EFIB2014 hosts BIO-TIC Building Block Workshop

The Seventh European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology (IB) and the Biobased Economy (EFIB2014) takes place in Reims, France from 30 September to 2 October and will be one of the events of the year on the exciting and rapidly developing European sustainable biobased economy scene. And SusChem FP7 project BIO-TIC will be contributing with a special workshop on biobased chemical building blocks.

The agenda for EFIB2014 is now confirmed with over 15 countries represented on the conference programme and plenary highlights including debate on the policy agenda for the European bioeconomy, sessions on future feedstocks including what the shale gas boom might mean for Europe's transition to a biobased economy, and opportunities to help define the value chain for a selection of biobased materials. A closing panel session will define opportunities for improving the sustainability profile of industrial production.

EFIB2014 takes place in association with IAR, EuropaBio and Smithers Rapra and will build on the success of EFIB2013.

Chemical Building Blocks
BIO-TIC’s workshop will debate what we need to do to build the foundations for the biobased chemicals industry in Europe. In 2013, the demand for biobased chemical building blocks in the EU was estimated at € 1 billion. By 2030 this is estimated to grow to between € 4.8 and 10.4 billion.

Despite the significant societal, environmental and economic advantages associated with using biobased chemical building blocks, many hurdles exist to their full implementation. These hurdles must be addressed to realise the full market potential for biobased chemical building blocks in the EU and include:

• Securing a large enough supply of feedstock and at a price which is economically attractive compared to elsewhere in the world.
• Uncertain definitions, for example for waste, hinder the exploitation of novel and cheap waste streams.
• Lack of political support for chemical building blocks production, resulting in a lack of confidence from investors and users.
• Uncertainty surrounding the potential impact of the increasing appetite for shale gas.

The BIO-TIC workshop takes place on the afternoon of 1 October at EFIB2014 and will verify that the hurdles already identified within the project are relevant and will develop concrete and actionable solutions to overcome them. The project focuses on the following chemical building blocks: 3HPA, succinic acid, PDO, furfural, and isoprene as the chemical building blocks that have the highest potential for deployment in the EU.

The workshop will seek to answer the key questions surrounding the production and use of chemical building blocks in Europe, including:

• Should the EU focus on a broad chemical building block portfolio or should it reap the benefits from its strong R&D base and the current developments in favour of shale gas to develop a competitive advantage in biomass derived aromatics and C3/C4 chemicals?
• Should the EU focus on improving existing technologies, fine and speciality chemicals where quality is crucial or focus on developing completely new technologies? 
• Is it feasible or desirable to develop an internationally harmonised framework to allow international trade in biobased chemical building blocks?
• How do we improve the cost-competitiveness of EU chemical building blocks production?
• Should we introduce a specific mandate for bio-based chemicals in the EU or would tax incentives or infrastructure grants be more effective?

For more information on EFIB2014, including how to register, visit the conference website.

What is BIO-TIC?
BIO-TIC is a three year project, funded by the European Commission, which aims to identify the hurdles to IB and to develop solutions to overcome them, thereby unlocking the massive potential for this key technology in Europe. The project focuses on five product groups which have significant potential for Europe and which have the potential to introduce cross-cutting technology ideas. These product groups are:

• Biobased chemical building blocks 
• Bioplastics (PHA and PLA)
• Biosurfactants
• Advanced biofuels
• CO2 based chemicals

Based on these business cases, the project is developing three in-depth “bio-roadmaps”. These will focus on the market potential, R&D priorities and non-technological hurdles of IB innovation. In particular, the market roadmap will provide market projections up to 2030. The technology roadmap will focus on setting R&D priorities and identifying needs for pilot and demonstration of plant activities. Last but not least, the non-technological barriers roadmap will identify regulatory and non-technological hurdles that may inhibit industrial biotech innovation reaching new market opportunities. The second draft versions of the roadmaps are already online while the final version will be released in July 2015.

All the BIO-TIC roadmaps, can be downloaded from the BIO-TIC Partnering Platform and for more information about the BIO-TIC FP7 project website.

SusChem: The Story So Far

As part of our 10 year anniversary celebrations an extended video on the how, what and why of SusChem has been produced. Featuring a host of SusChem personalities that have been involved in SusChem over its first 10 years, the video covers the launch of the platform, its challenges, how we work together and its key achievements so far. The video then goes to look at the new Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA), our PPPS (SPIRE and the BBI JTI), the platform's future aspirations and, most importantly, how you can get involved with our activities now. Enjoy! 

Happy Birthday SusChem!

You can download an executive summary of the draft SusChem SIRA here.

To find our more about SusChem and its activities visit our website or contact Jacques Kormonicki, the SusChem coordinator at Cefic. Join us today!

Bio Based Industries JTI: A Major Advance towards the Bioeconomy

Today (July 9) the European Technology Platform (ETP) for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) welcomes the launch of the Bio Based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI JTI). This major Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) represents a significant step forward to the realisation of a European bioeconomy.

SusChem has actively supported the development of the BBI JTI and looks forward to working with the initiative to deliver a sustainable, competitive economy for Europe able to tackle some of our biggest societal challenges and bioeconomy opportunities.

The BBI JTI is being launched with six other JTIs (including JTI on ‘Fuel Cells and Hydrogen’ and ‘Innovative Medicines’) at an event with European Commission President Barroso, Vice Presidents Neelie Kroes and Siim Kallas, and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science (all pictured below at the BBI JTI stand). Together, the JTIs represent a significant joint public-private investment in research and innovation for Europe’s future.

Bio Based Innovation
The BBI JTI will enable a €3.7 billion injection into the European economy between 2014 and 2024, with €975 million provided by the European Commission and €2.7 billion from the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), to develop the emerging bioeconomy. The JTI will finance research and innovation projects and create new and novel partnerships across industry sectors (including agriculture, technology providers, forestry/pulp and paper, chemicals and energy).

The aim of the BBI is to use Europe's untapped biomass and wastes as feedstock to make greener, sustainable everyday products and renewable feedstock.

“At the heart of this initiative are advanced biorefineries and innovative technologies that use sustainable chemistry to convert renewable resources into sustainable chemicals, materials and fuels,” says Dr Gernot Klotz, Executive Director Research at Cefic and SusChem board member.

“The BBI JTI can help develop the building blocks needed to shift from a fossil- and imports-based society to increase the EU’s rate of economic growth, boost jobs – especially in rural areas, rejuvenate industries and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he continues. “New bio-based industries can increase the competitiveness of the European economy through re-industrialisation and sustainable growth along with other Key Enabling Technologies.”

Four of the six main Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) identified to be critical to strengthening Europe’s industrial and innovation capacity are from the chemical sector: advanced materials, industrial biotechnology, nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing.

