IFIB 2019: the best in the bioeconomy has yet to come!

Three days of meetings, debates and presentations in Naples for IFIB from 2nd to 4th October. With around 250 participants from 30 different countries, the International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy is confirmed as a leading event of the circular bioeconomy in Europe.

Naples was truly the world capital of the bioeconomy, hosting innovative companies such as LanzaTech, Fater, Novamont, Terravesta, Pirelli and Sulzer, research centers such as National Research Council of Italy, VTT of Finland, Wageningen University and Fiat Automotive Research Center. And then: TEAGASC (Ireland), Frost & Sullivan (UK), European Forest Institute, OECD, Bioeconomy Cluster of Slovakia, Cluster Food+i (Spain), Irish Bioeconomy Foundation and many other world bioeconomy stakeholders.

The bioeconomy revolution is really unstoppable and I strongly believe that the best has yet to come! I would like to thank once again all friends and colleagues who join IFIB in Naples. It was amazing!

See you next year in Rome (stay tuned!)

MB

The global bioeconomy community gathers in Naples at IFIB

Gulf of Naples

Naples is the world capital of the bioeconomy. The International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (IFIB) is about to start today in the fascinating Italian city at the Congress Center of the University Federico II.

With more than 300 delegates in attendance from approximately 25 different countries from all around the world, the conference truly succeeds one more time in its ambitions aim to be one of the leading bioeconomy event at global level. Continue reading

The White House is seeking information on US bioeconomy

The White House

The Office of Science Technology and Policy (OSTP) requests input from all interested parties on the U.S. Bioeconomy. According to OSTP, “the Bioeconomy represents the infrastructure, innovation, products, technology, and data derived from biologically-related processes and science that drive economic growth, promote health, and increase public benefit.”

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Ursula von der Leyen presented the new team of the European Commission. Here the list of Commissioners for the bioeconomy

Berlaymont, European Commission’s Headquarter in Brussels

Following are nominees for the next European Commission. Job assignments were announced yesterday by the incoming president, Ursula von der Leyen of Germany.

Il Bioeconomista’s list focuses on commissioners more involved in the Bioeconomy.

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An exclusive interview with Daniele Ferrari, CEO Versalis (ENI) and President CEFIC

Daniele Ferrari. Courtesy of Versalis

“The bioeconomy offers great opportunities for the European chemical industry to create new products, diversify its raw material base and reduce its dependence on non-renewable resources”. To say it – in this long exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Daniele Ferrari, CEO Versalis, the Chemical Division of Italian oil giant ENI, and President CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council. Ferrari talks with us about the main challenges the European chemical industry is facing, the circular bioeconomy and the next steps of Versalis in the green chemistry field.

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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We don’t take this planet for granted. A new Manifesto for the circular bioeconomy: BioRev

A new movement focused on a circular bioeconomy, which brings together all people who strongly believe that a more sustainable world is possible. A movement which takes the leadership at global level to make the circular bioeconomy happen.

Manifesto

We want to launch the BioRev, a movement open to anyone who believes that the bioeconomy and the circular economy need joint forces to reconcile economy, society and the environment.

The two concepts have advanced in parallel but in order to become mainstream they need to mutually reinforce each other to be the basis of a new economic paradigm. We want to promote the spread of a new economic and social model, not only to preserve our environment and protect biodiversity, but also to reduce the social inequalities that the current model has produced. We are convinced that the circular bioeconomy is democracy.

We want to lead a movement that addresses the challenges that this millennium presents us with the awareness that there is no time to lose and that today we have all the knowledge and material conditions to generate wealth and qualified jobs without polluting the planet and compromising the health conditions of workers and citizens. Over fifty countries in the world, from north to south and from east to west, have included the circular bioeconomy in their programs of sustainable development and the fight against climate change. Yet still today there is a huge resistance from those who defend positions no longer defensible, without looking to our future and the one of new generations.

This generation, our generation, has an essential task: to reverse the trend, to create a new development within the limit of the planet that is inclusive for all, men and women, in the North and the South of the world. For this reason we launch this manifesto asking you to join the BioRev.

To join us leave a comment with your name, surname and country.

BioRev is Bioeconomy Revolution and also BIOeconomyREnewableVision

Mario Bonaccorso, Italy

Felice Amori, Italy

Tatjana Schwabe, Germany

Bernardo Silva, Brazil

Peter Flippo, Netherlands

Irene Baños Ruiz, Spain

Simão Soares, Portugal

Gianluca Carenzo, Italy

Marguerite Braudel, France

Emanuele Bompan, Italy

Domenico Centrone, Italy

Vito Carofiglio, Italy

Filippo Martinelli, Ireland

Ulrich Baumann, Germany

In Germany in 2020 the topic of the annual “Year of Science” is Bioeconomy

2nd Global Bioeconomy Summit, Berlin, April 2018

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Science announced that in 2020 the topic of the annual “Year of Science” will be Bioeconomy.

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John Bell in Helsinki: “In the Bioeconomy we need more Finlands”

John Bell in Helsinki

“We need more Finlands in the Bioeconomy”. This is what John Bell, director Bioeconomy at the EU Commission said yesterday in Helsinki at the European Bioeconomy Scene 2019, organized with the objective to achieve an inclusive and sustainable bioeconomy for Europe.

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Bioeconomy Scene 2019: Helsinki is the European capital of bioeconomy

John Bell, European Commission, at Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin (25 November 2015)

Helsinki is the European capital of bioeconomy. A Bioeconomy Conference is being organised to contribute to achieving an inclusive and sustainable bioeconomy for Europe. Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the European Commission are jointly organising the conference, and it is one of the events to be held in Helsinki under Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

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Global investors are urging world government leaders to step up ambition on climate change

Hong Kong

Investors from around the globe are urging world government leaders to step up ambition on climate change and enact strong policies by 2020 to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, including phasing out thermal coal power and pricing carbon. 477 investors with $34 trillion (USD) in assets, a record number of signatories, are behind the urgent call-to-action to limit average global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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