Date post: | 05-Apr-2019 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | hoangtuyen |
View: | 212 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Rapporteur Monica Garcia-Alonso
EN
Maximising the impact of KET
Biotechnology
Workshop Report
Brussels 15-16 November 2016
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Directorate D mdash Industrial Technologies
Unit D2 mdash Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies
Contact Ioannis Vouldis
E-mail IoannisVouldiseceuropaeu
RTD-PUBLICATIONSeceuropaeu
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Maximising the impact of KET
Biotechnology
Workshop Report
Brussels 15-16 November 2016
Rapporteur
Monica Garcia-Alonso
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
2017 Key Enabling Technologies EN
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-63555-7 doi 10277769039 KI-05-16-025-EN-N
copy European Union 2017
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged
EUROPE DIRECT is a service to help you find answers
to your questions about the European Union
Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
4
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP 6
2 INTRODUCTION 6
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS 7
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies 9
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes 13
33 Innovative platform technologies 17
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions 19
35 SME Instrument 20
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 21
41 Industryrsquos point of view 21
42 Academiarsquos point of view 22
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases 23
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES 23
51 Biotechnology in the USA 23
52 Biotechnology in China 24
53 Biotechnology in South Korea 25
54 Biotechnology in Japan 26
6 PANEL DEBATE 27
7 CONCLUSIONS 29
Appendix 1 Agenda 30
Appendix 2 List of participants 32
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations 32
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In line with the goals of Open Innovation Open Science and Open to the World the European
Commission organised a second Workshop on ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo The
workshop took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2016 It discussed ongoing European
research and innovation biotechnology projects and their future added value
The workshop gathered a range of academic and industrial project beneficiaries representing 21
KET Biotechnology projects funded through Horizon 2020 representatives from the European
Association for Bio-industries (EuropaBio) and the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)
delegates from jurisdictions leading in biotechnology (USA China Korea and Japan) an expert on
standardisation in synthetic biology representatives of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking
and representatives of the European Commission
In Horizon 20201 to date 17 projects have received funding through the RIA (Research and
Innovation Action) and the IA (Innovation Action) schemes An additional project is supported as a
Coordinated and Support Action (CSA) and another project through the ERA-NET Cofund scheme
an approach that aims to support Public-Public Partnerships These projects focus on three
thematic areas under the specific objective Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies
(LEIT)2 KET Biotechnology also funds projects through the SME instrument that offers business
innovation support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The event provided an opportunity for project partners concerned to show actual and potential
progress towards expected impacts A diversity of scientific industrial and market difficulties and
challenges in modern biotechnology emerged Stakeholders set out the opportunities challenges
and bottlenecks of biotechnologies in Europe both from an industrial and academic perspective
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries as a way to level out potential cooperation with Europe The panel debate focused
on improving the exploitation of project results and on positive experiences of cooperation to
enhance success
The discussion of the impact at the workshop focused on the following key aspects 1) successes
(patents prototypes publications new business opportunities) difficulties and good practices for
maximising impact plus explored common interests for collaboration among projects and beyond
the projects framework 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers interested in
closing the gap to market new products new processes and new services beyond the originally
expected patents and publications and even interested in scaling up a business activity through
SMEs 3) need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the
transfer from research products to the market and 4) the identification of standardisation of
synthetic biology as a driver of the fourth industrial revolution and a must to keep a leadership role
in Europe
1Horizon 2020 the European Unions Framework Programme for Research amp Innovation (2014-2020)
2(i) Boosting cutting-edge biotechnologies as future innovation drivers (ii) Biotechnology-based industrial
products and processes (iii) Innovative and competitive platform technologies
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Directorate D mdash Industrial Technologies
Unit D2 mdash Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies
Contact Ioannis Vouldis
E-mail IoannisVouldiseceuropaeu
RTD-PUBLICATIONSeceuropaeu
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Maximising the impact of KET
Biotechnology
Workshop Report
Brussels 15-16 November 2016
Rapporteur
Monica Garcia-Alonso
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
2017 Key Enabling Technologies EN
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-63555-7 doi 10277769039 KI-05-16-025-EN-N
copy European Union 2017
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged
EUROPE DIRECT is a service to help you find answers
to your questions about the European Union
Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
4
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP 6
2 INTRODUCTION 6
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS 7
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies 9
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes 13
33 Innovative platform technologies 17
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions 19
35 SME Instrument 20
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 21
41 Industryrsquos point of view 21
42 Academiarsquos point of view 22
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases 23
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES 23
51 Biotechnology in the USA 23
52 Biotechnology in China 24
53 Biotechnology in South Korea 25
54 Biotechnology in Japan 26
6 PANEL DEBATE 27
7 CONCLUSIONS 29
Appendix 1 Agenda 30
Appendix 2 List of participants 32
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations 32
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In line with the goals of Open Innovation Open Science and Open to the World the European
Commission organised a second Workshop on ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo The
workshop took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2016 It discussed ongoing European
research and innovation biotechnology projects and their future added value
The workshop gathered a range of academic and industrial project beneficiaries representing 21
KET Biotechnology projects funded through Horizon 2020 representatives from the European
Association for Bio-industries (EuropaBio) and the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)
delegates from jurisdictions leading in biotechnology (USA China Korea and Japan) an expert on
standardisation in synthetic biology representatives of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking
and representatives of the European Commission
In Horizon 20201 to date 17 projects have received funding through the RIA (Research and
Innovation Action) and the IA (Innovation Action) schemes An additional project is supported as a
Coordinated and Support Action (CSA) and another project through the ERA-NET Cofund scheme
an approach that aims to support Public-Public Partnerships These projects focus on three
thematic areas under the specific objective Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies
(LEIT)2 KET Biotechnology also funds projects through the SME instrument that offers business
innovation support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The event provided an opportunity for project partners concerned to show actual and potential
progress towards expected impacts A diversity of scientific industrial and market difficulties and
challenges in modern biotechnology emerged Stakeholders set out the opportunities challenges
and bottlenecks of biotechnologies in Europe both from an industrial and academic perspective
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries as a way to level out potential cooperation with Europe The panel debate focused
on improving the exploitation of project results and on positive experiences of cooperation to
enhance success
The discussion of the impact at the workshop focused on the following key aspects 1) successes
(patents prototypes publications new business opportunities) difficulties and good practices for
maximising impact plus explored common interests for collaboration among projects and beyond
the projects framework 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers interested in
closing the gap to market new products new processes and new services beyond the originally
expected patents and publications and even interested in scaling up a business activity through
SMEs 3) need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the
transfer from research products to the market and 4) the identification of standardisation of
synthetic biology as a driver of the fourth industrial revolution and a must to keep a leadership role
in Europe
1Horizon 2020 the European Unions Framework Programme for Research amp Innovation (2014-2020)
2(i) Boosting cutting-edge biotechnologies as future innovation drivers (ii) Biotechnology-based industrial
products and processes (iii) Innovative and competitive platform technologies
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Maximising the impact of KET
Biotechnology
Workshop Report
Brussels 15-16 November 2016
Rapporteur
Monica Garcia-Alonso
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
2017 Key Enabling Technologies EN
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-63555-7 doi 10277769039 KI-05-16-025-EN-N
copy European Union 2017
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged
EUROPE DIRECT is a service to help you find answers
to your questions about the European Union
Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
4
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP 6
2 INTRODUCTION 6
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS 7
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies 9
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes 13
33 Innovative platform technologies 17
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions 19
35 SME Instrument 20
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 21
41 Industryrsquos point of view 21
42 Academiarsquos point of view 22
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases 23
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES 23
51 Biotechnology in the USA 23
52 Biotechnology in China 24
53 Biotechnology in South Korea 25
54 Biotechnology in Japan 26
6 PANEL DEBATE 27
7 CONCLUSIONS 29
Appendix 1 Agenda 30
Appendix 2 List of participants 32
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations 32
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In line with the goals of Open Innovation Open Science and Open to the World the European
Commission organised a second Workshop on ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo The
workshop took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2016 It discussed ongoing European
research and innovation biotechnology projects and their future added value
The workshop gathered a range of academic and industrial project beneficiaries representing 21
KET Biotechnology projects funded through Horizon 2020 representatives from the European
Association for Bio-industries (EuropaBio) and the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)
delegates from jurisdictions leading in biotechnology (USA China Korea and Japan) an expert on
standardisation in synthetic biology representatives of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking
and representatives of the European Commission
In Horizon 20201 to date 17 projects have received funding through the RIA (Research and
Innovation Action) and the IA (Innovation Action) schemes An additional project is supported as a
Coordinated and Support Action (CSA) and another project through the ERA-NET Cofund scheme
an approach that aims to support Public-Public Partnerships These projects focus on three
thematic areas under the specific objective Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies
(LEIT)2 KET Biotechnology also funds projects through the SME instrument that offers business
innovation support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The event provided an opportunity for project partners concerned to show actual and potential
progress towards expected impacts A diversity of scientific industrial and market difficulties and
challenges in modern biotechnology emerged Stakeholders set out the opportunities challenges
and bottlenecks of biotechnologies in Europe both from an industrial and academic perspective
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries as a way to level out potential cooperation with Europe The panel debate focused
on improving the exploitation of project results and on positive experiences of cooperation to
enhance success
The discussion of the impact at the workshop focused on the following key aspects 1) successes
(patents prototypes publications new business opportunities) difficulties and good practices for
maximising impact plus explored common interests for collaboration among projects and beyond
the projects framework 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers interested in
closing the gap to market new products new processes and new services beyond the originally
expected patents and publications and even interested in scaling up a business activity through
SMEs 3) need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the
transfer from research products to the market and 4) the identification of standardisation of
synthetic biology as a driver of the fourth industrial revolution and a must to keep a leadership role
in Europe
1Horizon 2020 the European Unions Framework Programme for Research amp Innovation (2014-2020)
2(i) Boosting cutting-edge biotechnologies as future innovation drivers (ii) Biotechnology-based industrial
products and processes (iii) Innovative and competitive platform technologies
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
LEGAL NOTICE
This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein More information on the European Union is available on the internet (httpeuropaeu)
Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union 2017
PDF ISBN 978-92-79-63555-7 doi 10277769039 KI-05-16-025-EN-N
copy European Union 2017
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged
EUROPE DIRECT is a service to help you find answers
to your questions about the European Union
Freephone number ()
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
4
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP 6
2 INTRODUCTION 6
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS 7
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies 9
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes 13
33 Innovative platform technologies 17
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions 19
35 SME Instrument 20
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 21
41 Industryrsquos point of view 21
42 Academiarsquos point of view 22
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases 23
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES 23
51 Biotechnology in the USA 23
52 Biotechnology in China 24
53 Biotechnology in South Korea 25
54 Biotechnology in Japan 26
6 PANEL DEBATE 27
7 CONCLUSIONS 29
Appendix 1 Agenda 30
Appendix 2 List of participants 32
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations 32
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In line with the goals of Open Innovation Open Science and Open to the World the European
Commission organised a second Workshop on ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo The
workshop took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2016 It discussed ongoing European
research and innovation biotechnology projects and their future added value
The workshop gathered a range of academic and industrial project beneficiaries representing 21
KET Biotechnology projects funded through Horizon 2020 representatives from the European
Association for Bio-industries (EuropaBio) and the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)
delegates from jurisdictions leading in biotechnology (USA China Korea and Japan) an expert on
standardisation in synthetic biology representatives of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking
and representatives of the European Commission
In Horizon 20201 to date 17 projects have received funding through the RIA (Research and
Innovation Action) and the IA (Innovation Action) schemes An additional project is supported as a
Coordinated and Support Action (CSA) and another project through the ERA-NET Cofund scheme
an approach that aims to support Public-Public Partnerships These projects focus on three
thematic areas under the specific objective Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies
(LEIT)2 KET Biotechnology also funds projects through the SME instrument that offers business
innovation support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The event provided an opportunity for project partners concerned to show actual and potential
progress towards expected impacts A diversity of scientific industrial and market difficulties and
challenges in modern biotechnology emerged Stakeholders set out the opportunities challenges
and bottlenecks of biotechnologies in Europe both from an industrial and academic perspective
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries as a way to level out potential cooperation with Europe The panel debate focused
on improving the exploitation of project results and on positive experiences of cooperation to
enhance success
The discussion of the impact at the workshop focused on the following key aspects 1) successes
(patents prototypes publications new business opportunities) difficulties and good practices for
maximising impact plus explored common interests for collaboration among projects and beyond
the projects framework 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers interested in
closing the gap to market new products new processes and new services beyond the originally
expected patents and publications and even interested in scaling up a business activity through
SMEs 3) need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the
transfer from research products to the market and 4) the identification of standardisation of
synthetic biology as a driver of the fourth industrial revolution and a must to keep a leadership role
in Europe
1Horizon 2020 the European Unions Framework Programme for Research amp Innovation (2014-2020)
2(i) Boosting cutting-edge biotechnologies as future innovation drivers (ii) Biotechnology-based industrial
products and processes (iii) Innovative and competitive platform technologies
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
4
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP 6
2 INTRODUCTION 6
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS 7
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies 9
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes 13
33 Innovative platform technologies 17
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions 19
35 SME Instrument 20
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 21
41 Industryrsquos point of view 21
42 Academiarsquos point of view 22
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases 23
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES 23
51 Biotechnology in the USA 23
52 Biotechnology in China 24
53 Biotechnology in South Korea 25
54 Biotechnology in Japan 26
6 PANEL DEBATE 27
7 CONCLUSIONS 29
Appendix 1 Agenda 30
Appendix 2 List of participants 32
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations 32
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In line with the goals of Open Innovation Open Science and Open to the World the European
Commission organised a second Workshop on ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo The
workshop took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2016 It discussed ongoing European
research and innovation biotechnology projects and their future added value
The workshop gathered a range of academic and industrial project beneficiaries representing 21
KET Biotechnology projects funded through Horizon 2020 representatives from the European
Association for Bio-industries (EuropaBio) and the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)
delegates from jurisdictions leading in biotechnology (USA China Korea and Japan) an expert on
standardisation in synthetic biology representatives of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking
and representatives of the European Commission
In Horizon 20201 to date 17 projects have received funding through the RIA (Research and
Innovation Action) and the IA (Innovation Action) schemes An additional project is supported as a
Coordinated and Support Action (CSA) and another project through the ERA-NET Cofund scheme
an approach that aims to support Public-Public Partnerships These projects focus on three
thematic areas under the specific objective Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies
(LEIT)2 KET Biotechnology also funds projects through the SME instrument that offers business
innovation support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The event provided an opportunity for project partners concerned to show actual and potential
progress towards expected impacts A diversity of scientific industrial and market difficulties and
challenges in modern biotechnology emerged Stakeholders set out the opportunities challenges
and bottlenecks of biotechnologies in Europe both from an industrial and academic perspective
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries as a way to level out potential cooperation with Europe The panel debate focused
on improving the exploitation of project results and on positive experiences of cooperation to
enhance success
The discussion of the impact at the workshop focused on the following key aspects 1) successes
(patents prototypes publications new business opportunities) difficulties and good practices for
maximising impact plus explored common interests for collaboration among projects and beyond
the projects framework 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers interested in
closing the gap to market new products new processes and new services beyond the originally
expected patents and publications and even interested in scaling up a business activity through
SMEs 3) need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the
transfer from research products to the market and 4) the identification of standardisation of
synthetic biology as a driver of the fourth industrial revolution and a must to keep a leadership role
in Europe
1Horizon 2020 the European Unions Framework Programme for Research amp Innovation (2014-2020)
2(i) Boosting cutting-edge biotechnologies as future innovation drivers (ii) Biotechnology-based industrial
products and processes (iii) Innovative and competitive platform technologies
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In line with the goals of Open Innovation Open Science and Open to the World the European
Commission organised a second Workshop on ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo The
workshop took place in Brussels on 15 and 16 November 2016 It discussed ongoing European
research and innovation biotechnology projects and their future added value
The workshop gathered a range of academic and industrial project beneficiaries representing 21
KET Biotechnology projects funded through Horizon 2020 representatives from the European
Association for Bio-industries (EuropaBio) and the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB)
delegates from jurisdictions leading in biotechnology (USA China Korea and Japan) an expert on
standardisation in synthetic biology representatives of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking
and representatives of the European Commission
In Horizon 20201 to date 17 projects have received funding through the RIA (Research and
Innovation Action) and the IA (Innovation Action) schemes An additional project is supported as a
Coordinated and Support Action (CSA) and another project through the ERA-NET Cofund scheme
an approach that aims to support Public-Public Partnerships These projects focus on three
thematic areas under the specific objective Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies
(LEIT)2 KET Biotechnology also funds projects through the SME instrument that offers business
innovation support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
The event provided an opportunity for project partners concerned to show actual and potential
progress towards expected impacts A diversity of scientific industrial and market difficulties and
challenges in modern biotechnology emerged Stakeholders set out the opportunities challenges
and bottlenecks of biotechnologies in Europe both from an industrial and academic perspective
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries as a way to level out potential cooperation with Europe The panel debate focused
on improving the exploitation of project results and on positive experiences of cooperation to
enhance success
The discussion of the impact at the workshop focused on the following key aspects 1) successes
(patents prototypes publications new business opportunities) difficulties and good practices for
maximising impact plus explored common interests for collaboration among projects and beyond
the projects framework 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers interested in
closing the gap to market new products new processes and new services beyond the originally
expected patents and publications and even interested in scaling up a business activity through
SMEs 3) need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the
transfer from research products to the market and 4) the identification of standardisation of
synthetic biology as a driver of the fourth industrial revolution and a must to keep a leadership role
in Europe
1Horizon 2020 the European Unions Framework Programme for Research amp Innovation (2014-2020)
2(i) Boosting cutting-edge biotechnologies as future innovation drivers (ii) Biotechnology-based industrial
products and processes (iii) Innovative and competitive platform technologies
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
6
1 AGENDA OF THE WORKSHOP
The 2016 workshop ldquoMaximising the impact of KET Biotechnologyrdquo was the second of its kind
organised by the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) of the European
Commission (EC) The workshop took place on 15 and 16 November 2016 at the premises of the
Committee of the Regions in Brussels Belgium and was attended by 50 participants from a range
of stakeholder groups including among others project partners academia and industry
representatives and international delegates
The workshop was divided into six sessions
1 Introduction
2 Horizon 2020 project presentations
3 Challenges in biotechnology
4 International dimension of biotechnologies
5 Panel discussion on maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
6 Conclusions
2 INTRODUCTION
Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles (Head of Unit Advanced Manufacturing Systems and Biotechnologies RTD)
opened the workshop introduced the agenda and outlined the main objectives of the event He
highlighted the importance of exchanging information and good practices as well as networking
and clustering opportunities both within and among projects and from international participants
Mr Peter Droumlll (Director Industrial Technologies RTD) welcomed the participants and stressed
the role of Industrial Biotechnology as one of the EUs strengths He stated that Biotechnology as a
Key Enabling Technology is a major driving force for EU innovation which has clear potential to
boost competition Mr Droumlll summarised the biotechnology grants agreements funded since the
inception of Horizon 2020 (19 large projects and 38 small projects through the SME instrument) for
an amount of over euro150 million He recalled the launch of the ERA-NET CoBioTech with a total
budget of approximately euro363 million (of which euro10 million comes from the Horizon 2020 budget)
where 18 countries inside and outside the EU will participate in the co-funded call He also
highlighted that euro56 million would be distributed to successful proposals under the 2017 call
funding research for the reuse of CO2 the use of new plant breeding techniques the optimisation
of biocatalysis plus the support to biotechnology SMEs Mr Droumlll referred to the work under
preparation for the last Work Programme of Horizon 2020 (2018-2020) and the significance of
aligning to major EU policy objectives in particular to the energy and climate actions Mr Droumlll
addressed the four international speakers highlighting the importance of global scientific
collaboration at a time when we share major challenges Mr Droumlll concluded with some words for
the SMEs in particular for those participants representing projects funded through the SME
Instrument commending their role filling the gap from laboratory to market and invited everyone
to convert innovative ideas into new products services or businesses
The workshop continued with presentations from each of the 21 projects present The first 17
presentations were from projects funded as RIA or IA actions through calls under one of the three
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
7
thematic areas previously described (footnote in page 5) These included three sets of project
presentations One set was composed of the Cutting-edge Biotechnologies projects on synthetic
biology (Mycosynvac Empowerputida and P4SB) and systems biology (Topcapi Chassy and
Rafts4Biotech) The second set included projects under the theme Biotechnology-based Industrial
Processes either for downstream processing (DiViNe and nextBioPharmDSP) biocatalysis (Robox
and CarbaZymes) or focusing on bioconversion of waste (Volatile Falcon and Dafia) In the third
set there were presentations from projects framed as ldquoInnovative Platformsrdquo in bioinformatics (DD-
DeCaF and CanPathPro) and metagenomics (Metafluidics and Virus-X) In addition two
presentations were made of crosscutting actions the ERA-NET Cofund CoBioTech and the
CommunitySupport Action Progress followed by presentations of the two projects funded through
the SME Instrument (SO2SAFE and APEX) The first day ended with a networking activity
On the 16 November the workshop continued with a session about ldquoChallenges in Biotechnologyrdquo
with speakers from industry and academia who shared their views on the challenges needs and
opportunities of biotechnology in the EU A thematic presentation underlined the importance of
standardisation of biological components with the focus put on synthetic biology The next session
was on the ldquoInternational Dimensions of Biotechnologiesrdquo with presentations from speakers from
the USA China South Korea and Japan providing the global dimension of the workshop The main
areas of research funded in their countries were introduced and the importance of cooperation was
emphasised to keep up to date with and be able to meet the challenges faced by modern society
The workshop concluded with a debate during which invited panelists from a small and a large
company a representative each from DG GROW EASME and the BBI Joint Undertaking contributed