BBI launch

Opening the launch of the JTIs this afternoon José Manuel Barroso (above), President of the European Commission, said: "Only if the best brains from academia, industry, SMEs, research institutes and other organisations come together can we successfully tackle the huge challenges that we are facing. This is what public-private partnerships are about, the joining of forces to make the lives of Europeans better, create jobs and boost our competitiveness. We are committed to prioritising the impact of the European budget on the recovery, and these partnerships are doing just that, with first calls for proposals for € 1.1 billion to be matched by industry, within a package representing an overall € 22 billion boost to growth and jobs creation over seven years. They will continue delivering results that no single country, company or even the European Union as such would achieve alone."

The launch of first calls comes almost exactly one year after the European Commission put forward the Innovation Investment Package, a set of proposals to establish seven public-private and four public-public partnerships (including SPIRE, see below).

Commenting on the BBI launch today Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said: "The bioeconomy has huge potential that is attracting investments all around the world. With this new partnership, we want to harness innovative technologies to convert Europe’s untapped renewable resources and waste into greener everyday products such as food, feed, chemicals, materials and fuels, all sourced and made in Europe."

Peder Holk Nielsen, CEO of Novozymes, added on behalf of the industry partner, the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC): “The BBI is an unprecedented public-private commitment because of its focus on bringing bio-based solutions to the market. It is an opportunity to deliver sustainable growth in European regions and to reverse the investment trend currently going to other regions of the world.”

Concluding the launch event Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (above) said: "As we heard earlier today, only through joint investments in developing our research and innovation capacity can we create the new jobs and growth to overcome the current economic crisis. The challenge is, of course, to make sure that such investments deliver tangible impacts: to help accelerate the development of new technologies and innovations, to generate new markets for innovative products and services; and to deliver good jobs and major benefits to society. I am confident that the JTIs presented here will live up to this challenge. The first calls for proposals illustrate the kind of activities that JTIs will support in our goal of accelerating the deployment of great ideas from the lab into the market – for example large scale demonstrators, testing and prototyping."

BBI and SPIRE together
The BBI JTI builds on ‘SusChem inspired’ projects such as EUROBIOREF: one of three large FP7 projects in a joint call on advanced biorefineries that responded to SusChem’s visionary project: ‘The Integrated Biorefinery’. Innovations from other SusChem FP7 projects such as the F3 Factory will also contribute to the integration of bio based processes into the economy.

“The BBI JTI is one of two major PPPs that SusChem is proud to have inspired: the other being the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) PPP,” says Dr Klotz. “SPIRE and the BBI JTI will work closely together along defined areas of common interest and will use their synergies to help deliver high resource and energy efficiency that can lay the foundation of the circular economy in Europe, alongside the materials programme of SusChem.”

BBI explained 
The BBI JTI is a €3.7 billion Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC). The BBI is dedicated to realising the European bioeconomy potential, turning biological residues and wastes into greener everyday products through innovative technologies and biorefineries, which are at the heart of the bioeconomy. The Bio-based Industries Consortium - the industrial partner in the PPP - is constituted by a unique mix of sectors including agriculture, agro-food, technology providers, forestry/pulp and paper, chemicals and energy. A short video  explaining what the BBI JTI is all ablout has also been published (see below).


A fact sheet on the BBI and its activities is available and more information can be found at the BBI website.

An Info Day on the BBI will take place on 2 September 2014 in Brussels and will be a 'must-attend' event for all stakeholders interested in understanding the BBI rules for participation.

Five value chains
Organised in five value chains – that range from primary production to consumer markets – the BBI will help fill the innovation gap between technology development and commercialisation, sustainably realising the potential of bio-based industries in Europe.

The BBI is a shift from a fossil- and imports-based society to increase Europe’s share of sustainable economic growth, and is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs (80% in rural areas), revitalise industries, diversify farmers’ incomes, and reduce GHG emissions by at least 50% in comparison to fossil-based applications.

The aim of the BBI is to use Europe's untapped biomass and wastes as feedstock to make fossil-free and greener everyday products. At the heart of it are advanced biorefineries and innovative technologies that will convert renewable resources into sustainable bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels.

The BBI will manage the investments in the form of research and innovation projects that are defined in annual Calls for Proposals and implemented across European regions. In line with Horizon 2020 rules, all stakeholders are invited to submit innovative proposals and demonstrate progress beyond state-of-the-art.

The BBI is dedicated to realising the European bioeconomy potential, turning biological residues and wastes into greener everyday products through innovative technologies and biorefineries, which are at the heart of the bioeconomy.

The BBI is about connecting key sectors, creating new value chains and producing a range of innovative bio-based products to ultimately form a new bio-based community and economy.

Bio-based Industries: using renewable natural resources and innovative technologies for greener everyday products developing new value chains for bio-based industries, from primary production to consumer markets;

• Using innovative technologies to turn biological residues and wastes into greener everyday products;
• Moving from fossil-based to biobased products: planting the seeds for the European circular economy;
• Supporting regional development by diversifying the local economy;
• Promoting the opening of new markets for bio-based products and applications “Made in Europe”.

The BBI JTI will help create new jobs, especially in rural regions, and offer Europeans new and sustainable products sourced and produced locally. New bio-based industries can increase the
competitiveness of the European economy through re-industrialisation and sustainable growth.

The development of new bio-based products and markets based on smart and efficient use of resources will diversify industries’ revenue streams.

The BBI is expected to bridge European research knowledge with commercial scale bio-based products, making full use of European scientific and technological knowledge. The BBI should benefit all Member States where regions can play an important role through their Smart Specialisation Strategies.

Seven JTIs
The BBI was one of seven JTIs launched at a special event in Brussels on 9 July. Fact sheets on all seven JTI are available via the links below:

• Bio-based Industries
• Clean Sky 2
• Electronic Components and Systems
• Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2
• Innovative Medicines Initiative 2
• SESAR
• Shift2Rail

For more information, please visit the SusChem website or contact Esther Agyeman-Budu, Cefic communication manager for research and innovation.

An extended SusChem 10th Anniversary video describing the platform, its achievements and its contribution to BBI has also been published on YouTube.

Ten Years of SusChem: Celebrating Success, Preparing for the Next Decade

Today (11 June) in Brussels the European Technology Platform (ETP) for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) is celebrating 10 years of achievement in sustainable research and innovation in Europe. Since its launch in 2004 SusChem has made significant contributions in areas from industrial biotechnology to process technologies and the development of new materials. And SusChem is preparing to do even more during the next decade. Over two days SusChem will be celebrating its achievements so far and looking to future activities in the context of its new Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA).

Clear commitment to Europe
Over the past 10 years SusChem has benefited from the solid commitment to sustainable chemistry of a broad range of stakeholders from industry, academia, and research and technology organization (RTOs) from all parts of Europe to build an invaluable network for sustainable chemistry across the continent.

