[Source: http://ec.europa.eu/health/ageing/innovation/index_en.htm] Identifier: H2020-INFRAEDI-2018-2020Pillar: Excellent ScienceOpening Date: Deadline: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)Modification Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2018Latest information: An overview of the evaluation results (called ‘Call results’) of the topics INFRAEDI-01-2018, INFRAEDI-02-2018and INFRAEDI-03-2018 is now available under section Topic conditions and documents – Additional documents.
Things have been booming at Promega-literally.
The Fitchburg, WI-based life science supplies business on Wednesday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 270,000-square-foot research and development facility that the company expects to open in late 2020.
The event, which about 350 people attended, even included a fireworks display. The fireworks were arranged to demonstrate the outline of the future building, according to a company spokesperson.
Promega founder and CEO Bill Linton triggered the display using a handheld remote, as you can see in the above slideshow. The longtime biotech executive, who also has a pilot’s license, was clad in a top hat,… Read more »
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PTC Therapeutics is looking to gene therapy in a bid to broaden its pipeline, scooping up privately held Agilis Biotherapeutics in a cash and stock deal.
South Plainfield, NJ-based PTC (NASDAQ: PTCT) will pay $50 million up front, plus $150 million in PTC shares, for Agilis. Agilis, based in Cambridge, MA, could get up to $595 million more depending on the progress of its three most advanced gene therapy programs, which target rare central nervous system disorders.
For those payments to kick in, Agilis will need to win FDA approvals for each of those three gene therapies, and get… Read more »
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[Source: Research & Innovation] A total of 65 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 16 countries have been selected for funding under the latest round of the SME Instrument. The companies will receive a total amount of €113 million to share between their projects to get their innovations faster on the market.
The last day of the 2018 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology wrapped up Thursday, July 19, with a half-day of programming and partnering, packed with breakout sessions, company and technical presentations, a lunch plenary and the announcement of the third annual Leadership and Legacy Award in Industrial Biotechnology and Agriculture recipient.
The BIO World Congress continues to be the largest industrial biotechnology conference in the world, and this year’s event included 44 percent attendance from outside the United States. In addition, more than 100 companies descended on Philadelphia for the event.
Leadership and Legacy Award in Industrial Biotechnology and Agriculture
Dr. Larry Walker, co-editor and chief of the journal “Industrial Biotechnology,” was honored as the recipient of the Leadership and Legacy Award during the lunch plenary session. The award is presented to an individual who has shown exemplary leadership and who has dedicated a significant portion of their career to advancing industrial biotechnology and growing the biobased economy.
In accepting the award, Dr. Walker reflected on his time as an academic, studying and working closely with several American universities and noted the industry’s influence on his success.
“You folks have had a big impact on how I think about innovation, probably more so than my academic colleagues, probably because you’re out there doing it,” said Dr. Walker to the crowd. “It’s the people here that has had a major impact.”
Industrial Biotechnology Innovation for Ag Feedstock Production Applications Plenary
Following the award presentation, attendees heard from a collection of experts during the “Industrial Biotechnology Innovation for Ag Feedstock Production Applications” plenary session.
During the plenary, each panelist discussed their company’s innovations and efforts in industrial biotechnology. The panel included representatives from agricultural and environment companies as well as Jenny Rooke with Genoa Ventures, a company that invests in early-stage companies innovating at the intersection of biology and technology.
Rooke summed up the conference best when noting “It’s a really exciting time to be working in industrial biotechnology.”
Breakout Sessions, Company and Technical Presentations, Raffles and more
And even though Thursday was technically a half-day, programming was not lacking. Attendees continued to take in breakout sessions and company and technical presentations.
From discussions about the overall biobased economy, to microbial solutions to advance agriculture sustainability, to renewable chemicals and synthetic biology, Thursday’s breakout sessions again included something for anyone working in industrial biotechnology.
During company and technical presentations, Andy Renz of Vestaron presented on his company’s peptide-based biopesticides. Comparing his company’s technology to current synthetic and microbial forms, Renz noted that Vestaron’s biopesticide is scalable, efficient, low-cost and safe, and be an alternative to chemical insecticides, which has faced significant market challenges.
And as part of the last day of the BIO World Congress, Chris Smith of Gevo, Inc. was announced as the winner of the Feedback Raffle and went home with a new Fitbit.
Overall, there were over 70 programming sessions, including 28 breakout sessions across seven tracks, more than 20 poster presentations, 10 GreenTech Investor Sessions and four sponsored workshops. Additionally, there were 60 company and technical presentations, with many presentations standing room only.
