Wealth of innovation on display & bio-based winners revealed at EFIB 2019 in Brussels

The John Sime Award for the best innovation presentation delivered at EFIB 2019 was granted to Guillaume Daoulas, Head of Strategic Marketing at Ÿnsect. In the exhibition, a new area was featuring 20 academic posters. The prize of the best academic poster was awarded to Thomas Gassler from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.

Brussels, 10 October 2019 – Industry, science and policy experts met in Brussels for the 12th edition of EFIB on 1-2 October. The event saw a significant international presence, with close to 500 participants from 30 countries and over 260 companies. In focus was how industrial biotechnology and bioeconomy contribute towards establishing a healthy and sustainable planet.

The two days included 13 sessions with over 80 speakers, giving insights on trends, innovation and regulation in food & feed, plastics, bio-based industrial processes, national bioeconomy policies, novel feedstocks, materials and fashion. Also on site were 30 start-ups populating the second edition of the EFIB start-up village.

Recognised by fellow EFIB delegates, this year’s John Sime Award for the best innovation presentation was given to Guillaume Daoulas, Head of Strategic Marketing at Ÿnsect. It is not the first time this French company, an innovator in farming insects and turning them into high-value ingredients for aquaculture, pet nutrition and fertilisers, takes home the coveted award at EFIB. The company has secured significant funding this year to scale up production, including backing from the Horizon2020 BBI programme for the FARMYNG project to build the first fully automated insect-based protein plant.

20 academic posters were also displayed, attracting significant interest. Thomas Gassler from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna won EFIB’s poster session with their contribution on “CarboFeed: A biotech based platform technology for CO2 utilisation in yeast”.

#EFIB2019 was also home to other announcements and saw Michelin presenting for the first time officially its new €28 million BioImpulse project, aiming to create a new adhesive resin without any of the so-called ´Substances of Very High Concern´. Presenting on the economic potential of the bioeconomy, opening plenary speaker María Mendiluce, Managing Director for Climate & Energy, Cities & Mobility and Circular Economy at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) also informed about the forthcoming publication of a “CEO guide to the Bioeconomy” to help companies setting up an appropriate strategy in this field.

Agnes Borg, Industrial Biotech Director, EuropaBio commented: “EFIB aims to provide a central place for policy, business communities and other stakeholders to meet, exchange and collaborate. It remains a key forum highlighting achievements and potential of the circular bioeconomy, enabled by industrial biotechnology. We are delighted to congratulate this year´s award winners, and also extend our sincere thanks to all who contributed to this year´s event”.

The 2020 EFIB will be held on 5-6 October 2020 in Frankfurt/Main, Germany.