Through its network of national technology platforms (NTPs), and a proactive approach to other industrial and technology sectors, SusChem is a trusted partner for research and innovation activities with the European Union and its member states. SusChem is officially recognised as a platform in the European Commission’s new research and innovation programme Horizon 2020.

A decade of achievement

Over the past 10 years SusChem has inspired research and innovation projects worth well over one billion euros: the vast majority funded via the European Commission’s FP7 programme. Under Horizon 2020 SusChem is proud to have inspired two major new public-private-partnerships (PPPs) that will deliver real competitive advantage for Europe: the Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency (SPIRE) PPP and the Bio-based Industries (BBI) Joint Technology Initiative (JTI).

“SusChem is leading the development of many of the key enabling technologies that are indispensable to achieving sustainable solutions for our most pressing societal challenges,” said Chairman of the SusChem Board Dr. Klaus Sommer (pictured right).

The next 10 years: breaking new boundaries 
On June 11 and 12 the new SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda (SIRA) will be discussed. The SIRA will set SusChem’s research and innovation priorities for the medium term.

An executive summary of the SIRA can be downloaded here.

However, to ensure future sustainable growth and competitiveness in Europe needs more than innovative sustainable technologies. To successfully compete with the US and China Europe must play to its strengths in a united effort to establish a sustainable, innovative and dynamic society.

“The proximity of European value chains across many different sectors, the possibility to easily work together on highly technical, cross-border projects, and the European economic eco-system of large and small enterprises working together give Europe a strong head-start to deliver the sustainable technologies the world needs,” commented Dr. Sommer.

And to enable Europe to meet the needs of our 21st century societal challenges, we also need a working population that is equipped with the right skill sets.

“We must make sustainable chemistry and science education in general more exciting and inspiring to attract more of our best young people with the right skills to science, technology and engineering careers. Without these skills Europe cannot build the sustainable future that we all want,” concluded Dr. Sommer.

The Stakeholder event
The SusChem Stakeholder event is taking place on 11 and 12 June 2014 at the Renaissance Hotel, Rue du Parnasse, Brussels with the theme: “Sustainable Chemistry: At the Forefront of Innovation. Defining the New Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda for the Next Decade.”

For more information on the event keep an eye on the SusChem blog or follow @suschem on twitter. We will be tweeting pictures and comments from the event under the hashtag #suschem10.

SusChem was initially formed as a joint initiative between Cefic, DECHEMA, EuropaBio, GDCh, ESAB and RSC with the objective to revitalize and inspire European chemistry and industrial biotechnology research, development, and innovation in a sustainable way.

SusChem was officially launched on Tuesday 6 July 2004 at an event hosted by the then Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin in Brussels. You can access Commissioner Busquin's speech from 6 July 2004 here (in French).

More information on the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SusChem) can be found on its website.

SusChem Stakeholder Event 2014 – Registration open now!

This year SusChem will be celebrating its tenth anniversary. And to mark a decade of sustainable chemistry research and innovation leadership in Europe the twelfth SusChem Stakeholder Event will be extra special! Our 10 year anniversary celebration will take place over two days in Brussels - on 11 and 12 June 2014 – and registration is now open!

The theme of the 10-year celebration is: 'Sustainable Chemistry: At the Forefront of Innovation.' At the event SusChem stakeholders will be able to contribute to defining our new Strategic Research Innovation Agenda (SIRA) for the next decade and we will be celebrating SusChem successes stories from the past ten years.

This special SusChem Stakeholder event takes place on 11 -12 June at the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels. Join us in celebrating this important occasion for SusChem and sustainable chemistry in Europe, and help to pave the way forward for future SusChem success!

The draft agenda for the event is now available and includes updates on SusChem activities and the opportunity to help shape important new developments for the SusChem community, including:

• Presentations and discussion on the new SIRA which will cover SusChem's priorities, as well as the new opportunities for funding schemes for SusChem projects over the next decade!
• A showcase of the role and the impact of SusChem’s National Technology Platforms  and the many ways they contribute to SusChem's mission and activities now and into the future.
• Presentations on Future and Emerging Technologies in Horizon 2020 and the 'why, how and when' of Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).
• A celebration of ten years of achievements in sustainable chemistry and a forward look to another decade of breakthrough innovation in sustainable chemistry!

SusChem history
The SusChem European Technology Platform was officially launched in Brussels on 6 July, 2004 by the European Commission, together with Cefic and EuropaBio, with the aim to "increase the attractiveness of investments in chemical R&D and innovation in Europe."

SusChem was launched as a multi-stakeholder forum to develop a European strategic research agenda in three prioritised technology areas: industrial biotechnology, materials and process. It was also designed to address non-technological barriers to chemical innovation. A launch document highlighting the rationale, scope and organisation of the Technology Platform (see below) acted as a thought starter for the development of the initial Strategic Research Agenda and action plan.

“Research is the primary source of innovation in the knowledge-intensive chemical industry and is driving the sector forward,” says European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin at the 2004 launch event. “The European chemical industry has an impressive track record of developing new products and manufacturing processes, but the challenge is to improve the transformation of laboratory ideas into new sustainable products and services to boost EU competitiveness.”

“The Platform offers a great opportunity to merge industry’s and the EU’s ambitions by focusing and aligning collaborative research in support of a more competitive and more sustainable industry,” says Jan Dopper of DSM’s Managing Board and the chair of Cefic’s Research and Science Board in 2004. “Engagement with all stakeholders will be key to stimulate and focus the innovation process”.

The launch document was developed by Cefic and EuropaBio in consultation with the European Commission and showed that the Platform was (as now) a timely concept based on the Cefic study “Horizon 2015” that outlined the risk to the competitiveness of the European chemical industry and highlighted innovation as a main driver for the sector’s future competitiveness.

Save the Date: SusChem's 10th Anniversary Celebration

This year SusChem will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary. And to mark a decade of sustainable chemistry research and innovation leadership in Europe the 12^th SusChem Stakeholder Event will be extra special! Our 10 year anniversary celebration will take place over two days in Brussels: 11 and 12 June 2014.

The theme of the 10-year celebration is: 'Sustainable Chemistry: Always at the Forefront of Innovation.' At the event we will be looking for SusChem stakeholders to contribute to defining our new Strategic Research Innovation Agenda for the next decade and we will be celebrating SusChem successes stories from the past ten years.

Ten years of success
The SusChem European Technology Platform was officially launched in Brussels on 6 July, 2004 by the European Commission, together with Cefic and EuropaBio, with the aim to "increase the attractiveness of investments in chemical R&D and innovation in Europe."

“Research is the primary source of innovation in the knowledge-intensive chemical industry and is driving the sector forward,” said European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin at the launch. “The European chemical industry has an impressive track record of developing new products and manufacturing processes, but the challenge is to improve the transformation of laboratory ideas into new sustainable products and services to boost EU competitiveness.”

