Round-table discussion at EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040 launch eventEPNOE Association

EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040 Launch Event: ESEIA Director Shares Her Perspective on Circular Bioeconomy in Europe

On 31 January 2023, the ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend took part in the EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040 launch event at KU Leuven in Belgium.

The event, organised by the ESEIA partner EPNOE Association, brought together several experts who exchanged views and shared experiences on polysaccharide resources and the circular bioeconomy in Europe.

The EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040 is a joint effort of more than 20 high-level scientists from 13 European countries and aims to address the most relevant scientific questions around biomass and polysaccharides.

The event kicked off with presentations delivered by Chairs and Co-Chairs, focusing on the five strategic areas covered in the Research Roadmap:

  • Materials and Engineering, Magnus Norgren, Mid-Sweden University, Sweden;
  • Food and Nutrition, Gleb Yakubov, Nottingham University, UK;
  • Biomedical Applications, Már Másson, University of Iceland, Iceland;
  • Basic sciences (chemistry, biology, and physics), Tanja Wrodnigg, TU Graz, Austria, and Olli Ikkala, Aalto University, Finland;
  • Skills, Pedro Fardim, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Karin Stana Kleinschek, Tanja Wrodnigg, TU Graz, AT, and Katariina Torvinen, VTT, FI, during the EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040 launch event.

Future Perspectives of Circular Bioeconomy in Europe

After the presentation of the EPNOE Research Roadmap 2040, the event continued with a round-table discussion on circular bioeconomy in Europe, featuring a panel of speakers composed by the ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend, Policy Officer at European Commission Roman Brenne, Principal Scientist Green Chemistry at Royal Cosun Harry Raaijmakers, and Vice President for Research at EPNOE Association Karin Stana Kleinschek. The discussion was moderated by the Research Manager at VTT Katariina Torvinen.

In her presentation, the ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend highlighted key partnerships and players committed to enhancing circularity and sustainability in Europe, including Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) and its funding opportunities for 2023 and Energy Materials Industrial Research Initiative (EMIRI) and its Technology Roadmap on Advanced Materials.

She also pointed out ESEIA’s focus on entrepreneurial education, explaining how the organisation is committed to promoting a multidisciplinary approach and tackling the gap in training future professionals – integrating concepts of sustainability, circularity and economics into engineering programmes – that was mentioned earlier by EPNOE President Pedro Fardim in the presentation dedicated to skills.

The fourth lecture in the ESEIA Lecture Series to be held 25 May 2023, dedicated to Circular Bio-based Systems: Metabolon from Theory to Practice, was given as an example of the initiatives promoted by the organisation.

Contact:

ESEIA Director Brigitte Hasewend: brigitte.hasewend@eseia.eu

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