BIC started with just 30 founding members. Nowadays, BIC has more than 250 Industry Members and 240 Associate Members.
Over the 10 years, BIC has represented the private sector in two public-private partnerships with the European Commission (BBI JU: 2014-2020 and CBE JU: 2020-present) dedicated to strengthening the innovative bio-based industries sector in Europe. These partnerships represent €5.7 billion of public and private investment in growing Europe’s bio-based industries in an effort to realise the EU’s full bioeconomy potential.
During this time, BIC has written and commissioned several studies and reports on different aspects of Europe’s bio-based industries. As part of the activities marking our anniversary, BIC has released a new Trend Report identifying the current needs of Europe’s bioeconomy in order to unleash its full capacity.
Around 250 BIC members and stakeholders came to the BIC anniversary event to listen to panel discussions on BIC’s past, present and future. Speaking to the attendees, BIC Chairman Rob Beekers said, “With BIC’s members and it’s wider network, we have a unique capability to create a bio-based ecosystem that will fuel economic, sustainable growth for Europe.”
Keynote speakers included John Elkington, strategist, writer, thought-leader, authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. During his speech, Elkington said, “Fossil-based solutions of the 20th century won’t solve our problems in the future.”
Executive Director of BioFutures and principal author of the Obama administration’s National Bioeconomy Blueprint Mary Maxon was there to tell event attendees about bioeconomy progress in the US – and how during her time working on the Blueprint, the EU’s bioeconomy was an inspiration.
Jim Philp, a policy analyst at the OECD and author of over 300 articles, talked about the possibility of de-risking public investments in the bioeconomy.
Former Director at the European Commission’s DG RTD and responsible for originating the so-called “Knowledge-based Bio-economy or KBBE”, Christian Patermann was a member of one of the panels. He summed up the current state of the EU’s bioeconomy.
