A Colloquium: Harnessing Microbial Biotechnology to drive the transition to a bio-based economy and a sustainable society
- Project lead
- Louise Horsfall
- Institute
- University of Edinburgh
Summary
This Colloquium brings together an intersectoral group of individuals to bring new perspectives to help drive the transition to a sustainable bio-based economy.
Aims
- Assemble an intersectoral group of individuals who will work together over two days to bring new perspectives to help drive the transition to a sustainable bio-based economy
- Produce a policy paper for dissemination to leaders and decision makers that identifies opportunities, bottlenecks, and solutions that microbial and industrial biotechnology can bring to accelerate the transition.
- Implement a dissemination plan that engages with leaders and decision makers to ensure that knowledge-driven, science-based policies are implemented across Europe
Outcomes
- An engaged, intersectoral collective committed to bringing forward positive ideas to help develop the landscape in which microbial biotechnology can deliver solutions at the scale needed to have genuine impact
- A set of policy briefs that can be used to engage civic society, thought leaders, and the political sector in the dialogue that is required to achieve change
- A plan to implement dissemination and engagement activities though 2025 to crate impact
Impact
- The short-term impact will be a change in mind-set in the relevant sectors from thinking that technological progress is the main impediment that prevents microbial biotechnology having impact – it is not. There are scientific technology solutions to some of the problems now – it is external factors that need to be addressed.
- The long-term impact will be a contribution to the policy changes that rebalance the economic system to recognise true subsidies and costs and implement the level playing field that fosters the implementation of these science and engineering solutions that will ensure that we can sustainable economic development.
Lead academic: Louise Horsfall, University of Edinburgh
Industrial partners: The Microbiology Society, IBISBA, FEMS and the Microbial Biotechnology & Bioengineering and Bioprocessing Divisions of the EFB.
