The BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology is the world's largest industrial biotechnology event for business leaders, investors, and policy makers in biofuels, biobased products, and renewable chemicals. In 2014, the BIO held its annual World Congress at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We hosted more than 1,300 attendees from 680 companies and 45 countries and scheduled a record 1,000+ individualized partnering meetings though the BIO One-on-One PartneringTM proprietary software developed by BIO. The 2015 World Congress is shaping up to be like any BIO has held in previous years and will take place July 19-22 in Montréal, Canada at the Palais des congrès de Montréal (Montréal Convention Center).
The Plenary Program will feature a line-up of leading industry executives from each of the key industrial biotech sectors. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad will kick off this year’s program with remarks to take place during the State and Regional Approaches to Developing the Biobased Economy plenary. Industry experts will also take a look at how to achieve feedstock sustainability in an effort to move award from petroleum-based products to greener products that are also cheaper. Attendees will also be given a first-hand look into innovations coming down the pipeline within the next decade.
BIO has named Solazyme CEO Jonathan S. Wolfson as the recipient of its 2015 George Washington Carver Award for innovation in industrial biotechnology. George Washington Carver was one of the founding fathers of the chemurgy movement, a branch of applied chemistry focused on manufacturing industrial products from raw agricultural materials. Industrial biotechnology is the modern-day equivalent of Carver’s vision for chemurgy, and the award honors individuals for carrying on Carver’s legacy. Additionally, BIO has also announced that Dr. Jennifer Holmgren as the recipient of the 2015 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology. Dr. Holmgren’s work and commitment to the advancement of the field of industrial biotechnology embodies the spirit of Rosalind Franklin and her pioneering efforts. Winners of both awards will provide inspirational remarks and receive their awards at this year’s conference.
This is just a brief look into this year’s programming. The BIO World Congress will also have eight robust track sessions. Breakout session topics are listed here:
Track 1: Algae, Biomass Supply and Specialty Crops
Track 2: Specialty Chemicals, Food & Nutritional Ingredients
Track 3: Synthetic Biology and Genomics Research
Track 4: Research Presentations
Track 5: Technical Presentations
Track 6: Renewable Chemicals and Biobased Materials
Track 7: Advanced Biofuels and Biorefinery Platforms
Track 8: Growing Global Biobased Markets
Industrial Biotechnology Journal (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers) is now the official publication for the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology. And as part of this new partnership, BIO World Congress attendees are eligible to receive two (2) months of complimentary online access to the journal. Industrial Biotechnology is a peer-reviewed bimonthly research journal focused on biobased industrial and environmental products and processes. The journal is the first and longest-running publication to report the science, business, and policy developments of the emerging global bioeconomy, including biobased production of energy and fuels, chemicals, materials, and consumer goods.
For more information on the conference, please visit www.bio.org/worldcongress. For assistance, please contact worldcongress@bio.org. All programs at the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters working full time for print, broadcast or web publications with valid press credentials.