their reflections as a basis for a discussion with the audience The rapporteur Mrs Monica Garcia-
Alonso summarised the main highlights of the workshop and the chair Mr Jose-Lorenzo Valles
closed it
3 HORIZON 2020 PRESENTATIONS
This section summarises the participation of the Horizon 2020 funded Biotechnology projects in the
workshop Biotechnology is one of the Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that have the potential of
strengthening the EUrsquos industrial and innovation capacity while addressing societal challenges (SC)
such as health demographic change and wellbeing (SC1) food security sustainable agriculture
and forestry marine and maritime and inland water research and the Bioeconomy (SC2) secure
clean and efficient energy (SC3) and climate action environment resource efficiency and raw
materials (SC5)
The Workshop 2016 gathered the seven RIA and IA Horizon 2020 projects that already participated
in the first workshop (2015) 12 new projects funded in 2016 (10 RIA 1 CSA 1 ERA-NET) and two
projects funded by the SME Instrument Projects that received funding after selection from the
2014-2015 Work Programme calls for proposals had been underway for about 18 months or 6
months respectively other projects selected in the call for the first year of the 2016-2017 Work
Programme were just starting at the time of the workshop
The 2014 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included three topics (BIOTEC-01-2014
BIOTEC-03-2014 and BIOTEC-04-2014) (Box 1) In this call seven proposals were funded with a
total budget of around EUR 54 million
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
8
The 2015 Horizon 2020 call for proposals in Biotechnology included two topics (BIOTEC-02-2015
and BIOTEC-06-2015) (Box 1) Out of the proposals received four proposals were funded with a
total budget of around euro34 million In addition 38 Biotechnology projects have been funded to
date under the SME instrument (BIOTEC-05-201415 and BIOTEC-03-20162017) with a budget of
almost euro16 million
Box 1 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015 in Biotechnology3 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2014 Synthetic biology minus construction of organisms for new products and
processes (RIA) Mycosynvac Empowerputida P4SB
BIOTEC-02-2015 New bioinformatics approaches in service of biotechnology (RIA)
DD-DeCaF CanPathPro
BIOTEC-03-2014 Widening industrial applications of enzymatic processes (IA)
Robox Carbazymes
BIOTEC-04-2014 Downstream processes unlocking biotechnological transformations (IA)
Divine nextBiopharmDSP
BIOTEC-05-201415 SME-boosting biotechnological-based industrial processes driving competitiveness and sustainability (SME instrument) SO2SAFE APEX BIOTEC-06-2015 Metagenomics as innovation driver (RIA) Metafluidics Virus-X
Regarding the Work Programme 2016-2017 on Biotechnology eight projects were selected in the
2016 call that included four topics (BIOTEC-01-2016 BIOTEC-02-2016 BIOTEC-03-2016 and BIOTEC-
04-2016) (Box 2) and were funded with a budget of about euro 47 million
The 2017 Horizon 2020 Work Programme in Biotechnology was composed of four topics (BIOTEC-05-
2017 BIOTEC-06-2017 BIOTEC-07-2017 and BIOTEC-08-2017) The submission of pre-proposals to
topics with two evaluation stages ended shortly before the workshop (27 October 2016) The
outcome of the second stage evaluation will be known early summer 2017 and projects might start
before the year-end The call for the topic BIOTEC-08-2017 opened only on 20 September 2016
3 httpseceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2014_2015mainh2020-wp1415-leit-nmp_enpdf
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
9
Box 2 Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017 in Biotechnology4 topics and projects
BIOTEC-01-2016 ERA-NET Cofund on Biotechnologies CoBioTech
BIOTEC-02-2016 Bioconversion of non-agricultural waste into biomolecules for industrial
applications (RIA) Dafia Falcon Volatile
BIOTEC-03-2016 Microbial chassis platform with optimised metabolic pathways for industrial
innovations through systems biology (RIA) Topcapi Chassy Rafts4Biotech
BIOTEC-04-2016 KET Biotechnology foresight identifying gaps and high-value opportunities for
the EU industry (CSA) Progress
BIOTEC-05-2017 Microbial platforms for CO2-reuse processes in the low-carbon economy (RIA)
project(s) tba
BIOTEC-06-2017 Optimisation of biocatalysis and downstream processing for the sustainable
production of high value-added platform chemicals (IA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-07-2017 New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPTB) in molecular farming Multipurpose
crops for industrial bioproducts (RIA) project(s) tbd
BIOTEC-08-2017 Support for enhancing and demonstrating the impact of KET Biotechnology
projects (CSA) project(s) tbd
31 Cutting edge biotechnologies
Mycosynvac
Engineering of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a broad-spectrum
animal vaccine
No effective vaccination exists against many mycoplasmas that infect domestic animals causing
respiratory disorders that are regarded as being among the most serious disease problems in
modern production systems With a combination of systems biology whole cell modelling and
modern tools of synthetic biology Mycosynvac engineers Mycoplasma pneumoniae to make it a
universal chassis for vaccination The significance of the objectives of this project is based on the
fact that the global veterinary vaccines market which was $6 billion in 2013 is expected to total
$9 billion by 2020
4 httpeceuropaeuresearchparticipantsdatarefh2020wp2016_2017mainh2020-wp1617-leit-nmp_enpdf
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
10
Mycosynvacrsquo efforts to maximise impact focus on (1) having a clear target (2) relying on key
industrial partners within the consortium both for developing and exploiting vaccines and for
technology development (3) identifying key objectives at the very start of the project in terms of
the vaccine chassis the necessary experimental conditions and the target hosts (4) developing a
credible exploitation plan that also (5) considers different business models for results other than
vaccines The role of the ldquoInnovation Boardrdquo composed of the industries and technology transfer
specialists from academic partners is also essential to identify new opportunities for exploitation of
research results Biodiversity-sensitive epitope mapping involving the development of a
technology was shown as one of these examples
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 634942
Coordinator Fundacioacute Centre de Regulacioacute Genoacutemica (Spain)
Website wwwmycosynvaceu
EmPowerPutida
Exploiting native endowments by re-factoring re-programming
and implementing novel control loops in Pseudomonas putida for
bespoke biocatalysis
EmPowerPutida aims to engineer the lifestyle of Pseudomonas putida to obtain a tailored re-
factored chassis for the production of so far non-accessible biological compounds Based on the
outstanding metabolic endowment and stress tolerance capabilities of P putida the project uses
mathematical models user-friendly design software and modern tools of synthetic biology to
enhance replace and remove the necessary traits to make a versatile chassis capable of
generating scores of chemicals and products with an exceptional efficiency The two showcase
products are two biofuel molecules (n-butanol and isobutanol and their gaseous derivatives 1-
butene and (iso-)butadiene) and an active ingredient tabtoxin a high-value szlig-lactam-based
secondary metabolite as a new herbicide
In order to maximise impact for each of these classes of products Empowerputida relies on
leading industrial companies that participate in the project and are ready to develop these
technologies further If successful the project is guided by a roadmap starting from an identified
set of exploitable results that foresees industrial production and commercialisation of the target
chemicals in about five to seven years after the project completion
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635536
Coordinator Wageningen University (The Netherlands)
Website httpwwwempowerputidaeu
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
11
P4SB
From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida
Synthetic Biology
The objective of P4SB is the biotransformation of non-sustainable oil-based plastic waste into
sustainable value-added alternative materials with the use of tools of synthetic biology With these
tools new enzymes will bio-depolymerise two types of plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
and PU (polyurethane) and a deeply engineering Pseudomonas putida will metabolise the resulting
monomers P4SB contributes to the EU recycling targets which for PET must increase from 30
(2014) to 50 (2020) and for PU from 5 (2014) to 70 (2020)
The expectations of P4SB to maximise impact rely on the selection of a good business case ie PU
waste valorisation and the inclusion of different compatible commercial partners that cover the
value chain (Soprema ndash PU production Proteus ndash enzyme engineering Bacmine ndash synthetic biology
and Bioplastech ndash PHA production) The role of combined project partners and their collaboration
with industrial partner Bioplastech was shown as a case study leading to 1) basic research to
improve synthetic biology tools for key microorganisms for polymer production 2) access to
enzymes and enzyme technology for feedstock preparation 3) development of various organisms
and system models for bioprocess improvements and 4) novel downstream polymer recover
technologies
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 633962
Coordinator Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany)
Website wwwP4SBeu
Topcapi
Thoroughly Optimised Production Chassis for
Advanced Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Topcapi is a Horizon 2020 project that will create actinomycete cell factories which can produce
commercially viable levels of the antibiotic GE2270 and of tetracycline derivatives The project will
use systems biology to optimise and engineer the metabolism of these strains for use in
established industrial processes based on actinomycete platforms Pathway engineering will
optimise the biosynthesis pathway for the target compounds allowing high efficiency synthesis
while minimising the production of side products The project will also develop generic microbial
chassis and systems and synthetic biology tools paving the way to further development of the bio-
economy through novel or improved bio-refinery processes
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720793
Coordinator The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Logo and website in progress
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
12
Chassy
Model-based Construction and Optimisation of Versatile Chassis