BIO looks forward to seeing this year’s attendees at the 2019 BIO World Congress in Des Moines, Iowa, July 8-11, 2019. For more information, visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress/IOWA19.
San Antonio-There’s plenty of scrutiny of whether it’s worthwhile for governments to offer incentive packages that aim to attract businesses and the jobs they bring. Still, city and state leaders across the nation continue to do it, among other efforts to bolster their business communities.
Most arrangements aren’t gargantuan billion-dollar deals, like the tributes offered to Amazon for its proposed second headquarters. Officials in San Antonio, TX, and its surrounding Bexar County have for years promised cash, tax breaks, and other incentives to dozens of small businesses and large corporations-cumulatively worth tens of millions of dollars-often with the… Read more »
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Jason Fontenot has been appointed chief scientific officer of Seattle cell therapy developer Immusoft. Fontenot most recently worked at Seattle cancer immunotherapy company Juno Therapeutics, which was acquired by Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG) earlier this year in a $9 billion deal. Immusoft is researching a way of reengineering the B cells of the body into treatments for diseases.
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[Source: Research & Innovation] The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research will host a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Conference in Vienna (Austria), from 1-2 October 2018.
In a year when core strategic objectives will be discussed in the EU research and education policy areas, the MSCA 2018 will serve as a key event in the Research and Innovation and Higher Education events calendar of the Austrian EU Presidency to shed a light on the importance of human ressources, career development and excellence.
During this Presidency Conference, a dedicated workshop on the ‘Human Resources Strategy for Researchers’ (HRS4R) will be held, addressing universities, research institutions and research funders investing in researchers’ talents, skills and career development.
This workshop also brings forward issues related to skills and talent management in an Open Science environment closely linked to the European Framework for Research Careers.
At the start of the second day of programming at the 2018 BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology, attendees took in a breakfast plenary discussion as panelists explored biobased materials and how biobased innovations are redesigning markets and fashion trends.
At a conference where biofuels, enzymes, proteins and industrial processes take center stage, some attendees may have been questioning the role industrial biotechnology has in fashion.
However, as moderator Jim Lane, editor of The Digest, emphasized throughout the discussion “there is something here for you.”
Lane comments became the unofficial theme for the day. From workshops designed to help companies grow, a lunch plenary that reflected on World Congress attendee’s contributions to the biobased economy over the past 15 years – while honoring two leaders in industrial biotechnology – and breakout sessions that featured unique topics such as whiskey, Tuesday’s programming was jam packed with unique programming for anyone in industrial biotechnology.
Biobased Materials Redesigning Consumer Markets and Fashion Trends
After reassuring the crowd that industrial biotechnology DOES have a role in fashion, Lane turned over the discussion to experts from several companies that are spearheading biobased threads.
Understanding consumers’ desires for sustainably manufactured products, Christophe Schilling with Genomatica, Inc. dived into his company’s efforts in using recyclable materials to build a circular economy. The segment of the population seeking biobased products is so significant, companies like AMSilk and Okabashi Brands have made it a central focus in their product lines.
“We built the entire brand to go after the demographic that is sustainability focused,” said Kimberly Falkenhayn, President of Okabashi Brands, a company that has been designing and manufacturing flip-flops for more than 30 years.
AMSilk‘s Managing Director and CEO Jens Klein then went on to highlight his company’s work in developing BIOSteel, a strong, durable fiber derived from spider silk that has been used in the production of shoes for Adidas.
Industrial Biotech Thought Leaders: Winners of the George Washington Carver and Rosalind Franklin Awards
As attendees dined in the Grand Ballroom for lunch, the second plenary session of the day kicked off with Dr. Sang Yup Lee from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Krysta Harden, vice president of external affairs and chief sustainability officer at Corteva Agriscience™, receiving the George Washington Carver and Rosalind Franklin Awards, respectively.
In accepting the George Washington Carver Award for Innovation in Industrial Biotechnology and Agricultue, Dr. Lee made sure to give credit to his team of researchers and students back in Korea, who played a critical role pioneering systems metabolic engineering. Dr. Lee left attendees with encouraging words on the overall impact teams like his can have on driving sustainability.
“The achievements our group made is very small,” he noted. “However, if we add up all the achievement you all have made, I can clearly say we are changing the world by providing sustainable chemicals and energy.”
