Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences Mary Maxon joined over 800 policy leaders, NGO, and industry representatives from more than 70 nations at the 2nd Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin last week to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with shifting from current industry practices to a sustainable bio-based economy. One of the overarching recommendations that emerged from the meeting was to coordinate bioeconomy research and development, governance, and capacity building internationally to ensure a “sustainable bioeconomy for all.”
In her presentation, “Science and Technology Policy & Regulation for an Expanding Bioeconomy,” Maxon posited that national laboratories—which address large scale, complex research and development challenges with a multidisciplinary approach—are uniquely positioned to impact this area. Maxon emphasized the ability to translate basic science to innovation by highlighting the Agile BioFoundry, a national laboratory-led consortium to advance biomanufacturing that is managed by Berkeley Lab. By developing a biomanufacturing platform that will be accessible to researchers from both the private and public sectors, the Agile BioFoundry has the potential to impact many bioeconomies.
To learn more about the meeting, read the European Biotechnology article.