Save the date
This special SusChem Stakeholder event takes place on 11 -12 June at the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels. Join us in celebrating this important occasion for SusChem and sustainable chemistry in Europe, and help to pave the way forward for future SusChem success!

More details will be available soon and registration for the event will open on Monday 24 March via the SusChem website.

Watch EFIB 2013 Highlights!

The European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology 2013 (EFIB 2013) took place from 30 September to 2 October in Brussels. This sixth edition of EFIB, organised by SusChem founding partner EuropaBio, was by far the biggest yet and underlined the remarkable expansion of interest in industrial biotechnology across Europe and globally in recent years.

EFIB 2013 took place in The Square conference facility in central Brussels and was one of the highlights of the first ever European Biotech week. Over 700 delegates attended and an extensive biotech market place saw more than 45 exhibitors and 20 technology showcase presentations. And, of course, two whole days of conference sessions.

EuropaBio has produced a video highlights of the EFIB2013 conference. Enjoy!

EFIB 2014

Why not join this important EU bioeconomy event next year? EFIB2014 will be held in Reims, France. To get an insight into this exciting and rapidly evolving landscape and be part of the process of building a stronger more sustainable biobased economy be in Reims, Champagne-Ardenne France from 7 to 9 October 2014.

BioBased Industries Initiative at EFIB 2013

The European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology 2013 (EFIB 2013) took place last week from 30 September to 2 October in Brussels and the SusChem inspired Bioeconomy PPP was centre stage. This sixth edition of EFIB, organised by SusChem founding partner EuropaBio, was by far the biggest yet and underlined the remarkable expansion of interest in industrial biotechnology across Europe and globally in recent years.

EFIB 2013 took place in The Square conference facility in central Brussels and was one of the highlights of European Biotech week. Over 600 delegates attended and an extensive biotech market place saw more than 45 exhibitors and 20 technology showcase presentations. And, of course, two whole days of conference sessions.

Biobased Initiative
The BioBased Industries Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) is seen as a major opportunity for European biobased industries and an essential element to achieve a sustainable chemical sector. The initiative is one of the new JTIs that will be established under Horizon 2020 and was explicitly mentioned in the Communication on the Industrial Innovation Package published in July.

The Biobased Industries JTI, previously known as the BRIDGE 2020 public-private-partnership (PPP) proposal, has the primary aim of developing new and competitive biobased value chains that can replace the need for fossil fuels and also have a strong impact on rural development in Europe.

A dedicated session on the BioBased Industries JTI at EFIB 2013 was chaired and introduced by Marcel Wubbolts of DSM and a SusChem board member (on left of photo below). He described a biobased market that could be as large €200 billion by 2020 with the potential to create one million new jobs in Europe on the same timescale.

The role of the JTI is to demonstrate the production of innovative and sustainable biobased chemicals and materials that would be made using locally sourced biomass. The JTI will examine five value chains with each using a flagship project to provide validation at at least demonstration level.

The Biobased Industries Consortium (BIC) is the body that will be tasked with establishing the JTI once the formal go-ahead is given by the European Commission. Membership of the BIC is growing with 48 full members (mostly industrial), 57 associate members (including research and technology organisations and universities), 8 EU trade or sector associations and 3 European Technology Platform members including SusChem.

Wubbolts explained that the BioBased Industries JTI was currently presenting its strategic innovation roadmap to Member States and preparing initial research and innovation calls. If all goes to plan, the JTI will formally start in 2014 with the first calls out in mid 2014 and initial projects commencing in Q3/ Q4 2014.

Perspectives
Barend Verachtert, acting Head of the Biotechnologies Unit at the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation (in centre of photo) gave the Commission’s perspective on the Biobased Industries JTI declaring that: “Worldwide the bioeconomy race is on!”

But while third country investments had largely focused on food the EU focus was on integrated biorefineries – one of SusChem’s original visionary projects from 2004. The target was to produce at least 30% of EU chemicals from renewable sources by 2030, compared to around 10% today, Verachtert stated.

He also emphasised the strong regional potential for biobased industries and this raised a significant challenge to organise at both EU and national / regional level.


The BioBased Industries JTI was needed as a catalyser to create new value chains involving cross-sectorial collaborations between previously unrelated sectors. Verachtert highlighted the need for large-scale demonstration facilities and activities to help market uptake of biobased innovations and the notion of establishing a circular economy where waste (for example from agriculture) was transformed into value (such as chemical products).

He also was hopeful of final decisions on the JTI before end of 2013. Horizon 2020 should be officially adopted 10 December and this will allow the BioBased Industries JTI to start for real on 1 January 2014.

The view of a Member State was given by Jose Manuel Gonzalez of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (on right in photo). He indicated that the JTI was extremely well aligned with Spanish national biorefinery objectives: a sector with huge industrial potential.

In a question and answer session Marcel Wubbolts reiterated that the Consortium was looking for the JTI to be realised as soon as possible. But at the same time there was a need to manage the portfolio of proposed projects to ensure synergy and maximum impact.

BIC information
For more information on the BioBased Industries JTI visit the website or contact the BioBased Industries Consortium secretariat.

BIO-TIC Regional Events

During the Autumn the BIO-TIC FP7 project is organising a number of regional workshops throughout Europe. The aim of the BIO-TIC project is to develop an integrated roadmap and action plan for the successful development of industrial biotechnology in Europe. And the workshops are your opportunity to input your thoughts on how to overcome barriers to innovation in industrial biotechnology. 

Input from the workshops will be crucial in helping BIO-TIC develop an action plan which best addresses the needs of European stakeholders in this exciting growth area. Six regional workshops have recently been announced:

Poland: This free one-day workshop discussing issues surrounding the uptake of industrial biotechnology in Poland will be held on Thursday 19 September at Technopark, Łódź and is a satellite event to ‘The Second International Congress on Bioeconomy’ which is happening at Łódź on Friday 20 September. If you are interested in participating, please register online or contact Claire Gray at EuropaBio.

Spain: This free one-day workshop discussing issues surrounding the uptake of industrial biotechnology in Spain will be held on Wednesday 25 September at the Palacio de Congresos de Toledo.

Nordic Countries: This workshop discussing issues surrounding the uptake of industrial biotechnology in Nordic countries will be held on Thursday 3 October at Finlandia-talo, Helsinki.

Germany: This workshop discussing issues surrounding the uptake of industrial biotechnology in Germany will be held on Thursday 10 October in Hannover, Germany.

Italy: This workshop will discuss issues surrounding the uptake of industrial biotechnology in Italy. The workshop will be held on Thursday 24 October in Naples, Italy.

UK and Ireland: This free workshop discussing issues surrounding the uptake of industrial biotechnology in the UK and Ireland will be held on Tuesday 19 November in London.

