Growing the Bioeconomy in Scotland

It’s been a busy quarter for the Bioeconomy Cluster Builder team with a number of networking and collaboration-building activities taking place, including the launch of the new Biotech Innovators Accelerator Programme.

Overall, the BCB has engaged with around 160 individuals across a number of activities including public events and private meetings.

In August, IBioIC member SAOS ran a webinar examining opportunities to create value from agri-food waste and co-products. Following this popular event, the BCB joined representatives from selected SAOS co-ops for a roundtable session aimed at identifying those with promising candidate feedstocks for valorisation. From this meeting, two co-ops have elected to undertake feasibility projects to help them progress their proposals.

September saw the second presentation of the fun and interactive Digital Marketing for Bioeconomy SMEs, presented by Wyoming Interactive. This event featured expert-led activities with great opportunities for peer learning. Also in September, Innovations in Metal Biorecovery looked at examples of micro-organisms and plants to recover valuable metals and environmental contaminants from soil, water, and industrial effluents. The BCB team also attended Let’s Recycle Live, the UK’s largest recycling, resource and environmental services conference, at the NEC in Birmingham. This was an opportunity to engage with a diverse range of waste producers and processors and share video vase studies to raise awareness of biotechnology application in resource recover and waste valorisation.

And in October, the BCB was proud to host the launch of IBioIC’s new Biotech Innovators Accelerator Programme. This exciting new programme is designed to support a cohort of early-stage biotechnology companies through a series of themed, expert-led, events and activities - an opportunity to receive guidance on best practice, direct innovation support and peer to peer learning. The launch event was an opportunity for interested companies to contribute to the structure of the forthcoming programme by prioritising topics and also announced the launch of Expressions of Interest in joining the programme - open until 6 December 2022.

Catch up with online event recordings, or see what the BCB project can do for you and check out what’s coming up.