The Global Bioeconomy Summit 2020 (GBS 2020) was held digitally from November 16-20, 2020. AIT was represented by two centers as part of the EU-funded Coordination and Support Action MicrobiomeSupport. Angela Sessitsch and Tanja Kostic, Center of Health & Bioresources, together with Beatrix Wepner, Center for Innovation Systems and Policy, organized the breakout session "Microbiomes for the Bioeconomy - Hype or hope" as part of the workshop "How bioeconomy is transforming agriculture".
The Breakout Session focused on the potential of microbiome applications in food systems. Expectations, needs for future strategic research & innovation agendas and regulatory issues were discussed and raised great interest among GBS 2020 participants.
The workshop "How bioeconomy is transforming agriculture" focused on the development of the bioeconomy and how it is influenced by the "biological revolution" and the "digital revolution". Both revolutions have a wide range of applications in plant and animal production and can thus improve the production of bio-based resources in many aspects. However, the extent to which such innovations will be applied depends on politics and society.
The Global Bioeconomy Summit takes place every two years and is the leading international event in the field of bioeconomy. The conference closely links the bioeconomy with the goal of global sustainability and climate agenda. The GBS was initiated by the German Federal Government in 2015, for which purpose the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB) was established.
The vision of the conference is to contribute to a future in which the bioeconomy benefits society and the environment through sustainable solutions (Agenda 2030). This includes ensuring that people enjoy a good quality of life, but also respecting nature and regenerating ecosystems - a "sustainable bio-economy for all".
Link Global Bioeconomy Summit 2020:https://gbs2020.net/
Link MicrobiomeSupport: https://www.microbiomesupport.eu/