From September 6th to 8th, the European Bioeconomy Scientific Forum 2023 (EBSF2023) was held in Vienna (Austria).
Hosted by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences - BOKU, Vienna, this event had as objective “to promote the transformation towards a sustainable bioeconomy”. EBSF2023 was organized within the framework of the EBU Alliance.
The EBU Alliance, brings together six European members: AgroParisTech (France), University of Hohenheim (Germany), Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria) - which holds the presidency until 2024, University of Eastern Finland (Finland) and the University of Bologna (Italy). In September 2023, EBU welcomed two new members: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden) and Warsaw University of Life Sciences (Poland).
These Higher Education Institutions cover the various fields of the bioeconomy (primary agricultural and forestry production, food, biotechnologies, etc.). Their objective is to work together to meet the European challenges and issues linked to the development of the bioeconomy, by strengthening cooperation between its members.
AgroParisTech’s delegation, led by its Dean and executive Director Laurent Buisson, attended the Scientific Forum. It was composed of Professors and staff involved in the bioeconomy field at AgroParisTech, some of them also participating in Bioceb (among them: Professors Stéphanie Baumberger, Violaine Athès, Sandra Domenek, Benoit Gabrielle and members of the International and European relations office).
AgroParisTech international delegation at the European Bioeconomy Scientific Forum 2023
8 Bioceb students from the third cohort were given the opportunity to take part in the event, and to present a poster of their Green Line Project on behalf of their whole team.
Two of the GLP teams were awarded prizes of best posters:
- GLP Group 1.1: “Lignins-first flexible biorefinery: design of an integrated valorization process”
* students: Lorena DIAZ, Eldwin MAIDIONO, Razia SULTANA
* supervisors: Stéphanie Baumberger (AgroParisTech), Corine Ivaldi (URCA), Yevgen Karpichev (TalTech), and Adithya Raveendran (PhD, INRAE),
Lorena DIAZ, Eldwin MAIDIONO and Laurent BUISSON
- GLP Group 2: "3D printing of starch, PLA and Lignin"
* students: Jose BOLANOS ZEAS, Gabriel DAUCHOT, Pedro NAVARRO PLAZA, Shery Rose QUIENG, Sudip SHARMA
* supervisors: Yevgen Karpichev (TalTech), Aurore Richel & Quentin de Roover (ULiège)
Shery Rose QUIENG and Laurent BUISSON
During these days, the students benefited from fruitful exchanges with students from other Universities members of the EBU Alliance, but also with scientists, experts, policymakers, industry representatives, and other stakeholders from across Europe. Moreover, it was the opportunity for the students to meet staff from AgroParisTech and Bioceb in a new and professional context.
Hector Adiel FLORES NESTOR (GLP Group 1.2) presenting the poster "Production of astaxanthin from Rhodotorula toruloides".
Besides the opening and concluding sessions providing a broad view on Bioeconomy and its challenges regarding in relation with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the programme included two thematic sessions, “Identifying synergies for a holistic Bioeconomy approach” and “Promoting the social dimension of the transformation”. This last session found particular interest among the students, and opened to some of them new perspectives for their Master’s thesis and their future career.
Lorena DIAZ, Shery Rose QUIENG, Hector Adiel FLORES NESTOR and Fernanda THIMOTEO AZEVEDO JORGE.
Shery Rose QUIENG, Hector Adiel FLORES NESTOR, Anastasiya VALAKHANOVIC, Fernanda THIMOTEO AZEVEDO JORGE, Laurent BUISSON, Stéphanie BAUMBERGER, Nurdana ORYNBEK, Lorena DIAZ, Eldwin MAIDIONO
"EBU organized an exceptional event that provided us with comprehensive insights into the Bioeconomy, spanning legal, scientific, social, and administrative perspectives. As someone with a background in the natural and hard sciences, I found the plenary session addressing the social aspects of bioeconomy particularly captivating. We delved into topics like Jevons paradox, consumer psychology, and even confronted some uncomfortable truths about the subject matter.
Personally, I was deeply excited to engage with fellow participants regarding their research or work and the driving forces behind their involvement in the bioeconomy. The opportunity to discuss my poster further facilitated and ignited numerous meaningful conversations with forum attendees, reinforcing my decision to submit it. Some senior researchers even pointed out areas of improvement in our research project. This experience not only enhanced my enthusiasm but also actively immersed me in the ongoing debates and discussions. Overall, it was a privilege to serve as a representative for Bioceb, and the journey was an enjoyable and enlightening learning opportunity."
Updated October 2023