Yeast Strains for Production of Valuable Lipid and Aromatic
Compounds
Chassy is a multi-partner project that aims at delivering a suite of yeast strains that can serve as
versatile platforms for the production of high value oleochemicals and aromatic molecules This will
be achieved by integrating the knowledge gained from systems biology with the engineering tools
of synthetic biology to redesign metabolic pathways in the target yeast species These redesigned
strains will have optimised levels of product precursors and will serve as versatile chassis for
industrial exploitation
The project expects to boost technological innovation for European industries to keep their
leadership in the food feed fuel cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries The creation of a SME
stakeholder group will encourage growth and innovation in the European biotechnology sector by
ensuring that interested European SMEs are made aware of opportunities to commercially exploit
the knowledge technologies and chassis strains that are developed in the project
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720824
Coordinator University College Cork (Ireland)
Website httpschassyeu
Rafts4Biotech
Synthetic Bacterial Lipid Rafts to Optimise Industrial Bioprocesses
Rafts4Biotech will engineer two types of bacterial cells to generate synthetic bacterial lipid rafts to
confine industrial reactions protecting cells from undesirable metabolic interferences and in
consequence improving their efficiency for manufacturing processes This technology will be
virtually applicable to any microbial system and for all kind of industrially relevant reactions The
impact of Rafts4Biotech will be wide-ranging with applications envisaged in sectors such as the
pharmaceutical (generating microbial chassis capable of producing lipid-binding antibiotics in
industrial settings) cosmetics (increasing the efficiency of vitamins bioproduction) and that of
animal feed (cell factories capable of eliminating toxic pollutants from food and drinking sources)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720776
Coordinator Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia (Spain)
Website in progress
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
13
32 Biotechnology-based industrial processes
DiViNe
Sustainable downstream processing of vaccines through
incorporation of nanobiotechnologies novel affinity ligands and
biomimetic membranes
DiViNe is a project based on an industrial consortium that aims at improving the downstream
process of vaccine production in order to reduce the cost of vaccines The general concept consists
in using affinity chromatography combining two major nanotechnology innovations (Nanofitinreg
ligands for affinity capture and Aquaporin Insidetrade membranes for fluid recycling) to develop an
integrated purification platform amenable to diverse heterogeneous types of vaccines
glycoconjugates protein antigens and viruses High yields are expected at affordable cost of goods
and with a sustainable approach to water recycling
One of the objectives of the DiViNe project is to obtain Nanofitins against the targets and evaluate
them in combination with a chromatographic support This part of the work involved first GSK for
provision of the first target then Affilogic for discovery and early characterisation of Nanofitins
binding to it and lastly Merck for immobilisation of the best Nanofitin candidates to
chromatographic resins This platform-approach from target to affinity material implemented
during the first 18-month period for one of the targets illustrates the custom platform that will be
available by the end of the DiViNe project for commercial service in the biopharmaceutical field at
large
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635770
Coordinator Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (Portugal)
Website wwwdivineprojecteu
nextBioPharmDSP
Next-generation biopharmaceutical downstream process
The aim of this project is to develop a continuous process for purifying bio-pharmaceuticals by
optimising and integrating different parts of the downstream process (DSP) since this part of the
manufacturing process represents a substantial overall cost and a bottleneck from the perspective
of efficient production The main objective of this project is to implement a fully integrated
manufacturing platform for biosimilar monoclonal antibodies based on continuous chromatography
in combination with different flow-through techniques based on disposable single-use techniques
for all unit operations of the DSP sequence concept together with incorporation of advanced
analytical tools
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
14
The project is run by a consortium that includes three large companies and three academic
partners and one SME The main benefits of the project are reduction of production costs and
efficiency improvement which will ultimately lead to expanded accessibility of patients to these
highly efficient drugs Another important aim is lowering the environmental footprint and moving to
more sustainable technologies nextBioPharmDSP has already submitted three publications and
filed two patents on advanced analytical tools and developed a prototype that will be tested in
2017
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635557
Coordinator Lek Farmacevtska Druzba DD (Slovenia)
Website wwwnextbiopharmdspeu
ROBOX
Expanding the industrial use of Robust Oxidative Biocatalysts for
the conversion and production of alcohols
ROBOX is an Innovation Action aimed at demonstrating the techno-economic viability of
biotransformations of four types of robust oxidative enzymes P450 monooxygenases (P450s)
Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) Alcohol oxidases
(AOXs) It will demonstrate 11 target reactions on large scale for these markets in order to prepare
them for plants up to commercial-scale
Efforts to maximise impact in ROBOX are focussed on several fronts 1) the innovations tackled
expand to processes products and platform technologies 2) the work covers industrially relevant
demonstration cases it uses representative minipilot plant scale for demonstrations it involves a
broad range of biooxidation enzyme classes and it aims at creating value of products with novel
properties 3) a balanced consortium of Industry SMEs and Academia is involved 4) the
exploitation of the technology first is planned within the consortium then dissemination of results
targets the academic and industrial communities so that replication of the successful technologies
can also take place outside the consortium Dissemination to the academic and industrial
communities is ensured through scientific publications in both peer reviewed and secondary
(industrial) journals Presentations have been given at scientific conferences (eg Biotrans and
Biocat) and events attended by process chemists (eg Scientific Update conferences) In addition
the consortium has also organised sessions at scientific conferences (in 2016 the 1st Aachen
Protein Engineering Symposium and the 5th International Conference on Novel Enzymes)
Exploitation of results of the demonstrations is planned by the end of the project especially if it
regards the production of a target molecule However exploitation of platform technologies such
as novel enzymes or enzyme kits can and will already be offered as products and services to the
broader chemical industry (outside the consortium) from the 3rd year on
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635734
Coordinator DSM Chemical Technology RampD BV (The Netherlands)
Website wwwh2020roboxeu
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
15
Carbazymes
Sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform
The CarbaZymes project will develop sustainable industrial processes based on a C-C bond-forming
enzyme platform This technology uses specific enzymes and intensive reaction development The
aim of the project is the implementation of a biocatalytic carboligation platform by making stable
diverse and efficient catalysts for new processes With inherent safety advantages over traditional
chemical methods this platform aspires to replace the current use of hazardous components for
the industrial scale manufacturing of products with high economic and societal value In particular
the focus is on the industrial production of important market-relevant pharma and bulk chemicals
including polymer precursors in an environmentally friendly mode
The project reported progress to date which includes the development of specialised enzyme
databases (using newly created algorithms) the characterisation of enzymes of interest the
construction of a Thermus strain (for protein engineering purposes) and the development of
biocatalytic process for scale-up
The project has already filed one patent application on fusion proteins for the enzymes sector and
is in the process of filing two more Carbazymes has engaged in education and training activities
producing an educational video (httpswwwyoutubecomplaylistlist=PLvpwIjZTs-
LjYqeOiYYqRWlegdihyjGgu) it will organise the conference sequel of Novel Enzymes 2018 and it
will co-organise the conference series BioTrans 20172019 It is expected that the project will have
a major positive influence on greening the European chemical industry contributing to a reduction
of its environmental impact by reducing emissions energy consumption and toxic waste
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 635595
Coordinator Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany)
Website wwwcarbazymescom
Volatile
Biowaste derived volatile fatty acid platform for biopolymers
bioactive compounds and chemical building blocks
Volatile is a new project that will recover volatile fatty acids from municipal and industrial bio-
waste treated by anaerobic digestion using membrane technology The volatile fatty acids will be
transformed via fermentation approaches into biopolymers single cell oil and omega-3 fatty acids
for the materials petrochemical and nutraceutical industries
Europe has a potential of 88 Mio ton of bio‐waste per annum and more than 14500 biogas plants
are installed in Europe These facilities could be transformed into building block providers (VFA) to
the fermentation industry Employment potential (in the next 15 years) is 1250‐2500 direct jobs
and 500‐1250 indirect jobs
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
16
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 720777
Coordinator Tecnalia (Spain)
Website wwwvolatile-h2020eu
Falcon
Fuel And chemicals from Lignin through enzymatic and chemical
CONversions
Falcon aims at turning lignin-rich industrial waste from second generation biofuel plants into higher
value products which will include fuels for ships fuel additives and chemical building blocks The
adoption of the Falcon technology which is based on an enzymatic and mild chemical conversion of
