{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,14]],"date-time":"2026-05-14T23:26:34Z","timestamp":1778801194118,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,21]],"date-time":"2025-05-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747785600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010790","name":"Erasmus+ Alliances","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["101056181"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["101056181"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010790","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Agriculture"],"abstract":"<jats:p>As the European Union advances its bioeconomy strategy, the agricultural sector emerges as a key domain requiring targeted upskilling in digital and entrepreneurial competencies. This study examines how agricultural professionals perceive the importance of these competencies and identifies related training needs, drawing on the European Commission\u2019s Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) and Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp). Using a quantitative survey methodology, data were collected from 140 respondents, including farmers, agronomists, consultants, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, in four European countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses (Mann\u2013Whitney U and Kruskal\u2013Wallis tests) revealed strong recognition of digital competencies across all groups, with significant variation by country, while perceptions of entrepreneurial competencies differed mainly by professional role. Moreover, a significant lack of formal bioeconomy-related education was identified. The findings underscore the need for targeted, competence-based education and policy interventions to equip professionals with the skills required for a sustainable and innovation-driven agricultural sector.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/agriculture15101106","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,21]],"date-time":"2025-05-21T04:05:17Z","timestamp":1747800317000},"page":"1106","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Digital and Entrepreneurial Competencies for the Bioeconomy: Perceptions and Training Needs of Agricultural Professionals in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Petropoulos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agriculture, University of Peloponnese, Antikalamos, 24100 Kalamata, Greece"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1687-0708","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgios A.","family":"Deirmentzoglou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agriculture, University of Peloponnese, Antikalamos, 24100 Kalamata, Greece"},{"name":"Department of Economics and Business, Neapolis University Pafos, 8042 Pafos, Cyprus"}]},{"given":"Nikolaos","family":"Apostolopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Management Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, 22100 Tripoli, Greece"}]},{"given":"Bas","family":"Paris","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Bio-Economy & Agro-Technology, Centre of Research & Technology Hellas, Dimarchou Georgiadou 118, 38333 Volos, Greece"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-3705-2181","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitris","family":"Michas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Bio-Economy & Agro-Technology, Centre of Research & Technology Hellas, Dimarchou Georgiadou 118, 38333 Volos, Greece"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5463-7945","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Athanasios T.","family":"Balafoutis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Bio-Economy & Agro-Technology, Centre of Research & Technology Hellas, Dimarchou Georgiadou 118, 38333 Volos, Greece"}]},{"given":"Elena","family":"Athanasopoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Business and Organizations Administration, University of Peloponnese, Antikalamos, 24100 Kalamata, Greece"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8153-1334","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Leonardo","family":"Nibbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy"}]},{"given":"Hailong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Business, Society and Engineering, M\u00e4lardalen University, 723 21 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}]},{"given":"Lara","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Business, Society and Engineering, M\u00e4lardalen University, 723 21 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}]},{"given":"Maria Helena","family":"Moreira da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Agrarian Sciences and Environment, University of the Azores, IITA-A, 9701-851 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4748-8416","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joaquim Fernando","family":"Moreira da Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Agrarian Sciences and Environment, University of the Azores, IITA-A, 9701-851 Angra do Hero\u00edsmo, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"121939","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2020.121939","article-title":"Innovation types in the bioeconomy","volume":"266","author":"Laibach","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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