For more information on the workshop series, please keep an eye on the BIO-TIC project website or contact BIO-TIC coordinator Claire Gray at EuropaBio for more information about registration and the workshop programmes.

What is BIO-TIC?
The BIO-TIC FP7 project is the largest network dedicated to industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy. Launched in September 2012, BIO-TIC is a three-year project offering “a solutions approach” centred on a solid road mapping exercise involving a broad stakeholder base from industry, knowledge organisations, governments and civil society.

The regional workshops are part of a series of stakeholder workshops that will take place at national and European level to reach a comprehensive view on the solutions BIO-TIC can offer to accelerate market uptake of industrial biotechnology and the development of the bioeconomy. The final aim of the project will be to draw up a blueprint document with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities.

You can find out more about the project at the BIO-TIC website and there is an active BIO-TIC Linked-In group that is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology.

The project is coordinated by EuropaBio, where Antoine Peeters is BIO-TIC Project.

Stories from the Biobased Economy

SusChem founding partner EuropaBio has recently launched a collection of short films that ‘show and tell’ how biobased innovation is contributing to a more sustainable, competitive and prosperous Europe. The short films show how we can successfully tackle issues such as food and energy security, climate change and resource efficiency, whilst creating jobs, regenerating industries and reviving rural communities through the application of industrial biotechnology and sustainable chemistry.

The introductory video to the biobased economy is embedded below and you can find it and five other videos on the dedicated biobasedindustries website.


BIO-TIC – your bioeconomy gateway 
The BIO-TIC FP7 project is the largest network dedicated to industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy.

Launched in September 2012, BIO-TIC is a three-year project offering “a solutions approach” centred on a solid road mapping exercise involving a broad stakeholder base from industry, knowledge organisations, governments and civil society.

A series of stakeholder workshops will take place at national and European level to reach a comprehensive view on the solutions BIO-TIC can offer to accelerate market uptake of industrial biotechnology and the development of the bioeconomy. The final aim of the project will be to draw up a blueprint document with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities.

You can find out more about the project at the BIO-TIC website and there is an active BIO-TIC Linked-In group that is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology.

BIO-TIC launches Partnering Platform

The BIO-TIC FP7 project has launched its own partnering platform. BIO-TIC is the largest network dedicated to industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy. The BIO-TIC partnering platform forms an integral part of this important EU-funded project that can help you build and enlarge your personal network of contacts within the European bioeconomy scene.

The BIO-TIC partnering platform gives you the opportunity to join the largest international community of bio-based industry experts.

By joining the platform you will get comprehensive information on several thousand organisations in the European bioeconomy, details on experts and their fields of expertise, current funding programmes and projects, new offers , requests, products and services, relevant events in the bioeconomy sector, bioeconomy job opportunities and much, much more.

You can also make use of the BIO-TIC platform to present your expertise to the international bioeconomy community, promote your products, services, offers and requests to their best advantage, publish a comprehensive and attractive presentation of your organisation and take part in the discussions and consultations within BIO-TIC that are leading to the development of an action plan for industrial biotechnology in Europe.

Networking +
Above all, through joining the BIO-TIC partnering platform, you can build up and maintain your own personal network of experts. With the platform’s user-friendly search engine you can quickly and simply identify potential business and cooperation partners and the platform has a variety of diverse features for establishing contacts, such as personal networks and bookmarks, that you can set to your personal preference.

Other features allow users to display of lists of participants (consisting of other BIO-TIC users) who are going to attend events that you also plan to attend and the “Meet me at” function enables you to selectively invite BIO-TIC users to meetings at events you are attending.

The earlier you start your BIO-TIC activities online, the earlier you will benefit from potential cooperation and business partners and the sooner you can be contacted by other BIO-TIC users.

So register now - both registration and use of the BIO-TIC partnering platform is completely free!

If you have any questions about the platform, please visit the BIO-TIC website or contact Dr. Andreas Scriba.

About BIO-TIC
The Industrial Biotech Research and Innovation Platforms Centre – towards Technological Innovation and solid foundations for a growing industrial biotech sector in Europe’ project (BIO-TIC) was launched in September 2012 and is a three-year project offering “a solutions approach” centred on a solid road mapping exercise that will involve a broad stakeholder base from industry, knowledge organisations, governments and civil society. Three intermediary roadmaps will focus on market assessments and projections, research and innovation as well as non-technological barriers such as feedstock.

A series of stakeholder workshops will take place at national and European level to reach a comprehensive view on solutions BIO-TIC can offer to accelerate market uptake of industrial biotechnology. The project has already identified five biobased product groups that could boost European competitiveness.

The final aim of the project will be to draw up a blueprint document with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities.

You can find out more about the project at the BIO-TIC website and there is an active BIO-TIC Linked-In group that is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology.

The project is coordinated by EuropaBio. More information can be found on the BIO-TIC website or by contacting Antoine Peeters, BIO-TIC Project Manager at EuropaBio.

EFIB evolves for 2013

Now in its sixth year the European Forum for Industrial Biotech (EFIB) has transformed into the premier marketplace for the European biobased economy. Responding to the tremendous success of EFIB 2012 organisers EuropaBio and Smithers Rapra are aiming to deliver the biggest and most ambitious congress in the sector in 2013. And the full event programme published today (30 April) shows that their ambitions are on course for fulfillment.

EFIB 2013 will be held in the prestigious SQUARE conference venue in Brussels on 30 September to 2 October. This year’s event marks the transformation of EFIB from a large conference to a full scale congress. The event will attract over 1,000 professionals working within the dynamic and sustainable biobased industry to meet, debate and shape the future of the sector. EFIB 2013 will build on its growing reputation as the place where business and policy makers meet with an exciting new format.

In this its sixth year, EFIB is expanding its programme to consist of two high-level plenary sessions including senior ministers and commissioners; CEO’s from global biotechnology leaders participating in Question Time; two focused workshops and roundtable discussions. Attendees can customise their experience with themed conference tracks on Innovation, Feedstocks and Finance.

Pre-confernce workshops on 30 September will cover the 'Wood-based bioeconomy' and 'Marine Biotechnology'. A particular highlight on the second day is a session dedicated to the SusChem supported BRIDGE 2020 Public -Private-Partnership proposal.

In addition an exhibition hall with over 50 stands, and featuring a Technology Showcase running over two days, will be visited by delegates from around the globe.

Collaboration and partnership
“Collaboration and partnerships are essential catalysts for enabling biobased industries to deliver on their potential for providing sustainable solutions. EFIB has become the definitive meeting place for establishing and strengthening these links throughout the value chain,” explained Joanna Dupont-Inglis, Industrial Biotechnology Director at Europabio. “The return of EFIB to Brussels represents an excellent opportunity to increase engagement between industry, policy makers and stakeholders. Capturing the momentum generated by this innovative and transformative industry.”