the lignin waste at European scale by 2030 would create up to 9000 permanent and 20000
temporary jobs and additional revenue of 800M Euros
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720918
Coordinator CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre (The Netherlands)
Website in progress
Dafia
Biomacromolecules from municipal solid bio-waste fractions and
fish waste for high added value applications
Dafia aims at exploring conversion routes of municipal solid waste (MSW) from the fish processing
industries to obtain high added value products such as flame retardants food and feed barrier
coatings and chemical building blocks to produce polyamides and polyesters for a wide range of
industrial applications Selected value-chains and products will be explored based on the potential
commercial value and technical feasibility New microbial strains and cost-efficient processes for
conversion of feedstock fractions will be developed as well as enzymatic and chemical
modifications of components isolated from the feedstock or produced in microbial processes
Employment potential by 2025 is 670 direct jobs and 2000 indirect jobs
Project starting year 2017
Project reference 720770
Coordinator AIMPLAS (Spain)
Website in progress
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
17
33 Innovative platform technologies
DD-DeCaF
Bioinformatics Services for Data-Driven Design of Cell Factories
and Communities
DD-DeCaF is a project based on data-driven design of cells and microbial communities for
applications ranging from human health to sustainable production of chemicals With advances in
synthetic biology genomes can now be edited at unprecedented speed allowing making multiple
changes to be made in the same genome at the same time
The project brings together leading academic partners from academia and industry addressing the
challenge of building a comprehensive design tool The academic partners will develop cutting edge
methods for using large scale data to design cell factories and communities for biotechnological
applications The SME partners will convert these advanced methods to software tools that can be
used by non-experts and to build intuitive visualisations of biological networks These tools will be
tested and applied to real world cell factory development projects by end-user partners The
project will take a series of concrete measures to maximise its impact Examples include active
dissemination of software tools participation in standardisation efforts and outreach activities in
the form of end-user training and workshops
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686070
Coordinator Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Website httpdd-decafeu
CanPathPro
Generation of the CanPath prototype-a platform for predictive
cancer pathway modelling
Omics technologies are generating complex molecular datasets that are exponentially increasing
the cancer knowledge base However the great molecular complexity and heterogeneity exhibited
by most cancers which is reflected in their omics characterisation necessitates a systems biology
approach for analysis and interpretation CanPathPro is developing and refining bioinformatic and
experimental tools for the evaluation and control of systems biology modelling predictions The
CanPathPro prototype - a combined experimental and systems biology platform - will allow users to
integrate private or public data sets to predict the activation status of individual pathways thus
enabling in silico identification of cancer signalling networks critical for tumour development as
well as the generation of hypotheses about biological systems which can be experimentally
validated
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
18
CanPathPro is set to have significant impacts on diverse areas from cancer research and
personalised medicine to drug discovery and development New innovative solutions for accessing
and exploiting datasets will be developed that will provide extensive capability to bridge e-
information from various application areas accelerating discovery and product development The
project will also bridge the gap from lab to market for SMEs Indeed two of the projectrsquos nine-
member consortium are SME specialists in industries related to medical research and with a strong
track record in commercialising scientific innovation They will develop a business and
commercialisation plan to show how companies could use the project outcomes to generate new
business and jobs
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 686282
Coordinator Alacris Theranostics GmbH (Germany)
Website wwwcanpathproeu
Metafluidics
Advanced toolbox for rapid and cost-effective functional
metagenomics screening- microbiology meets microfluidics
Metafluidics is developing innovative tools by combining molecular tools microfluidic tools and
bioinformatics that will lead to novel enzymes for biosynthesis of therapeutic small molecules
green bioenergy conversion food chemistry and other medical and industrial applications
Metafluidics screens genome libraries to find relevant enzymes for the bioeconomy and develops
methods for high-throughput functional screening of metagenomes These tools will be used to
address user needs such as fighting antibiotic resistance pathogen detection food safety and
novel functional enzymes Indeed the results of Metafluidics can be linked to different societal
challenges and its products target different industrial sectors In addition the project aims to
contribute to standardisation in the field of metagenomics at European and international level and
will take a series for measures and actions to maximise its impact Examples include dissemination
and exploitation of project results data management and protection and communication and
outreach activities such as workshops and conferences
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685474
Coordinator Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain)
Website httpwwwmetafluidicseu
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
19
Virus-X
Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value
Virus-X addresses the unexplored territory of viral genomes It aims to exploit the viral biological
diversity of metagenomes of viruses in natural ecosystems and their encoded gene products It will
do so by sampling extreme biotopes as well as through sequence-based bioprospecting
methodologies combining bioinformatics gene annotation structural determination of proteins and
functional screening
The potential for innovation is enormous in consequence the project strives to have new enzymatic
products of viral origin bioinformatics tools improved structural biology services and molecular
applications in the market In order to maximise impact Virus-X has an Industrial Innovation
Board and an Intellectual Property Rights Instrument The industrial drive of the project is assured
by the involvement of five SME (Prokazyme AampA Biotechnology ArticZymes BioProdict SARomics
Biostructures)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 685778
Coordinator Prokazyme EHF (Iceland)
Website httpvirus-xeu
34 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions
Cobiotech
Cofund on biotechnologies
Involving 24 partners and one observer Cobiotech results from the merging and continuation of
three previous ERA-NETs ERASysApp ERA-IB and ERA SynBio Started at the end of 2016 the
project aims at 1) maximising synergies between current mechanisms of biotechnology research
funding in Europe 2) fostering the exchange of knowledge across borders 3) highlighting the
benefits of a bio-based economy for society and 4) maintaining and strengthening Europersquos position
in biotechnology The first call for proposals of Cobiotech contains topics on 1) Sustainable
production and conversion of different types of feedstocks and bioresources into value-added
products 2) New products value-added products and supply services and 3) Sustainable industrial
processes Proposals will use synthetic biology systems biology bioinformatics tools and
biotechnological approaches
Cobiotech expects to increase impact by bridging the gap to innovation an aim that will be pursued
through significant efforts in communication additional joint funding activities the establishment
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
20
of the European Biotechnology Hub and the development of a strategic research and innovation
agenda (SRIA)
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 722361
Coordinator Project Management Juelich (Germany)
Website httpswwwcobiotecheu
Progress
Priorities for Addressing Opportunities and Gaps of Industrial
Biotechnology for an efficient use of funding resources
The overall aim of Progress is to support and accelerate the deployment of industrial biotechnology
(IB) by EU industry through identification of high-value opportunities and actions to address them
successfully The project will provide a comprehensive and dependable information base foster a
common vision for IB and elaborate a future scenario for IB in Europe providing strategic advice
for research industry and policy
In addition Progress will identify opportunities for collaboration in RampDampI between EU Member
States boosting the participation of smaller countries and propose actions to increase awareness
and incentives for those collaborations The project will also enhance understanding of the drivers
and barriers as regards valorisation of research via business applications
Project starting year 2016
Project reference 723687
Coordinator Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Germany)
Website wwwprogress-bioeu
35 SME Instrument
SO2SAFE
Enzymatic SO2 biosensor for rapid food safety monitoring
The SO2SAFE project has developed a miniaturised enzyme-based electrochemical biosensor that is
highly sensitive selective rapid and user friendly as regards the detection of sulphites added to
shrimps crabs and other crustaceans The project will scale up its manufacturing process targeting
all agro-food industries where sulphites are used as additives The scale-up process will optimise
production costs and increase production capacity SO2SAFE will also demonstrate to final users
the improved performance of the miniaturised biosensor The project has identified some barriers
to market the product whch are likely to arise because of the low acceptance of disruptive
technologies by the food industry due to its tendency to use only official detection methods In
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
21
order to increase the acceptability of the product by final users and regulatory authorities
SO2SAFE has requested support from the EC and the project is engaged in communication and
dissemination activities
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 684026
Coordinator Biolan (Spain)
Website wwwbiolanmbcom
APEX
