• Hosted at Novamont
• General Assembly
• SO4 Markets & Future Regulation Workshop
• Biodiversity & Biomass Resilience
• Tour of Novamont

• Hosted at the Biobased industries Consortium (BIC)
• The importance of partnerships – BBIJU and CBEJU experience
• EU Policies impacting bio-based industries
• Building teams
• Skills and competencies needed
• BIOBEC – a case study
• Academia-Industry collaboration
• Biobased Innovation – Ghent

Project Manager Cathy Quinn was invited to present Talent4BBI as a best practice co-fund focusing on industry and interdisciplinarity at an MSCA Cofund Policy Event. It was hosted at the European Commission in Brussels in a world-cafe style with the participation of MSCA National Contact Points and members of the European Research Executive Agency (REA). In this picture, Cathy is with Yvonne Halpin, PhD, Jane Carrigan (MSCA Dublin Office) and Isabella Sanni and Graham Wilkie (REA).

Hosted at ADM Biopolis, our ESRs were taken through the entire process of bringing a product to market and introduced to the legal frameworks involved in R&D projects, as well as the complexities associated with technology transfer. Insights from ADM’s R&D team also provided a deep dive into the complexities of scale-up processes and fermentation technologies. ESRs toured the production facilities, where they saw first-hand how probiotics and postbiotics are developed. This was followed by discussions with key team members, including Strategic Business Development Director Iryna Biliaieva. This experience reinforced the idea that food and health are at the heart of the bioeconomy, with ADM Biopolis leading the way in shaping the future of this field.

Selected by the International Advisory Board of Young Global Bioeconomy Champions (IACGB), Ana took the stage as a speaker at the opening session, addressing the pivotal role of the bioeconomy in today’s world. She also co-organized two impactful workshops, in which Khaled participated and represented Talent4BBI and KU Leuven, making valuable contributions and inputs. Both workshops were aimed at fostering a transformative, resilient and innovative global bioeconomy. These sessions connected young change-makers and thought leaders in a collaborative effort to shape a more sustainable and inclusive future. Ana also presented the youth communiqué at the final session of the summit.

Kicking off February, our ESRs gathered for a career development training session hosted by Corbion in Gorinchem, Netherlands, which is a company specializing in fermentation and other advanced processes to deliver sustainable solutions for food preservation, food production, health, and environmental sustainability. Our students had the privilege of attending insightful talks by Corbion experts, gaining valuable advice from seasoned professionals in the biotech industry. Our ESRs also presented their research and career development plans, sharing their expectations, challenges, and vision for the year. These updates sparked insightful discussions and valuable feedback.