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Open research questions in Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development

91 gap statements mined from Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 801 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The lack of sufficient bottom-up initiatives from the academic research community in Japan for addressing ethical, legal, and societal implications of synthetic biology. The need for standardization and rulemaking in synthetic biology research and development.

    Achieving bottom-up ethical, legal, and societal implications and responsible research and innovation in the synthetic biology research community from the Japanese context · 2026 · DOI

  • Mechanisms to promote ELSI/RRI activities (such as awards eligibility or journal acceptance conditions) must be developed and considered systematically.

    Achieving bottom-up ethical, legal, and societal implications and responsible research and innovation in the synthetic biology research community from the Japanese context · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a skilled workforce in areas such as biopesticides, waste valorization, and biofuels.

    Restructuring TVET Bioscience Education for the Bioeconomy: A Concept Paper from Kenya with Lessons for Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to explore the potential risks and benefits of creating new forms of life. The paper identifies a gap in the discussion on the implications of mirror bacteria for science and society.

    The promise and peril of mirror bacteria · 2026 · DOI

  • The literature separately covers ESG, fiscal policy, and biomass energy, but these strands are rarely integrated into one analytical framework explaining biomass allocation outcomes in developing economies. There is a lack of discussion on fiscal incentive architecture shaping whether biomass is used domestically or exported.

    Aligning fiscal policy with ESG objectives enhancing domestic biomass utilization for Indonesia’s energy transition · 2026 · DOI

  • The bioeconomy is not risk-free and does not in itself guarantee sustainability. There is a need to identify and systematise the key drivers shaping the implementation of a sustainable bioeconomy.

    Analysing the drivers of a sustainable bioeconomy paradigm · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a comprehensive methodology for assessing the contribution of circular materials to reducing climate-altering emissions and material consumption. The limited progress in increasing the share of recycled materials in overall economic consumption. The need for a set of KPIs for evaluating circular material strategies.

    Measuring Building Circularity Through Materials, Processes and Impacts: An Evaluation Framework for Architecture Integrating Reused, Bio-Based and Recycled Components · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could investigate these points, contributing to the development of guidelines for niche reorganization. The institutional practices of industrial biogas interest groups, which represent operators with different business and collaboration models, could be investigated.

    Reorganization of Bio-Based Innovations Towards Inclusion: Insights Into Responses, Constraints, and Governance Challenges · 2026 · DOI

  • While inclusion of key actors in bioeconomy development is deemed crucial, the interaction between the goal of inclusion and other priorities, including negative ones, should be further investigated. As our data is limited to policy documents, we were unable to identify critical arguments regarding the inclusion of the producers.

    Reorganization of Bio-Based Innovations Towards Inclusion: Insights Into Responses, Constraints, and Governance Challenges · 2026 · DOI

  • Nutrient loading from effluent application, from deaths at a regional level has not been studied, to understand if these nutrients shift from regenerative to harmful. This is consistent with Woodthorpe et al’s (2026) perspective that the environmental consequences of body disposal at scale remain poorly understood, this is a gap that future research must address.

    Regenerative Remains - Transforming Death into Landscape Healing · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could explore the application of the book's interdisciplinary vision to real-world challenges. It could investigate the impact of promoting scientific literacy on environmental conservation and sustainable development.

    Biociencias · 2026 · DOI

  • The book identifies the need for an interdisciplinary vision that unifies biology, chemistry, and ecology. It highlights the importance of promoting scientific literacy and understanding of the complexity of life and global challenges.

    Biociencias · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for a more nuanced understanding of the relationships between human societies and living systems.

    Rain Microbial Ecologies: Integrating Genomic Tools in Biodesign Education for Future Food Strategies · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of integration of genomic tools into design education. The need for a more holistic understanding of living systems and their relationships with human societies.

    Rain Microbial Ecologies: Integrating Genomic Tools in Biodesign Education for Future Food Strategies · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of knowledge on lacustrine ecosystems and their preservation. There is a need for a science-action approach to address environmental issues affecting lacustrine ecosystems.

