BECOTEPS unlocks Bioeconomy potential

The FP7 project BECOTEPS (of which SusChem – via EuropaBio – is a partner) is holding its final event "Unlocking the Potential of the Bioeconomy" on 22 March 2011, from 3pm at the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences in Brussels.

This closing meeting will present and discuss the project's recently published White Paper entitled: The European Bioeconomy in 2030 - Delivering Sustainable Growth by addressing the Grand Societal Challenges. The meeting will also be a great opportunity for bio-economy stakeholders to network.

SusChem is one of nine European Technology Platforms (ETPs) involved in the Knowledge-based Bio-Economy (KBBE) thematic area that are party to the BECOTEPS (The Bio-Economy Technology Platforms join forces to address synergies and gaps between their Strategic Research Agendas) project.

White paper - grand challenges
The BECOTEPS White Paper is the result of discussions between its constituent ETPs and a series of open meeting with a wide variety of stakeholders. The primary focus of this document is to elaborate on common themes and joint priorities across the widely diverse sectors relevant to the European Bioeconomy.

It shows how the Bioeconomy can address the grand societal challenges and sets out a vision for 2030 together with a set of policy recommendations needed to achieve it. Realising the vision across a range of sectors will create a smart, sustainable and inclusive European Bioeconomy. It is hoped that the White Paper will help to provide a better understanding of the Bioeconomy and key actions needed for its successful development to 2030.

The paper concludes that a successful Bioeconomy needs coherent and integrated policy direction, with key areas being:
• Investment in relevant research areas, both within each of the sectors and by encouraging multidisciplinary programmes;
• Encouraging innovation to make sure that more of the knowledge developments reach the commercialisation stage;
• Making entrepreneurship within the Bioeconomy a desirable career option;
• Providing a skilled workforce by making the various sectors of the Bioeconomy attractive career options through secondary and tertiary education;
• A streamlined and innovation-friendly regulatory framework which balances both risks and benefits;
• Good two-way communication with the public embedded in R&D projects to ensure societal appreciation of research and innovation.

Registration
The closing event on March 22 is free and a walking dinner will be provided, but pre-registration is mandatory. An outline programme for the event is given below. To register for the BECOTEPS "Unlocking the Potential" event just email Antoine Peeters at EuropaBio with your name and organisation.


BECOTEPS is a FP7 Specific Support Action (SSA) that was formally launched in March 2009 and funded for two years. The project aims to increase coordination between its participating ETPs and develop recommendations for better interaction between stakeholders along product supply chains, promote sustainability, and address research synergies and knowledge gaps.