November 2022 Newsletter
The past three months have seen many successes and ‘firsts’ for IBioIC and our network.
As COP27 takes place in Egypt, we take time to reflect on the past year since COP26 in IBioIC’s home city of Glasgow. Our members have stepped up to the challenge and are making important contributions to tackling the climate emergency. We have seen advances in cultivated meat, with its substantial carbon saving on traditional farming, carbon-saving tools for traditional agriculture, alternative proteins, high value products derived from waste, and transformative medicines. The possibilities are endless and being realised today.
That diversity was evident during Scotland’s first Bioeconomy Week in October. The Week, conceived and hosted by IBioIC, was an opportunity to raise awareness amongst policy makers, from local councillors to Ministers, of the opportunities, benefits and impacts of the bioeconomy to jobs, economic growth, society, healthcare, and the environment. We are grateful to the many organisations across Scotland who participated, hosting MSP visits, delivering outreach and networking activities, webinars, and social media campaigns.
Bioeconomy Week also saw the launch of IBioIC’s first Accelerator programme, Biotech Innovators. The programme is to guide and support a cohort of early-stage companies through the challenges of building and growing a biotech business. Space are still available if you are interested.
In the background, work has begun in earnest to plan our next Annual Conference, taking place on 15 and 16 March 2023 in Glasgow. You’ll be hearing a lot more about that in the coming weeks, but for now please save the date in your diaries.
Finally, I hope you will join me in welcoming five new members to our network: Fixed Phage, HUID, Lentitek, Mara Seaweed, and Scottish Water. I look forward to meeting them and many of you at our Member Social on December 6th in Edinburgh. A chance to celebrate the successes of 2022!
Mark
