New Irish-US Partnership Aims To Strengthen the Transatlantic Bioeconomy
Irish and US research leaders, BiOrbic Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy and Dynamic Sustainability Lab (DSL) of Syracuse New York, have launched a new transatlantic bioeconomy initiative aimed at strengthening international collaboration across the bioeconomy.
The initiative was formally introduced at its founding session during the All-Island Bioeconomy Summit at Johnstown Estate, Co Meath, earlier this month.
The founding session built on a memorandum of understanding signed in 2025 between BiOrbic and DSL. The initiative has evolved from informal idea sharing between institutions to a formal MOU, and now towards identifying shared strategic strengths and opportunities for long-term collaboration.
With more than 350 delegates from across the bioeconomy sector in attendance, the summit provided an ideal setting for the launch of the initiative. The session opened with welcoming remarks from Prof. Jay Golden of DSL and Derek O’Brien of BiOrbic, both of whom highlighted the importance of international cooperation in accelerating sustainable innovation and bio-based economic development.
Caption: (L-R) Prof. Jay Golden, DSL., Prof. Kevin O’Connor, BiOrbic., Cathy Keenan, BiOrbic., Minister of State Timmy Dooley., Derek O’Brien, BiOrbic., Prof John Coates, University of California, Berkeley., Prof. Tim Volk, DSL-SUNY ESF. New Irish-US Partnership Aims To Strengthen the Transatlantic Bioeconomy.
Speaking on the development of the transatlantic initiative, Prof. Jay Golden explained that “it is natural for the US to be thinking collaboratively, particularly as the bioeconomy becomes increasingly global in scale, requiring stronger international partnerships between research, industry and policymakers.”
A central objective of the session was to test and validate the concept of a formal transatlantic bioeconomy alliance and determine the level of interest in scaling collaboration across the Atlantic. Participants discussed the importance of strategic international collaboration for countries such as Ireland, as smaller economies increasingly compete alongside much larger global players within the emerging bioeconomy landscape.
Guest speaker Paul Zorner currently serves in several leadership roles, including Governing Board Chair of the Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition in the United States. Speaking during the session, he emphasised the growing urgency of developing sustainable bio-based alternatives to fossil fuel dependency and highlighted the importance of resilience within future energy systems.
Zorner noted that “almost anything can now be produced from bio-based materials, but questions remain around the energy systems powering those processes and the broader transition away from a petro-carbon economy.”
Executive Director of BiOrbic, Derek O’Brien, noted that “the bioeconomy is now positioned to be Ireland’s driving economic force” and emphasised that “2026 is a pivotal year, with the anticipated publication of Ireland’s National Bioeconomy Strategy, hosting of the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Dublin in October, and the upcoming launch of the National Biorefinery Pilot Plant in Tipperary”.
At present, the transatlantic alliance is composed of partners from Ireland and the United States, though broader collaboration involving additional transatlantic and European countries is expected to develop over time.
