The Biomaterials Hub from Costa Rica and BiOrbic from Ireland hosted an International Webinar called Bio-Encounter Ireland – Costa Rica, which took place on February 28, 2023.

The purpose of this webinar was to establish powerful research and industry partnerships between two nations by fostering cross-collaboration in the fields of bio and circular economy. With three simultaneous and dynamic sessions, researchers from both countries will have the opportunity to showcase their current research achievements, as well as outline their future goals and prospective targets, in a collaborative effort to drive impactful change.

The introduction was given by Prof. Kevin O’Connor, Director of BiOrbic, and by Adim De, from the Costa Rica Biomaterials Hub. Following on from this were three sessions covering the following topics – Bioprocessing Bioplastics, Bio-Packaging and Algae/Microalgae. There were 12 talks within these 3 sessions. There were a high number of speakers from BiOrbic giving these talks including Dr. Ramesh Babu, Dr. James Lyng, Dr. Ajay Menon, Dr. Ronald Halim, Dr. Tanja Narancic, Dr. David O’Connell, Dr. Brijesh Tiwari. BiOrbic Executive Director Derek O’Brien, along with Adim De, gave the closing remarks

There was close on 100 registrations for this event from Costa Rica and BiOrbic and was a huge success. Thanks to Chrissie Shortt and Sean Douglas from BiOrbic Operations Team for organising with the team. Looking forward to the next one!