Advanced process economics through oxidoreductases
APEX coordinated by MetGen will bring MetZymereg enzyme solutions from small pilot scale pulp
and paper mills and bio-refinery to industrial production and commercial applications MetZymereg is
based on thermostable oxidoreductase enzymes with wide pH tolerance designed to break
recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in harsh industrial conditions Small scale pilot studies done
together with large industrial customers have shown that these enzymes have the potential to
significantly improve the economic and environmental sustainability of paper chemicals and
biofuels
Through APEX MetGen will illustrate the full potential of MetZymereg the novel production system
Furthermore this will be done in an economically feasible way ndash changing the perception that
enzymatic solutions are expensive in comparison to mechanical or chemical ones and being a
strong competitor for these in the target markets MetGen aspires to be recognised as one of the
worldrsquos most significant enzyme developers and providers The APEX project makes it possible for
the company to bridge the gap between pilot and industrial scale and thus become financially
viable by the end of this project
Project starting year 2015
Project reference 666346
Coordinator Metgen (Finland)
Website wwwmetgencomapex
4 CHALLENGES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
41 Industryrsquos point of view
Speaker Joanna Dupont-Inglis European Association for Bioindustries EuropaBio
Ms Dupont-Inglis is the Director Industrial Biotechnology at the European Association for
Bioindustries (EuropaBio) Ms Dupont-Inglis stressed that the need to respect the environment
and the requirements of a growing population are both factors obliging stakeholders to follow the
principles of a circular economy and to be bio-based In consequence industrial biotechnology has
major potential ahead for example 31 Million tonnes of CO2 a year are currently avoided globally
as a result of industrial biotechnology ndashwhich is equivalent to emissions from 65 Million carsndash or
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
22
65 Million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved by 2030 by using enzymes in the detergents
textiles pulp and paper industries or 270 Million tonnes of agricultural residues in 2020 could be
refined into chemicals biomaterials and advanced bioethanol After offering reflections on the EUs
policy agenda jobs and growth the Energy Union the Circular economy and the COP Agreement
from Paris among others
Ms Dupont-Inglis focused on the current pros and cons for industrial biotechnology in the EU On
the positive side she noted the excellent knowledge base the Circular Economy package the
prospects for many sectors to become more sustainable and more competitive and the high
consumer appreciation of sustainability
Ms Dupont-Inglis presented data from a 2016 study undertaken by Europabio showing that the
current 486000 jobs in the industrial biotechnology value chain in the EU could go up to a range
between 900000 to 1500000 jobs by 2030 This expected employment could contribute between
euro575 and euro995 billion to the EU economy On the downside Ms Dupont-Inglis highlighted the
fragmented unpredictable and incoherent policy framework the difficulties to translate excellence
in research and innovation into bio-based commercialisation jobs and market growth the
limitations to attract and access investment for scaling up and the lack of clarity over feedstock
availability and sustainability Addressing these downsides would require coherent holistic and
supportive policies along the value chain of the bio-based industries measures to enable bio-
products to enter into the market investments combined with financing instruments and the
facilitated access to sustainable and equitable priced feedstocks
42 Academiarsquos point of view
Speaker Philippe Corvini European Federation of Biotechnology EFB
Philippe Corvini Vice-President of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) represented the
voice of EFB representing about 30000 members He reported on major challenges bottlenecks
and opportunities in the six sections of the Federation microbial physiology applied biocatalysis
environmental biotechnology functional genomics polymer biotechnology and bioengineering and
bioprocessing Generically speaking
Mr Corvini stressed the need for major efforts for the optimal exploitation of big sets of data (eg
correct genome annotation) to better appraise the physiology of microorganisms and develop eco-
efficient bioprocesses He asserted that biotechnology can be competitive in comparison with
chemistry if attention is paid to the high step atom redox and conversion economies Beyond
2020 bio-hydrometallurgy and further bio-catalytical tools will be important to recover inorganics
and organics as well as CO2 from wasted resources such as by-products from industrial processes
Moreover taking on the challenge of ldquofood4allrdquo it is predictable that bacteria will be soil
conditioners for increased crop yields On the role of the EFB itself
Mr Corvini referred specifically to the opportunities in supporting the continuum between
fundamental research and commercial products and facilitating communication between industry
academia and other sectors Mr Corvini ended by stating that adequate training and educational
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
23
measures will be necessary to further develop novel converging technologies such as nano-
biotechnology and 3D-bioprinting
43 Standardisation of biological components and databases
Speaker Victor de Lorenzo Spanish National Research Council CSIC
Mr de Lorenzo Group Leader at CSIC Spain stressed the role of standards in fostering the
transition of contemporary gene-based Biotechnology from being a trial-and-error endeavour to
becoming an authentic branch of Engineering He argued that the inherent complexity of biological
systems and the lack of quantitative tradition in the field have largely curbed this endeavour thus
far Yet contemporary research in Life Sciences emphasises the need for standards not only to
manage omics data but also to increase reproducibility mdashthe lack of which plagues Biotechnology
and Biology in generalmdash and to provide the means to design purposeful biological systems in
depth Moreover as in the case of engineering adoption of standards could make a difference in
terms of the scalability and predictability of the endeavour Standards would allow decoupling
design from production from assembly from deployment
Standards would also provide opportunities for international collaboration as they allow different
communities to work together Immediate standardisation actions include rules for physical
composition of DNA sequences chassis tools for genome editing and languages to encode
workflows Other domains might be standardised with dedicated research (eg biological
metrology operative systems for bio-programming cells) and finally others will require a
considerable effort eg sorting out the rules that allow functional composition of biological
activities Despite difficulties these are worthy attempts as those who setadopt standards gain a
competitive edge in respect to those who do not
Mr De Lorenzo also connected the development of standards with industrial leadership the history
of technology has numerous examples of how those who developed well-grounded standards at the
right time gained a competitive edge in respect to others The current frontline research on
biological standards focuses on Metrology the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)-University of Stanford Joint Initiative for Metrology in Biology currently being in the lead He
concluded by highlighting that standards make the difference between genetic bricolage and
genetic engineering in earnest and that standardisation is one of the drivers of the bioeconomy
Finally he appealed not to let pass the opportunity of getting involved in the standardisation drive
running through biotechnology if we are to play a leading role in the onset of the 4th Industrial
Revolution
5 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES
51 Biotechnology in the USA
Speaker Theresa Good National Science Foundation NSF
Ms Theresa Good is the Deputy Division Director Molecular and Cellular Biosciences of the
National Science Foundation Ms Good first referred to the challenge of engineering biology that is
to harness the intrinsic capabilities of biological systems to manufacture products that are of
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
24
benefit to mankind She then went on to detail the research needs as being 1) understanding the
physical chemical and biological principles that govern life 2) improving tools techniques and
methodologies for prediction and design 3) enabling scaling-up usability interoperation safety
security and ethics 4) developing a future workforce based on interdisciplinary education and
training and 5) addressing challenges to ensure future US competitiveness in advanced
manufacturing
Ms Good outlined the funding history of Engineering Biology in the US over the years and
highlighted some of the success stories to date For example she mentioned the manufacture of
polymers-derived surfboards from algae oil and the use of microbial strains to produce the
precursor of artemisinin to fight malaria Ms Good explained that engineering biology today is a
time consuming and capital-intensive process where future investments are necessary to address
these issues She introduced the different US agencies investing in Engineering Biology mdashat the
levels of basic research research infrastructures and mission-driven researchmdash and associated
current investments with the research and technology development needs
Ms Good also pointed at some of the current opportunities for example the unique cross-
disciplinary ecosystem with strong industrial engagement that has changed how industry and
academia approach engineering biology as a result of ten years of funding the first synthetic
biology centre Among the challenges she pointed to the risk that the US could lose
competitiveness if working in isolation and that international investment is essential Other
challenges identified by Ms Good included the need to move engineering biology to higher
Technology Readiness Levels and the lingering issues related to public perception biosafety dual
use and ethics She concluded by summarising some of the many new and ongoing activities in
2016 such as the launch of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium and the Synthetic
Biology Standards Consortium
52 Biotechnology in China
Speaker Fengwu Bai Shangai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Fengwu Bai is Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai
Jiao Tong University He introduced the programmes of the National Science Foundation of China
