The Bio Innovations North America conference agenda, running parallel to the 1-2-1 meetings program, was designed to drive the event’s core mission of driving the commercialization of US industrial biomanufacturing.
Carefully curated panels and keynotes sparked transformative 1-2-1 commercial discussions. Hand-picked speakers delivered actionable insights and solutions to critical industry challenges, helping unlock the immense potential of America’s bioeconomy.
08:00
Networking coffee & registration
09:00
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Leo Stemp, Head of Content, Bio Innovations North America
09:05
Guest keynote address
Scaling biobased paints and coatings: Market drivers, technical hurdles and the path to mainstream adoption
The coatings industry is under pressure to reduce VOCs and its carbon footprint while maintaining the cost and performance of its fossil-based products. Biosolutions have a key role to play. This presentation explores strategies to overcome scaling hurdles, such as durability, input costs and formulation complexity, and key market drivers, such as EPA regulation, OEM sustainability mandates and green building certification that will drive the transition to biobased, as well as innovations and partnership models that are bringing cost-competitive, high-performance bio-coatings for architectural, automotive, industrial, and marine applications closer to widespread commercial adoption.
09:45
Panel discussion
Biomanufacturing around the world: Lessons for US scale-ups and international partnership opportunities
This panel explores the industrial biomanufacturing landscape outside the US, from Canada and South America to Europe and Asia, highlighting opportunities for cross-border partnership. From scale-up strategies and feedstock innovation to policy, incentives, and market development approaches, what lessons from overseas can be applied to the US bioeconomy? Join this session to explore cross-border collaboration opportunities to overcome shared challenges, de-risk investments, and accelerate scale-up, helping make bio-based the new normal.
Hosted by:
Varsha Sethuraman, Senior Research Associate, Lux Research
Featuring:
Dr Mike Dorrington, Director and Head of Food & Industrial Biotechnology, Ontario Genomics
10:15
Celluranics
Neng Guo, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Celluranics
10:30
Enzymes - the hidden engine of sustainable product innovation
Consumer brands seeking sustainability still have to deliver products that are affordable and loved by consumers. That is difficult when many sustainability levers create trade-offs.
Enzymes, nature’s chemists, deliver real advantages wherever chemical transformations matter: they offer high chemical selectivity with fewer side reactions, and mild operating conditions, delivering innovative product performance, or improving efficiency of manufacturing, with less waste, lower cost, and improving sustainability.
Tim Eyes, Program Director, Imperagen
10:45
Networking coffee
11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION
Scaling Biobased Innovations: Feedstock Abundance, Market Gaps, and the Path Forward
The quest to scale and commercialize biobased innovations faces numerous challenges. Lengthy timelines, hefty capital demands and the technical risk of building first-of-a-kind plants, create a “who pays for change” dilemma. From strategies to create demand, to an assessment of policy incentives, investment enablers and strategies to unlock North America’s vast biomass feedstock potential, join our panellists as they consider the most impactful steps that the industry, innovators, investors and policy makers must make to achieve industrial biomanufacturing scale-up success.
Hosted by:
Dr Alex Buck, Director of Industrial Innovation, Iowa Corn
Featuring:
Lisa Dufresne, Investment Manager, Corporate Venture Capital, GC Ventures
Dave Pucci, Principal Technologist – New Technologies, Technip Energies
James Glueck, Executive Director, Plant Based Products Council
12:00
A technical presentation from a leading bio pioneer
If you think your company would be a good fit for speaking here, please email [email protected]
12:15
A technical presentation from a leading bio pioneer
If you think your company would be a good fit for speaking here, please email [email protected]
12:30
Networking lunch
14:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
Building the talent pipeline to drive America's biomanufacturing scale-up
For North American industrial biomanufacturing to compete on the world stage the industry needs to build a talent pipeline of both innovators and operators. The industry faces labor shortages across the board from entry-level up to formulation specialists, with few even aware of biomanufacturing as a career pathway. This panel brings together educational institutions, government and companies looking to change this. Join this session to explore opportunities for partnerships across industry and academia to train the biomanufacturers of the future and turning North America into a global leader for industrial biomanufacturing expertise.
Hosted by:
Rob Owen, Executive Director, Bio Nebraska
Featuring:
Jackie Clifford, Biotechnology Program Director, Metropolitan Community College
James Beaupre, Director of Industrial Cooperation, University of Maine
14:30
A technical presentation from a leading bio pioneer
If you think your company would be a good fit for speaking here, please email [email protected]
14:45
A technical presentation from a leading bio pioneer
If you think your company would be a good fit for speaking here, please email [email protected]