ASEBIO-BIOVEGEN Conference “Agri-food at the center of the bioeconomy”

ASEBIO-BIOVEGEN Conference “Agri-food at the center of the bioeconomy”

February 27, 2020. Madrid

The bioeconomy generates products and services based on biological resources and will lead the way towards a more sustainable, circular and efficient economic model. Its goal is a more innovative, low-emission economy, which produces food, forest products, energy and industrial bioproducts and gives value to biological waste.

For this reason ASEBIO and BIOVEGEN organize the Conference ““Agri-food at the center of the bioeconomy” which has the objective of bringing together agents involved in bioeconomy and agri-food (researchers, companies, civil society and administration) to debate the main challenges of the bioeconomy and the products that are needed from it (bioproducts), proposing possible solutions to such challenges.

The conference, which will be held on February 27 at the European Commission headquarters in Madrid, is structured in 3 blocks (presentations, round table and workshop) and aims to promote intersectoral collaboration through a mutual learning workshop.

Program of the day

10:00 a.m. Welcome and introduction

• Francisco Fonseca Morillo, Director of the European Commission Headquarters in Spain
• Ion Arocena, General Director, AseBio
• Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, Coordinator, BIOVEGEN

10:10 a.m. Innovation and development of bioproducts in the agri-food sector

• Moderate: Beatriz Palomo. AseBio

10:10 a.m. New bioproduct production platforms: BioFactoria Plants.

• Diego Orzaez. Researcher, Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP)

10:25 a.m. Microalgae, innovative ingredients for food.

• Raschid Stoffel. Food and Beverage Area Director, AlgaEnergy

10:40 a.m. Current situation of agri-food packaging within the framework of the bioeconomy.

• Belén García Fernández. Director, Spanish Packaging and Packaging Technology Platform (PACKNET)

11:00 a.m. Round table: Consumers, scientists, companies, disseminators and administration public in the bioeconomy

Moderate: Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna. BIOVEGEN

• Role of Administration. Maria Teresa Ambros. Deputy Deputy Director of Innovation and Digitalization. MAP.
• Role of the Consumer. Carmen Redondo Borge. Spanish Confederation of Consumer and User Cooperatives – HISPACOOP
• Role of the communicator/disseminator. Maria Iranzo. Scientific blogger.
• Company role. Richard Borreani. Director of Agricultural Policies, Bayer Crop Science Iberia.
• Role of the scientist. Esther Esteban. Director, INIA.
• Role of the farmer. Pedro Barato. President, ASAJA.

12:00 p.m. Coffee Break

12:30 p.m. Mutual learning and lessons learned for the development of the bioeconomy.

• AseBio in the bioeconomy: European projects BIOVOICES and BIOBRIDGES. Beatriz Palomo. Project Manager, AseBio
• BIOVEGEN and its activity in bioeconomy. Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna. Coordinator, BIOVEGEN

SOMBRADOBLE Workshop: Change of roles 

This workshop aims to create an enabling environment where intersectoral collaboration is enhanced, changing roles and responding to different challenges posed by the bioeconomy, such as harmonization, labeling, costs and incentives, better information and dissemination, among others.

2:00 p.m. Conclusions and closing