Ciaran Little, Head of Events at Smithers Rapra commented “EFIB 2012 in Dusseldorf set records for both attendance and value to the industry, but the bar is raising with exciting plans to transform EFIB into a major congress.  We are confident we can add value for attendees and sponsors, heightening awareness and exposure for the developments in this dynamic sector.’

One delegate to EFIB 2012 in Dusseldorf described the event as “An excellent opportunity to be informed about the latest technical and business trends.” And EFIB promises to be even bigger and better.

EFIB 2013 will be held at the Square Conference Centre in Brussels

More information
EFIB debuted in Brussels in 2008 and featured an elite group of 100 industry leaders and has grown in every successive year. To be part of EFIB 2013 visit the website and find out more. The full programme for EFIB 2013 is here and registration details can be found here.

BIO-TIC identifies Five Breakthrough Bio-based Products

The SusChem inspired BIO-TIC FP7 has identified five bio-based product groups that could have the potential to boost EU competitiveness and make a breakthrough in industrial biotechnology.

The five business cases were selected following a meeting of the BIO-TIC Advisory Committee earlier in 2013. The five business cases were selected from a list of the most promising bio-based chemicals in order to assess market orientations and 'societal' potential in Europe up to 2030.

All the cases were selected according to a criteria grid that analysed their industrial biotechnology breakthrough potential, their competitiveness in the EU market, their critical mass (analysed in terms of market projection for value and growth potential), their environmental impact, and their societal impacts.

The five product groups are:

• Non drop-in bio-based polymers (PLA and PHA)
• Chemical building blocks (platform chemicals – with a focus on succinic acid, isoprene, furfural, 1.3-PDO & 3-HPA)
• Bioethanol (2nd generation biofuels from waste) and bio-based jet fuels
• Biosurfactants
• CO2 as a bio-based feedstock

These product groups are all thought to be EU- competitive, have the potential to overcome non bio-based industry barriers, and will introduce 'cross-cutting' technology ideas.

Enzymes were not selected as a specific business case as they were considered to be a cross-cutting element that should be part of all of the five product groups selected.

For more information about the business cases, contact BIO-TIC project coordinator Antoine Peeters.

About BIO-TIC
The 'Industrial Biotech Research and Innovation Platforms Centre – towards Technological Innovation and solid foundations for a growing industrial biotech sector in Europe’ project (or BIO-TIC) was launched in September 2012 and is a three-year project offering “a solutions approach” centred on a solid road mapping exercise that will involve a broad stakeholder base from industry, knowledge organisations, governments and civil society. Three intermediary road maps will focus on market assessments and projections, research and innovation as well as non-technological barriers such as feedstock.

A series of stakeholder workshops will take place at national and European level to reach a comprehensive view on solutions BIO-TIC can offer to accelerate market uptake of industrial biotechnology. The final aim of the project will be to draw up a blueprint document with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities.

You can find out more about the project at the BIO-TIC website and there is an active BIO-TIC Linked-In group that is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology. The project is coordinated by EuropaBio.

Stakeholder event on BIO-PPP

On 9 January the European Commission will report back on the results of the stakeholder consultation on the Bio-based industries PPP (BIO-PPP). The event will take place in Brussels and be opened by Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General of the Commission’s DG RTD.

Following the launch of an online public consultation on 21 September on "Bio-based industries, towards a public-private partnership under Horizon 2020", DG RTD is organising a one-day stakeholder meeting on 9 January 2013 in Brussels. The aim of the meeting will be to present industry's vision and objectives for this partnership together with the strategic innovation and research agenda and the results of the online public consultation, which is now closed.

The meeting will be opened by DG RTD Director-General Robert-Jan Smits, followed by speakers from industry and research organisations. The meeting will provide ample opportunities for discussion of the proposals.

All those directly or indirectly connected with the bio-based industries, including representatives of public authorities, farmers and foresters, businesses and associations, academics and technical experts, civil society organisations and individual citizens are encouraged to attend the meeting and to provide their views and feedback on the planned partnership.

A final report on the outcome of the online public consultation will be published later in 2013, taking into account the conclusions from this stakeholder meeting.

Registration
Meeting will take place in the Gaspari meeting room in the Charlemagne Building at Rue de la Loi 170, Brussels. Registration for the meeting is open until 4 January 2013. To register you need to send an email to RTD-KBBE-Experts@ec.europa.eu including your first and last name, date of birth, country of origin and professional occupation.

For more information on the BIO-PPP proposal and the consultation process, please contact the consortium secretariat at CEPI.

BIO-PPP is a proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) on the Bio-Based Industries which aims to lead the transition in Europe towards sustainable alternatives to our current petroleum/ fossil fuel-based society. The aim of the initiative is to help establish a new European bioeconomy encompassing all stages in the value chain from biomass harvesting and logistics via efficient conversion processes to the manufacture of bio-based products. The industry group behind the initiative comprises major companies from a cross-section of sectors including forest, agricultural, paper, chemical, energy, fuels and biotechnology.

BIO-TIC Video

BIO-TIC, the SusChem supported FP7 project examining how to overcome barriers to the optimum exploitation of industrial biotechnology to address major global challenges such as climate change and the need to develop a more sustainable and resource-efficient economy, has just released a new public video. The video can be viewed below - please share the link with your colleagues.

The video features project coordinator Jasmiina Laurmaa of EuropaBio explaining the aims of BIO-TIC and the major hurdles that it aims to address. These hurdles include technological bottlenecks, market entry and institutional barriers as well as funding challenges. An integrated approach is needed to overcome these hurdles, with a clear perception of their nature and the way they interrelate.

BIO-TIC was launched in September 2012 and is a three-year project offering “a solutions approach” centered on a solid roadmapping exercise that will involve a broad stakeholder base from industry, knowledge organisations, governments and civil society. Three intermediary roadmaps will focus on market assessments and projections, research and innovation as well as non-technological barriers such as feedstock.

A series of stakeholder workshops will take place at national and European level to reach a comprehensive view on solutions BIO-TIC can offer to accelerate market uptake of industrial biotechnology.

The final aim of the project will be to draw up a blueprint document with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities.

In addition, the project will develop and market test a methodology to measure the growth of biomass use and industrial biotechnology in the market as metric to evaluate the impact of the project.

Get involved with BIO-TIC
BIO-TIC aims to be a truly dynamic open innovation network and will engage with all relevant value-chain partners, promoting and facilitating active discussion groups across all industrial biotechnology sectors.

You can find out more about the project at the BIO-TIC website which also includes a project partnering platform. In addition there is an active BIO-TIC Linked In group with over 60 members that is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology.

The BIO-TIC project is funded via the European Commission’s FP7 research programme and its full project title is ‘The Industrial Biotech Research and Innovation Platforms Centre – towards Technological Innovation and solid foundations for a growing industrial biotech sector in Europe’. The project is coordinated by EuropaBio.

