Politics

From wood to chemicals: UPM inaugurated pioneering biorefinery in Leuna, Germany

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UPM last Thursday inaugurated its biorefinery in Leuna, Germany, marking the start of a new industrial platform for renewable chemicals made from wood. The biorefinery converts lignocellulosic biomass, primarily wood from sustainably managed forests and sawmill residues, into biochemicals. With an annual capacity of 220,000 tonnes, it is the largest facility of its kind in the world. The ramp-up has progressed further. Enzymatic hydrolysis and the production of lignin-derived specialty chemicals have reached stable operation, and UPM is ramping up sales of these products.

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Dublin is ready to host the Global Bioeconomy Summit on October 19-21

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Dublin will welcome the world’s bioeconomy community for the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026 in October, bringing together global expertise at the Convention Centre Dublin during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Recognised as a leading global forum for bioeconomy policy, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration, the Global Bioeconomy Summit brings together political leaders, policy makers, industry leaders, researchers, investors, and civil society globally to accelerate sustainable, bio-based innovation and solutions.

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Singapore launched a $118m Bioeconomy Funding Initiative

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Singapore launched a $118m Bioeconomy Funding Initiative (Bioeconomy FI) to strengthen research and development in bio-based chemicals, materials, and products, the Economic Development Board announced. The initiative, under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 Plan, is the country’s largest funding initiative dedicated to the bioeconomy to date. Together with other programmes, it brings Singapore’s commitment to bioeconomy-related initiatives to approximately $200m over the next five years.

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Rome is the world capital of the bioeconomy: IFIB is taking place in the Eternal City

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Rome is today and tomorrow the cradle of the Industrial Renaissance led by the circular bioeconomy. The Eternal City is the world capital of the bioeconomy. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) is taking place here.

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30 strategies, three visions: What kind of bioeconomy is the world building?

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The bioeconomy is going global. But countries are not building the same bioeconomy. Across 30 national strategies, governments are looking to biological resources, biotechnology and biological production systems to support economic development, industrial transformation and sustainability. Yet behind the common term bioeconomy lie markedly different strategic choices.

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IFIB 2026 will be held on October 1-2 in Rome. The Eternal City will be the world capital of circular bioeconomy

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On October 1-2, Rome, Italy, will be the center of gravity of world bioeconomy. The Italian city capital will host the International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology. IFIB will be held at the WeGil hosted by Lazio Innova and Lazio Region.  With more than 200 delegates in attendance from approximately 25 different countries from all around the world, also thanks to a partnership with the Italian Trade Agency, the conference truly succeeds one more time in its ambitions aim to be one of the leading bioeconomy events at global level.

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Thailand’s Minister of Industry, Varawut Silpa-archa, visited NatureWorks’ new manufacturing facility at the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex

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A high-level delegation led by Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Industry of Thailand, visited NatureWorks’ manufacturing site at the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex (NBC). The visit – the American company claims – follows the successful inauguration of the site on April 29, 2026, and highlights the role of public-private collaboration in advancing Thailand’s sustainable industrial development and bioeconomy ambitions.

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EIT invests €70 million to boost innovation skills in universities and deepen cooperation with the European Universities Alliances

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Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has selected 35 projects to receive €70 million in funding to help higher education institutions (HEIs) across Europe turn research into real-world innovation, strengthen entrepreneurship education and deepen collaboration with businesses. Awarded through the 2025 EIT Higher Education Initiative’s Call for Proposals, the funding will support 552 organisations from 49 countries, including universities, businesses, research centres and public authorities. This investment marks a major step towards achieving the goal of equipping Europe’s future innovators with the skills needed to launch startups, bring new technologies to market, and drive Europe’s competitiveness.

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CBE JU published its 2025 Annual Activity Report: the EU bioeconomy is alive and well

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Virginia Puzzolo, Head of Program at CBE JU at IFIB 2023 in Florence

CBE JU has published its 2025 Annual Activity Report, presenting a year of strong demand, broader participation and tangible progress in supporting Europe’s circular bio-based sector. From record interest in the call for proposals, strong SME and newcomer participation to industrial deployment milestones, progress towards KPIs and wider engagement of new organisations and underrepresented countries, the latest results underline CBE JU’s contribution to the EU’s strategic goals. 

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EU Commission steps up action on Europe’s bioeconomy

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Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

The European Commission is stepping up the implementation of the EU’s Bioeconomy Strategy by launching three complementary initiatives. This includes the Bio-based Europe Alliance (BEA) to support market scale-up, the Bioeconomy Investment Deployment Group (BIDG) to improve access to finance, and the Expert Group on Bioeconomy to support implementation by Member States. As part of this, a new call for expression of interest to participate in the BEA was launched on Wednesday 10 June. It aims to address gaps across the value chain that prevent companies from scaling up and reaching full market deployment of bio-based materials and products. 

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