CBEC: Building Ireland’s Bioeconomy Skills for the Future
A national initiative bringing bioeconomy learning into schools, industry, and lifelong training to build a skilled, sustainable future.
Programme Objectives
Taxonomy of Circular Bioeconomy Skills
A structured framework mapping skills across seven sectors (Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Aquaculture, Food & Beverage, Wood Industry, Textile Industry, and Construction industry) to support workforce development, training design, and policy action in the transition to a circular bioeconomy. Click on the report to view.
Meet the CBEC Team
Dr. Helena McMahon co-leads the Circular Bioeconomy Research Group based at Munster Technological University, Kerry.
She is also the director of Ireland’s Knowledge Centre in Carbon Climate and Community Action, lead of the PG Diploma in Bioeconomy with Business and Certificate in Circular Economy.
Dr McMahon is involved in a wide range of Circular Bioeconomy development activities in research and innovation, education, enterprise and regional development at a national and EU level. Dr. McMahon also works in the area of inclusion, as the MTU lead on the SFI STEM Passport program.
Dr. McMahon is particularly interested in systems innovation, marine biorefinery development, biobased product development and commercialisation.
Dr Máire Nic an Bhaird is an Associate Professor in the Froebel Department, Maynooth University.
Dr Máire leads the university’s central role in the UCD-led €2 million Horizon Europe BioBeo project. Dr Máire is a partner in an 8 million European Commission funded Horizon 2020 project AgroCycle addressing the ‘circular economy’.
Her team’s role relates to translating the scientific concepts of the ‘circular economy’ into child-centred language suitable for the primary school curriculum.
She has several publications relating to her research and is actively involved in several new H2020 research bids.
Dr Daisy Odunze worked as an assistant professor of marketing, sustainability and strategy at the National College of Ireland before joining the Circular Bioeconomy Research group at Munster Technological University as the research Programme manager for CBEC.
Daisy’s career in academia spans over 13 years with diverse experiences including developing new study programmes, developing online professional courses, as well as consulting and training for farmer groups and agribusiness firms.
Daisy’s areas of teaching include sustainable agriculture, environmentally sustainable food systems, agribusiness management, agricultural marketing and entrepreneurship.
Daisy is a published researcher with research interests in food and agricultural policy analysis, agribusiness strategies and market analysis, resilience in agriculture and food systems, agribusiness entrepreneurship, socio-economic analysis of environmental sustainability projects, life cycle assessment and the circular bioeconomy.
Dr Laoise Ní Chléirigh is an Assistant Professor in the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University.
Laoise’s areas of teaching and research include Environmentally Sustainable Development Education, Science Methods and STEM education, Bioeconomy and Circular Bioeconomy Education, Children’s Literature in the Irish Language, Education for the Science-Society nexus.
Dr Laoise is a key research partner and leader and in the international team developing bespoke education programmes in the areas of sustainability and bioeconomy
Ni Ibu (Davi Leon) is a Brazilian-born agroforester and educator based in Ireland since 2013. He integrates his background in Psychology with a Postgraduate in Climate Entrepreneurship to explore the vital connection between community well-being and landscape health.
Davi’s work is focused on facilitating resilient resource production—food, timber, medicine and fibre—through regenerative agriculture. In 2018, he started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm with his partner, Hazel Kari, directly providing chemical-free produce to their local community. Since 2020, he has been introducing and pioneering Syntropic Agroforestry systems in Ireland, developing trial sites adapted to the local climate.
As an educator, Ni Ibu shares this knowledge through courses, workshops, and consultancy. He hosts students from permaculture schools and other institutions, teaching practical methods for managing landscapes to create abundance.
Ni Ibu is an active member of Talamh Beo and the Community Supported Agriculture Network
She has worked across multinationals, SMEs and NGOs, in a variety of roles such as reporting, projects, and strategic initiatives. Kate’s range of experience comes from sustainability consultancies, research, and content creation and distribution (primarily focused on the finance/ sustainability intersection).
CBEC Stakeholder Network
The CBEC Stakeholder Network brings together a diverse range of organisations from across Ireland’s bioeconomy ecosystem, including higher education institutions, research organisations, industry representatives, government agencies, professional bodies, and civil society groups. This breadth of expertise and experience reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the circular bioeconomy and the collaborative approach required to achieve a successful transition. Stakeholders play a critical role in identifying emerging skills needs, informing education and training priorities, and ensuring that research outputs remain relevant to real-world challenges. As the ultimate end users of CBEC’s resources, research, and educational tools, network members help shape and validate our work, ensuring that it supports the development of a skilled workforce capable of driving Ireland’s transition towards a more sustainable and circular bioeconomy.
Stakeholder Expression of Interest
Simply fill in a form with your details and we will reach out to discuss the next steps.
For more information contact Daisy.Odunze@mtu.ie
CBEC Enquiry Form
CBEC Enquiry Form