Krysta Harden also had encouraging words for attendees when accepting the Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology and Agriculture by highlighting the progress that has taken place in the last decade in acknowledging the role of women in science – or any field. Harden noted work is still needed for women to receive the same credit as men and dedicated the Rosalind Franklin Award to all women making a difference in their fields.
“This is a great honor for all the women – whether in labs, classrooms, offices or boardrooms – who are making a difference for all of us,” said Harden.
Following the award presentation, award winners joined a group of panelists as they reflected on the past 15 years of industrial biotechnology and the evolution of the biobased economy and looked ahead to what the future may hold.
The Rosalind Franklin Award is sponsored by the Rosalind Franklin Society and the George Washington Carver Award is sponsored by the Iowa Biotechnology Association.
Breakout Sessions
Following the plenary lunch discussion, attendees explored both the exhibit floor and several breakout sessions covering feedstocks for biofuels, whiskey and much more.
At the session “Development of Biorefinery Projects to Convert Forestry Residues to Renewable Fuels,” Phillipp Stratmann spoke on behalf of Velocys, a UK-based renewable fuels company. Velocys is currently developing its first biorefinery using forestry residues as feedstock in Natchez, Mississippi.
“Our process uses 300,000 tons of non-recyclable waste that would otherwise go into landfills,” Stratmann stated. “And for every dollar of feedstock, we’re generating more than $8.00 in fuel revenue.”
Later during the “Nutrigenomics: Bridging the Gap between Agriculture and Health” breakout session, Fayaz Khazi, CEO of Elo Life Systems talked about how his company is working in partnership with Cargill and other companies to enhance the nutritional profile of agriculture products.
By precisely targeting improvements to food crops, Elo is reducing saturated fat in canola oil, developing protein-rich chickpeas and producing low-calorie natural sweeteners, among other innovations. Representing a One Health mission, Khazi says “it’s really about improving health and wellness through food.”
And as the clock ticked closer and closer to reception time, attendees took in a discussion on the distilling of whiskey and the additional benefits that can be had through the proteins leftover in “pot ale,” the residue left behind in the distillation of whiskey or alcohol.
Workshops & Company and Technical Presentations
In between the breakfast and lunch plenaries, BIO World Congress attendees had the opportunity to attend four sponsored workshops, each outlining a program that could help attendee’s grow their companies.
BIO’s Managing Director of its Industrial and Environmental Section, Rina Singh, participated in a discussion on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) BioPreferred Program, whose goal is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products. Singh provided great context to attendees on the origins of the BioPreferred Program and BIO’s continued commitment and efforts to secure funding for the program through legislation.
Most notably, however, panelists dedicated significant time for attendees to provide feedback and ask questions to USDA representatives on improvements or considerations for the BioPreferred Program.
Of course, as is the case throughout the week, attendees looking to learn about the latest innovations in industrial biotechnology could visit company and technical presentations for an intimate experience with company representatives as they highlighted their new breakthroughs and answered questions.
Cargill‘s Vice President of Industrials Jill Zullo spoke to a packed room about the company’s successes in replacing petroleum-based products with sustainable bio-industrial systems made from renewable resources. As an example, Zullo pointed to its Cargill Beauty portfolio, a unique range of nature-derived, skin-friendly products with various personal care applications.
“We ask ‘what problems are consumers facing?’ and ‘how are those problems changing in today’s market place,” said Zullo. She went on to note Cargill’s innovations are really focused on “the new natural” to meet evolving consumer demands. But such innovations can’t be created in a vacuum she warns. “No one company can do this alone, so it’s really about partnerships.”
Attendees can look forward to another day of exciting programming tomorrow, Thursday, July 19, as the 2018 BIO World Congress comes to a close.
For those attending the 2018 BIO World Congress in Philadelphia, be sure to be on the lookout for the Iowa Biotechnology Association booth next to registration, where you can learn more about the 2019 BIO World Congress in Iowa. We look forward to seeing you in Des Moines!
San Antonio-The board of directors for Houston-based immunotherapy biotech Kiromic has decided against taking a $200,000 investment from San Antonio-based economic development group, which would have required the company to relocate to San Antonio.
The company still plans to have a presence in San Antonio, including leasing commercial space, according to Ed Davis, the executive director of the San Antonio Economic Development Corporation, which was seeking $200,000 worth of preferred equity in Kiromic’s Series A round of funding. Kiromic has artificial intelligence software that it’s using to develop two experimental cancer immunotherapies. The company is trying to raise a $12… Read more »
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