Biotechnology solutions emerge as way to tackle climate and energy challenges

The Green Innovation Forum is the leading event in Spain organised this year by FUNDECYT-PCTEx through the Office for Innovation, with the Spanish Bioindustry Association (AseBio), which positions biotechnology as a key tool for more sustainable economic growth. This benchmark event in the industry was held on Thursday at the Mérida Convention Centre (Extremadura) with 300 professionals from the public and private sectors around Spain. 

“We want this day to be a turning point that makes the climate and energy challenges a window of opportunity for generating a new model for economic growth through biotechnology. We believe in our sector’s enormous potential and its capacity to transform as part of the roadmap for the green transition,” declared AseBio Vice-president Belén Barreiro at the inauguration. “Our companies are the perfect example of how science can be transformed into specific solutions that improve people’s lives and protect the planet,” she added.

For his part, Minister of Economy, Science and Digital Agenda for the Government of Extremadura Rafael España Santamaría affirmed that “hosting an event like the Green Innovation Forum in Mérida and doing it with AseBio is undoubtedly a great opportunity to valorise Extremadura’s potential in bioinnovation and sustainability, raising awareness of it and generating new opportunities for us and our business and research fabric.”

A firm commitment to the 2030 Agenda

Since the very beginning, the Green Innovation Forum has been firmly committed to achieving the goals set on the 2030 Agenda and the recovery plans for Spain and the European Union under the Green Deal. “The invasion of Ukraine and its consequences have highlighted the importance of food security, which means ensuring enough food is available,” declared Richard Borreani, Public Affairs, Science and Sustainability manager at Bayer, one of the companies collaborating on the event. “In this situation, biotechnology for plant breeding plays a key role and events like this give us the chance to explain its benefits and how it is helping achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and contribute solutions to the 2030 Agenda,” added Borreani. 

A roadmap marked by the green transition

The event featured eight panels discussing key topics for the green transition in which biotechnology has a lot to say: public strategies and policies, driving green innovation, food of the future, waste and bioproducts, sustainable agriculture, bioenergy and One Health.  This well-rounded programme looked at the most significant aspects of innovation in biotechnology and the green economy and looked for solutions to mid- to long-term challenges like climate change, the energy crisis and industrial transformation. 

Plus, an essential part of the event focused on generating new opportunities for business and investment, with roughly 50 one-to-one meetings and innovative projects pitching to an audience of researchers, investors and entrepreneurs. The aim of all this was to forge stronger bonds among the various stakeholders in the sector and work together to promote biotechnology solutions for the green transition.

Noela González, director of operations at Natac, a company that also supported this event, gave a speech in this same line. She believes that holding this event in Extremadura will “consolidate the commitment to the region and show the importance of the biotechnology sector on a European and regional level.” In her mind, the event will make people more aware and appreciative of the sector and help them understand its significance for the future of the economy and society. “We’re an industry that draws from both tradition and innovation, in line with the green transition and sustainability. All to address the global need for vanguard health.” 

Photographer: @DavidRebolledoes