The Knowledge Based Bio-Economy Towards 2020 Conference
The Knowledge Based Bio-Economy Towards 2020 Conference is organised by the Flemish department of Economy, Science and Innovation in cooperation with the European Commission's, Directorate-General for Research. . The spotlight will be on what needs to be done to achieve a sustainable bio-economy , designed to tackle key societal challenges (such as climate change and food safety, the ageing population and threats to biodiversity). A visit to successful Flemish KBBE clusters is scheduled before the conference on Monday 13 September.
The European Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) was launched by the European Commission with the first KBBE conference being held in 2005. It is an integral part of the seventh framework programme for research and technological development.
The aim of the KBBE towards 2020 conference is to evaluate the implementation of the bio-economy in the EU since 2005 and to look ahead to future developments. The conference is also intended as a significant contribution to the new European vision and action plan for the KBBE within the framework of the EU2020 strategy.
On Monday 13 September, the day before the conference, a visit is offered to important initiatives aiming to develop the bio-based economy: Ghent Bio-Energy Valley, Bio Base Europe and the Life Sciences cluster at the Technology Park inGhent.
The conference starts on Tuesday 14 September with a plenary session in which leading representatives from industry, policy and the academic world will give their view on the challenges facing the European knowledge-based bio-economy.
The needs of the bio-economy will then be discussed in three parallel sessions. These will each have their own specific theme: raw materials for the bio-economy, innovative bio-based products and innovative food production. In the morning, discussions will centre on research and innovation, while policy and sustainability will be looked at in more depth in the afternoon. The conference will conclude with a panel discussion to formulate concrete recommendations for policy makers. Representatives from three DG’s of the European Commission responsible for the further development of the bio-economy – Research, Enterprise and Agriculture - will close the conference with final statements.
There will also be an exhibition of bio-based products during the conference.
All contributions from plenary speakers as well as from the panel sessions can now be found on www.kbbe2010.be . You can also download the background study and the exhibition manual, or browse through the pictures of the event.