    Le Pôle R&D ECLA : la science-action au service des écosystèmes lacustres · 2026 · DOI

  • The study addresses the need for a comprehensive combination of digital technologies, environmental labeling mechanisms, and tools for information interaction with consumers in the context of the development of the circular bioeconomy.

    STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR CERTIFICATION AND TRACEABILITY OF BIO-BASED PRODUCTS IN THE CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY · 2026 · DOI

  • Recommendations for these regions emphasize the need for dynamic regulatory systems that prioritize risk-proportionate oversight and the integration of digital traceability tools to monitor quality from cultivation to consumption.

    Phytochemical Engineering and Bioprocess Optimization of Cannabis sativa L.: A Unified Framework for Natural and Synthetic Cannabinoid Production · 2026 · DOI

  • The study does not claim exhaustive coverage or statistical synthesis expected of a systematic review. The initial hit counts were not retrospectively reconstructable because the original review was narrative and iterative. The study is limited to the analysis of existing literature and does not provide new empirical data.

    Bioplastics Life Cycle: Potential to Enhance Positive Environmental Impacts in the Circular Economy · 2026 · DOI

  • The bioeconomy transition risks underrepresenting social sustainability, while existing Social Life Cycle Assessment (S‐LCA) applications remain insufficient for comparison and decision support due to heterogeneous and non‐standardized selection of social impact categories.

    Harmonizing Social Impact Assessment in the Bioeconomy: A Cross‐Regional Fuzzy‐Delphi Approach · 2026 · DOI

  • The country’s pathway to phytopharmaceutical advancement requires harmonizing agricultural extension services with modern medicinal for processing Rwanda is the localized implementation of the World Health Organization’s Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), adapted to be affordable and accessible for smallholder farmers and collectors.

    Phytochemical Engineering and Bioprocess Optimization of Cannabis sativa L.: A Unified Framework for Natural and Synthetic Cannabinoid Production · 2026 · DOI

  • The current recipe for EchinoClay yields decorative objects, but a food-safe formulation remains in development. The paper does not provide a comprehensive review of prior work in the field.

    Circular Urchin Economies for Viable Futures: Designing Material Cultures across Food, Waste, and Aquaculture · 2026 · DOI

  • La necesidad de replantear los modelos productivos tradicionales en el sector energético. La falta de análisis sobre la rentabilidad de los sistemas de producción de biodiesel en Montería, Córdoba.

    Rentabilidad de sistemas de transformación tecnológica para biodiesel: un análisis desde la economía circular en el contexto de Córdoba · 2026 · DOI

  • Structural, financial, and policy-related challenges - Weak incentives and limited structural reform - Supply chain inefficiencies and weak domestic demand…

    Aligning fiscal policy with ESG objectives enhancing domestic biomass utilization for Indonesia’s energy transition · 2026 · DOI

  • Technical challenges related to the production and use of bioplastics, - Economic challenges related to the cost and availability of raw materials, - Regulatory challenges related to the lack of supportive public…

    Bioplastics Life Cycle: Potential to Enhance Positive Environmental Impacts in the Circular Economy · 2026 · DOI

  • Adapting the formulation of EchinoClay to artificial reefs to support ecosystem recovery. Developing a food-safe formulation for EchinoClay.

    Circular Urchin Economies for Viable Futures: Designing Material Cultures across Food, Waste, and Aquaculture · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of sufficient bottom-up initiatives from the academic research community in Japan for addressing ethical, legal, and societal implications of synthetic biology (“Achieving bottom-up ethical, legal, and societal implications and responsible…”, 2026); (2) The lack of a skilled workforce in areas such as biopesticides, waste valorization, and biofuels (“Restructuring TVET Bioscience Education for the Bioeconomy: A Concept Paper…”, 2026); (3) There is a need to explore the potential risks and benefits of creating new forms of life (“The promise and peril of mirror bacteria”, 2026); (4) There is a lack of discussion on fiscal incentive architecture shaping whether biomass is used domestically or exported (“Aligning fiscal policy with ESG objectives enhancing domestic biomass…”, 2026); (5) There is a need to identify and systematise the key drivers shaping the implementation of a sustainable bioeconomy (“Analysing the drivers of a sustainable bioeconomy paradigm”, 2026). 91 gap statements have been mined from Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 801 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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