"The objective of the project is to harmonise biomass resource assessments, focusing on the availability of biomass for energy in Europe and its neighbouring regions. This harmonisation will improve the consistency, accuracy and reliability of biomass assessments, which can serve the planning of a transition to renewable energy in the European Union. The project activities will include (i) the analysis of recently conducted biomass resource assessments, (ii) the analysis of policy backgrounds, sustainability criteria and user requirements, (iii) the analysis of currently applied methodologies, (iv) an inventory of data sources and ongoing activities aimed at improved data quality and accessibility, (v) a proposal for a harmonised biomass potential assessment methodology, (vi) an illustration and validation of the developed approach in case studies at EU-27, the Pan-European level and for select countries, (vii) an evaluation of the harmonised approach and – if necessary – the identification of priorities for further development. The major focus will be (1) on methodological and dataset harmonisations fostered by ongoing research of a multidisciplinary team of project participants and (2) on the opportunities of utilising both earth observation and terrestrial data for biomass assessments and the integration of multiple data sources. The relevant sectors that will be investigated are forestry, energy crops and residues from traditional agriculture and waste. The consortium will build on its complementary sectorial expertise, which will allow the production of sector-overarching studies, taking competitive and economic aspects into account. Intensive scientific cooperation and dissemination will comprise the discussion of its objectives, interim and final results with stakeholders including the EC DGs, EEA, Eurostat, UN/ECE, research, industry, national ministries and associated authorities and sectorial organisations (ren. energy, agriculture, forestry, waste)"