From Roots to Results: SCALE-UP’s Impact in Strumica

Strumica Municipality | July 1, 2025

On July 1, 2025, the final stakeholders’ meeting for the EU-funded SCALE-UP project was held in the Municipality of Strumica, North Macedonia. The event gathered 22 representatives from local government, NGOs, and the private sector, alongside the SDEWES-Skopje project team. The meeting marked the successful conclusion of project activities and initiated discussions on the future sustainability of the Strumica regional bioeconomy platform. Participants emphasized the many benefits the project brought to the region,such as increased knowledge, new partnerships, and practical ideas. They also expressed strong interest in continuing work in this field, with hopes for future support for specific initiatives like establishing a composting plant at the local high school and funding for the most promising innovative solutions developed during the project. The presentation of the meeting is available here.

Key SCALE-UP Project Achievements in the Strumica Region:

During the SCALE-UP project, Strumica made great progress in developing a strong local bioeconomy.One of the key activities was a training programme that took place across all project regions—not just in Strumica. A total of 21 training sessions were organized, reaching over1300 participants, including farmers, business owners, NGO members, and municipal staff. These sessions helped people understand bioeconomy concepts and learn how to work together to bring new ideas to life. Many good examples and successful practices from Strumica and other parts of North Macedonia were shared during the trainings, showing how local experience can inspire and guide others.

At the same time, the regional bioeconomy platform in Strumica became an important space for cooperation and innovation. It is now closely connected with national goals and reform agenda and European strategies like  the Green Deal, ensuring the work done in Strumica can continue and grow, as well as replicate in other municipalities and regions.

Young people were also a big part of the project. Over 90 students and 25 teachers from Dimitar Vlahov High School joined the “Bioeconomy through Art” activity. They came up with creative ideas like making wine stoppers from grapevine waste, producing natural cosmetics, farming with nettles, and turning old textiles into new products. These projects showed how young minds can help build a greener and more sustainable future.

Next Steps with the Municipality

A strategic follow-up meeting was held with high-level representatives from the Strumica municipal administration, focusing on environment, local economic development and project planning. The discussion centered on ensuring the long-term sustainability of the regional bioeconomy platform and identifying ways to secure future resources and institutional support.

“The knowledge and insights gained through SCALE-UP have empowered us to position Strumica as a leader inbioeconomy,” – Tomislav Andreev, Head of Environmental Protection Department

“This project showed how bioeconomy can boost Strumica’s local economy by increasing knowledge, networking, and creating newbusiness opportunities,” –Toni Milushev, Head of Local Economic Development

“We now understand the value of structured stakeholder collaboration.Strumica regional bioeconomyplatform is our gateway to long-term transformation,” –Pance Bedzovski, Advisor for Planning and Analysis

SDEWES-Skopje Reflections:

“The SCALE-UPprojectimpact in Strumica has been powerful, creating a strong foundation for sustainable rural development. Along with this, it generated many co-benefits that support evenwider goals like theEUGreen Deal, helping bring positive change to rural areas like Strumica.” – PhD Natasa Markovska, President of SDEWES-Skopje

“We are proud to see local actors take ownership.You have set a clear example what sustainability looks like:built on people working together, backed by the local government, and involving everyone in the community.” – MSc Pavlina Zdraveva, SDEWES-Skopje