of biodegradable polymers (BDPs) and products via courses and outputs ⮚To guide them to prioritize in their academic career planning ⮚To increase the scientific competencies with in-place trainings For INDUSTRY ⮚To create an industrial needs report, an extending value chainFor SOCIETY⮚To raise social awareness ⮚To obtain awareness about BDP products For PROJECT PARTNER⮚To increase digital skills ⮚Developing new projects << Implementation >>FutureBio is a two-year project on biopolymers between 11 partners from Turkey and EU. The FutureBio project which provides information about bioplastics and production methods and is carried out awareness studies with new innovative training materials is the first project in the field. FutureBio has 5 WPs, 4 Project Results (PRs), 7 Informative Meetings (IMs), 1 International Workshop, and 2 training activities. FutureBio has 5 work packages/phases categorized into 4 management levels for the purpose of to benefit from innovative practices among university students, academic staff, industry workers and the society, and to increase the competencies of academics and students with on-site training:⮚Management Level- Phase1: Management⮚Operation Level- Phase2 and Phase3: Curriculum preparation including needs analysis, company visits and survey applications, report preparation; creation of interactive open-access education modules, lecture guidebook, and VR exercises.⮚Dissemination Level- Phase 4: Dissemination and sustainable implementation of the products⮚Monitoring and Control Level- Phase5: Quality Control and MonitoringEach phase has been characterized by tasks, milestones, and products<< Results >>WP1's products were ⮚Management plan and platform, ⮚Interim report, ⮚Final report, ⮚Minutes of MeetingsThe WP2's products (Curriculum Preparation):⮚National Analysis reports (internal)⮚International Analysis Report ⮚Industry Needs Report⮚Curriculum ⮚Competence mapWP3 Preparation of Open Access Training and Education Materials:⮚Interactive open-access education modules ⮚ laboratory videos ⮚Lecture Guidebook ⮚VR exercises and transferability guideWP4: Dissemination and sustainable implementation of the products:1.Dissemination plan. 2.Sustainability plan 3.Dissemination materials and activities 4.Website and social media platforms 5.Project logo. 6.Newsletters 7.Leaflet8. Manuscripts9. Master science thesis10. new projectsWP5 Quality assurance of the products:⮚Quality plan.⮚Quality report. ⮚Meeting evaluations. ⮚Interim Evaluation. ⮚Testing evaluation. ⮚Final evaluation"