BIO-TIC makes a Solid Start

Despite the many significant drivers for applying industrial biotechnology to tackle the major challenges facing our global society today, including climate change, dwindling fossil fuel resources and the need to develop a more sustainable and resource-efficient industry, many hurdles continue to hamper the full exploitation of its potential. This is where BIO-TIC, a SusChem-inspired FP7 project that launched last week, comes in and the project is looking for your input.

The BIO-TIC project is “a solutions approach” centered on an extensive roadmap development process that will comprehensively examine the many barriers to innovation in industrial biotechnology across Europe and formulate action plans and recommendations to overcome them. The project’s kick-off meeting took place in Brussels on 6 September 2012.

Hurdles
BIO-TIC aims to establish an overview of the barriers to biotech innovation and design a clear action plan. This solid roadmapping exercise requires the involvement of stakeholders from industry as well as from knowledge organisations and other stakeholders including governments and NGOs.

The final aim of the project will be to draw up a set of recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities. The process used to develop the roadmap and recommendations will engage with all the relevant value-chain partners, promoting and facilitating active discussion groups across all industrial biotechnology sectors and leaving a partnering platform that will make a major contribution to continuing accelerated take-up of industrial biotechnology once the project is completed.

In addition, the project will develop and market test a set of shared indicators and a methodology to measure the growth of biomass use and industrial biotechnology in the market as metric to evaluate the impact of the project.

Examples of the hurdles facing the deployment of biotechnology include:

• Lack of awareness among industrial stakeholders about the potential benefits of industrial biotechnology,
• The high level of investment required for proof-of-concept and piloting of new biotechnological technologies,
• Lack of knowledge regarding migration paths from established manufacturing bases to alternatives based on industrial biotechnology,
• Insufficient insights into Life Cycle Impacts of industrial biotechnology,
• Lack of standards and agreed certification schemes in industrial biotechnology
• Lack of private finance for new business developments and demonstration plants in the area.

Some of these hurdles are connected to technological bottlenecks; others are related to funding, policy regimes or societal acceptance. To overcome these hurdles requires a clear perception of their nature and the way they interrelate.

Link into BIO-TIC
BIO-TIC wants to take into account visions and interests from all relevant stakeholders to form a coherent plan. A number of communication tools are being developing, including a project website to be launched later in the year, but if you want to get involved with BIO-TIC right now then you can join its BIO-TIC LinkedIn group or visit its website.

This new Linked-in group will establish a virtual discussion forum to debate BIO-TIC issues and is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology. Visit the BIO-TIC linked-in group now!

The BIO-TIC project is funded via the European Commission’s FP7 research programme and its full title is ‘The Industrial Biotech Research and Innovation Platforms Centre – towards Technological Innovation and solid foundations for a growing industrial biotech sector in Europe’. The project is coordinated by EuropaBio.

BIO-PPP Consultation Launched

A crowded meeting in Brussels on 10 September saw the launch of a widespread stakeholder consultation on the proposed BIO-PPP. Some 170 delegates met in the Renaissance Hotel to find out more about the proposal and listen to views from various industry sectors, academics and national government speakers.

BIO-PPP is a proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) on the Bio-Based Industries which aims to lead the transition in Europe towards sustainable alternatives to our current petroleum/ fossil fuel-based society. The aim of the initiative is to help establish a new European bioeconomy encompassing all stages in the value chain from biomass harvesting and logistics via efficient conversion processes to the manufacture of bio-based products. The industry group behind the initiative comprises major companies from a cross-section of sectors including forest, agricultural, paper, chemical, energy, fuels and biotechnology.

The aim of the Brussels meeting was to increase the visibility of the initiative and initiate a consultation process on a draft strategic research and innovation agenda. The meeting was organised by the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) who are hosting the BIO-PPP secretariat. The presentations made at the meeting are now available from the CEPI website.

Status
Marco Mensink of CEPI described the current status of the BIO-PPP. The initiative had been started in February 2012 with the launch of the European Commission's Bioeconomy Communication and an initial recruitment of partner organisations (including SusChem).

The BIO-PPP vision document was now finalised and following the consultation process it is hoped to finalise the Research and Innovation Roadmap in late September/ early October. An Impact Assessment will be undertaken by December 2012 and the initiative is aiming to become a legal entity at around the same time. The PPP would build further during 2013 with the final goal to be ready by January 2014 for the commencement of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme.

Speakers from the German Ministries of Agriculture and Research welcomed the initiative to support the growth of a sustainable bioeconomy. They recognised that there was a need to get the right implementation structure for a harmonised EU-bioeconomy strategy and that research and development activities were key.

The initiative complemented the recently published German National Research Strategy Bioeconomy 2030 that is funded to the tune of some €2.6 billion already (from public and private sources) and was working from an entire value chain creation approach.

SPIRE – BIO docking?
During questions the issue of the need to avoid overlap between the BIO-PPP and the SPIRE (Sustainable Process Industry through Resource and Energy Efficiency) initiative was voiced by a number of delegates. Clearly both PPPs have their own identities and cover distinct and far reaching fields of activity with extensive industry participation in each. They also share a number of organisations as partners including Cefic, EuropaBio and SusChem.

Although each PPP represents a roadmap towards delivery of benefits and improvements to different areas of EU industry, the environment and the economy, there are nevertheless areas of communality and a space where both PPPs meet, adding value to one another’s potential deliverables.

There have been extensive discussions between the two initiatives to ensure duplication and redundancy are avoided and that the two PPPs offer clear benefits to Europe by complementing each other in developing comprehensive innovative and sustainable solutions. Clear docking points between the two proposed PPPs have been described to avoid unproductive overlap and to reinforce mutual supporting activities.

More information
To obtain more information on the BIO-PPP, including copies of the Vision and Research Roadmap documents and to find out how to get involved with the consultation process, please contact the consortium secretariat at CEPI.

The consultation process for the SPIRE Roadmap is also still open until 1 October. So far well over 200 individual responses have been received. To access the SPIRE consultation click here, to download a copy of the draft SPIRE roadmap click here.

SusChem at ACHEMA 2012

ACHEMA 2012 takes place in Frankfurt from 18 to 22 June and SusChem will be taking an active part. ACHEMA is the world forum for the process industry, chemical engineering, environmental protection and biotechnology and SusChem is heavily involved in the ‘Biobased World’ theme.

Biobased World is an integral part of ACHEMA 2012 and is tagged as ‘the venue where the bioeconomy becomes visible.’ SusChem is one of the organizers of a joint event – ‘European Bioeconomy: From Knowledge via Demonstration to Products and Markets’.

The conference will cover the complete value chain from the regulatory environment at EU level via the availability of feedstock and the necessary logistical integration of the agricultural and chemical industries, the holistic approach of biorefineries and the conditions for successful market entry of new bio-based products and services.

