In collaboration with ABPDU, JBEI welcomed a French Synthetic Biology Delegation on April 13. The delegation was led by the IAR Cluster (Pôle de Compétitivité IAR), which brings together more than 320 stakeholders from research, higher education, industry (SMEs and large companies) and agriculture with a common goal: the optimal valorization of renewable resources. IAR’s four R&I fields include biofuels, biomaterials (biopolymers and bio-composites), biochemicals and bio-ingredients.
Visiting companies and institutions included: Solvay, Toulouse White Biotechnology, Genopole, Agro-industries Recherches et Developpement, Tereos, Avril, IFP Energies Nouvelles, Processium, Syngulon, Deinove, Novasep, AgroParisTech, CentraleSupelec, CEA, Up Magazin, Seppic, Eurodia (Chemistria), and Prime.
The morning session of the visit included a brief presentation of each company’s and institution’s role in synthetic biology and industrial biotechnology followed by a discussion with ESOC’s scientists. The lunch session took shape as a panel discussion on “US – French Trends & Perspectives in Synthetic Biology/Industrial Biotech”. The panel speakers included Pierre Monsan, Head, Toulouse White Biotechnology and Professor Emeritus Biochemical Engineering, INSA Toulouse; Christophe Luguel, Head of International Affairs, IAR Cluster (Industries & Agro-Ressources); Blake Simmons, CSTO and VP, Deconstruction, Joint BioEnergy Institute and Division Director, Biological Systems and Engineering, Berkeley Lab; and John Cumbers, Founder and Executive President, SynBioBeta.
For more information about this visit please contact Peter Matlock, JBEI’s Director of Commercialization.