There are five consecutive sessions over the two days:

• Part 1 – Towards a European Bioeconomy and Horizon 2020: the framework
• Part 2 – Feedstock availability and the Value Chain
• Part 3 – Conversion of Biomass: Biorefineries
• Part 4 – Via Demonstration to Products and Markets
• Part 5 – Innovative Business Models and Public-Private-Partnerships

This conference runs on 20 and 21 June and will include high-ranking speakers from European and national institutions, industry and other significant stakeholders in the bioeconomy. SusChem board member Peter Nagler of Evonik will present a SusChem overview of issues discussed at the conference from a technology platform point of view and Joanna Dupont Inglis of EuropaBio offer her conclusions and outlook at the end of the conference together with Alfredo Aguilar of the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation.

More details of the conference and registration details can be found here. The cost of attending the conference is included in ACHEMA 2012 ticket price, but space will be limited so registration is necessary to ensure participation.

BIOCHEM at Biobased
SusChem innovation project BIOCHEM will also be taking a leading role on the Biobased World by running one of its innovative Accelerator Forums and taking a stand in the exhibition area.

A BIOCHEM Accelerator Forum combines technology transfer, partnering and venture capital events in one single location: your one-stop shop for market entry in the bioeconomy. The forum takes throughout ACHEMA 2012 with various concurrent events.

The BIOCHEM partnering event matches requests and offers for cooperation and creates one-to-one meeting schedules during the event in a dedicated partnering area, while Technology Transfer Days will bring together researchers with relevant ideas with novel products, start-up companies and SMEs with the potential to develop new bio-based business, and large industrial stakeholders.

The Venture Capital event is for early-stage, high potential start-up companies looking for funding or partnering and the Teaching Class is a two-hour training seminar for entrepreneurs and their advisors to be introduced to the BIOCHEM toolbox: a set of business and other tools that can help companies assess their potential for success in the bioeconomy and point them towards success. The final round of the BIOCHEM Business Plan Competition will also be held at ACHEMA 2012.

For more details and registration please visit the BIOCHEM website. Following the ACHEMA the next BIOCHEM Accelerator Forum will be held in Bilbao, northern Spain on 19 – 21 September.

SusChem at Green Week 2012

The 12th edition of Green Week, Europe’s biggest annual conference on environmental policy, took place 22 to 25 May in Brussels and with this year’s theme of ‘Water - Every Drop Counts – The Water Challenge’ SusChem was a prominent participant.

The message from Green Week was clear: water is a valuable resource that needs to be used properly and sparingly. We must make sure that we have enough for all of its uses and we must avoid polluting our rivers, seas and oceans. Along with all other natural resources, water is one of the most vital for our continued existence on this planet.

SusChem founding partners Cefic (above) and EuropaBio (below) both had stands in the exhibition area together with partner organisations such the Water Technology Platform (WssTP).

ChemWater event
SusChem, WssTP and the European Membrane House (EMH) held an important workshop as part of Green Week on 24 May for the ChemWater FP7 project. The all-day event focused on identifying new tools and methodologies, technology gaps and the needs of other sectors that will be required to reach a water sustainable process industry vision by 2050.

The workshop attracted a good number of participants (see below) and the outputs will be used to revise the ChemWater vision, and as a basis for the European R&D Agenda, in programmes including Public-Private-Partnerships (PPP), European Innovation Partnerships (EIP), and Horizon 2020.

In particular the output of the ChemWater project will be directly linked to the recently adopted EIP on Water, and will provide information to set the priorities for research and innovation in its Strategic Implementation Plan and therefore the reference for future calls. The aim of the EIP on Water is to position Europe as the world leader in sustainable water management by boosting innovation.

Participants got an update on the potential timetable for the Water EIP. The implementation plan was likely to start the drafting process in August with the aim of adoption by December 2012 and the first calls from the EIP being announced in January 2013. Up to €40 million was available for funding of FP7 projects under the EIP and to accommodate the call process the deadline for these FP7 project submissions would be extended into April 2013.

Global tool
Another feature of the workshop was a presentation on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Global Water Tool. This tool helps companies and organizations map their water use and assess risks relative to their global operations and supply chains.

Find out more about the WBCSD Global Water Tool – and assess own organisation’s water situation – by downloading the tool for free from the WBCSD website.

Other highlights
Two other highlights caught SusChem’s eye at the Green Week exhibition.

Firstly the wealth of knowledge on Water issues to be found in the European Commissions Joint Research Centre (JRC). JRC has just published the first of a series of Science for Water thematic reports. You can find out more here.

Secondly the United Nations European Ad Competition on Water has produced some fantastic images and ideas. See the top 30 finalists in this competition here.

Biorefinery Study Bridging Gap Between Research and Market

A study released at the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bio-based Economy (EFIB) event in Amsterdam in October shows that Europe is well positioned to spearhead the development of a bio-based economy but must invest in demonstration activities to gain a competitive edge.

The “Biorefinery Feasibility Study” was launched by EuropaBio and nine partners, including DSM, Evonik, Genencor, Novozymes and Sud-Chemie, and undertaken by Dalberg Global Development Advisors. The study provides a blueprint for establishing integrated, demonstration scale biorefineries in the EU and recommends co-investments from public and private stakeholders to overcome the gap from research to market.

The “Integrated Biorefinery” concept was one of the original visionary projects described in SusChem’s Vision and Strategic Research Agenda. A cluster of FP7 projects are laying the knowledge-basis for such future bio-based facilities.

Vision, Value
Nathalie Moll, Secretary General of EuropaBio said: “The results present a vision, value chains and required capital investments, funding options, governance and implementation paths for demonstration biorefineries in the EU. These facilities are essential if we are to translate the full potential of our excellence in industrial biotech into smart, sustainable, marketable bio-based products and processes.”

The study provides a fact base on options and funding needs for demonstration biorefineries. It focuses on biotechnological conversion of agricultural residue, hard wood and energy crops into chemicals, materials and energy.

Biorefinery PPP?
According to the Dalberg study, diverse private sector interests mean competing sub-consortia of private and public stakeholders are likely to be most effective. The SPIRE PPP proposal that has been launched by the Resource and Energy Efficiency Partnership has included the topic of industrial biotechnology and biorefineries in their proposal and would provide excellent facilitation to access funding – including through Horizon 2020.

Other findings in the study include recommendations on the preferred location for biorefineries linked to synergies in co-location and feedstock availability. The study also outlines the need to focus on products with the highest added value, such as fuels and chemicals over heat and power, and to focus on funding for first-of-their-kind production plants and accessing funding to reduce risks to investors.

To find out more on the study and to access the full report contact EuropaBio either via Joanna Dupont-Inglis (Director, Industrial Biotechnology) or Rosalind Travers (Communications and Associations Liaison Officer).