(Projects for Young Scholars General and Key projects InternationalRegional collaboration) plus
the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology
(Fundamental RampD High-Tech RampD Innovations to upgrading traditional industries and
InternationalRegional collaboration) Mr Bai mentioned current challenges and stressed the need
for collaboration in the areas of agriculture (eg green pesticides) pharmaceuticals (eg vaccines)
industrial biotechnology (eg bulk commodities) and environment (eg pollution of water soil
air) He supported these needs with examples ie current dependency on foreign oil in China
(gt60 in 2015) and Europe (gt70 in 2014) and environmental pollution in north China
Mr Bai then focused on main areas of investment and interest in KET Biotechnology in China
synthetic and systems biology bioprocessing engineering as well as bio-refinery and bio-
manufacture He elaborated further based on a range of examples of current research work and its
outcomes use of systems biology and computational simulations to construct chassis for the
production of drugs materials and platform compounds fine tuning the compatibility of natural
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
25
enzymes via engineering to achieve higher catalytic efficiency Chinese participation in the
consortium to build the first yeast synthetic genome the creation of cellular machines to make
products such as terpenes steroids polyketides the commercialisation of ethanol fermented by
flocculating yeast and the over production of cellulases through batch-feeding of sugars Mr Bai
concluded by stating that the expectations of China in the area of industrial biotechnology are to
achieve in-country socio-economic development with the expectation of spill over into
neighbouring countries and ultimately marking China out as a global influencer in sustainable
development
53 Biotechnology in South Korea
Speaker Yoon-Mo Koo Center for Advanced Bioseparation and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Mr Koo is the Director of the Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology in South Korea He
structured his presentation around four axes the status of Korea in the 21st century biotechnology
in Korea its researchers and its industries Mr Koo began by framing Korea as the ldquoMiracle of the
Han Riverrdquo a 5000 year old country that is known worldwide for the modern success of strong
industries in electronics automobiles and petrochemicals among others He provided comparative
statistics (eg 2 of the area of Europe 10 of its population but 83 of its GDP per capita) and
supported these data on the efforts made in international competitiveness mdashfor which Korea ranks
22nd overall 7th in science and 11th in technologymdash plus public RampD investment mdash159 billion USD
and 44 in relation to its GDP (2nd worldwide after Israel)
Mr Koo explained that with the turn of the century a decreasing GDP growth triggered a
reorientation that led to a new focus being put on Biotechnology mdashbased on Korean traditions in
food and beverages medicine and cosmetics As a result investment in Biotechnology increased by
27 between 2010 and 2014 and representing 182 of the total investment in national RampD At
the same time Korea launched policies aimed at promoting biotechnologies and a plan to invest in
five major sectors life sciences health agro-fisheries and food industry and environment as well
as bio-convergence While higher investments are made in health and basic sciences significant
support is given to areas of industrial Biotechnology RampD such as the establishment of the
industrial ecosystem (biochemistry biotechnological convergence) development of clean materials
waste reduction and bioremediation plus energy recovery from waste and biomass Mr Koo
mentioned specific programmes of the Intelligent Synthetic Biology Center the development of
core technologies for converting gas into chemicals and the promotion of industrialisation
supporting innovative biotechnologies for promising new industries Other RampD efforts in industrial
biotechnologies include those in bioenergy (microalgae biorefinery new bulk biomass resources)
and bioconvergence (biosensors platform technologies for microorganisms engineering)
Data were also presented about supply and demand in the Korean bioindustry (exported 242 times
its imports in 2014) the weight of its manpower (researchproductionsales) and its level of
education the trend of investments and the evolution of cooperation (contracts licensing
manpower exchanges) at different development stages and with different types of organisation
Korean industries (Celltrion Samsung Biologics LG Life Science and others) reinvented themselves
moving into biotechnological sectors and universities research centres and companies engaged in
bioproduction
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
26
Mr Koo concluded with the following three points 1) industrial biotechnology biopharmaceuticals
medical and convergent biotechnologies are the main areas of current research 2) Korean
research would benefit from more international cooperation notably in industrial biotechnology and
cosmetics and 3) Korean industrial sectors face challenges arising from divergent interests of
academia and industry differences in scale between laboratories and pilot plants and the risks
inherent in the small capacity of Korean bioindustries
54 Biotechnology in Japan
Speaker Ken-ichi Yoshida Kobe University
Mr Yoshida is Professor at the Graduate School of Science Technology and Innovation of Kobe
University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre He first introduced the new
biotechnology trends in Japan that respond to the parallel world trends in establishing a
bioeconomy with the objective that biotechnology contributes significantly to the market Mr
Yoshida drew attention to the smart-cell industry based on major technological innovations in three
areas 1) DNA sequencing (genomic information) 2) Information TechnologiesArtificial
Intelligence (bioinformatics) and 3) Genome editing (new functions) This mix of innovations
drives the design of smart-cells with desired functions Investments in these areas are made by the
Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan and the objectives are several fold a) healthy
longevity b) transformation of the structure of energy supply and reduction of environmental
impact c) availability of renewable resources and eco-friendly production (new biochemical
processes and production of rare fine chemicals) and d) food security
Mr Yoshida then focused on the Innovative Bio-production Centre in Kobe (iBioK) gathering Kobe
University and 14 private companies He provided an overview of major projects undertaken as
part of advanced interdisciplinary programmes aimed at generating continuous innovation with a
commercial focus These projects include the construction of cell factories for biorefinery mdash
breeding super microbial cells for direct production of fuels and chemicals from biomassmdash the
integration of technologies (molecular biology evolutionary engineering genome engineering) to
build a platform for industrial synthetic biology (design innovation gene cluster construction high-
throughput evaluation and machine learningmulti-omics data generation analysis and feedback)
Mr Yoshida described in detail the activities performed in each of the components of the platform
based on recent advances made by leading Japanese researchers (eg ldquonon-cleavingrdquo genome
editing and the automated construction of designed artificial gene clusters) He concluded by
highlighting advances in Japanese biotechnological research for biofuels as result of the
development of cell surface display systems the hidrolyzation of insoluble substrates including
lignocellulosic biomass direct ethanol production from hydrothermally pre-treated rice straw direct
production of isobutanol from cellulosic materials and construction of cell factories
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
27
6 PANEL DEBATE
The panel for the debate was composed of the following presenters
Mr Simon Charnock Prozomix Ltd
Mr Michael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus
Ms Laure Baillargeon DG GROW
Marco Rubinato EASME
Eleni Zika BBI PPP
The questions provided to the panel to facilitate the exchange of views were
1 What lessons learnt could help to ensure that the projects generate breakthrough exploitable results and to further improve their impact
2 Can you share an experience where cooperation (eg clustering of projects international cooperation) contributed to project success or enhanced impact
3 What are the barriers faced to reach the expected impact Are patenting and standards barriers or enablers
Mr Charnock who represented the view of an SME highlighted the importance of having a good
balance in the consortium with the right members from academia and industry in order to
maximise synergies Unfortunately in his opinion this was not always the case under FP7 projects
That said he commended the exploitation of Horizon 2020 projects Moreover he stressed that if
intellectual property (IP) issues arise these could negatively affect the flow of information within
the consortium and in consequence restrict or delay potential impacts
Mr Lappe explained that in large companies administrative inertia can slow down progress
Bringing together business goals with research investments is often be a challenge He agreed that
patenting could become a barrier
Ms Baillargeon stressed that consortia should have a clear view of their potential impacts from the
moment the proposal is prepared and that they should include detailed business plans for getting
the innovations to the market She also suggested engaging with communities outside the
consortium (stakeholders along the value chain) and involving experts on business development
and analysis for example through technology centres which provide ldquoecosystemsrdquo for innovation
Ms Baillargeon recommended gathering best practices from other areas such as ICT which could
be used as a reference
Mr Rubinato added that it is important to come up with ideas that will lead to novel products or
processes addressing market needs He mentioned that consortia that include SMEs tend to have
higher commitment to maximising impacts Mr Rubinato agreed with industry representatives that
patents are necessary but could also become barriers and he encouraged project consortia to find
the support to address these issues Based on his experience he confirmed that coaching on
business strategies is the most frequently requested service by project beneficiaries
Ms Zika said that BBI encourages the development of business models that integrate actors from
different areas fostering integration and cooperation She emphasised that projects should have
built-in work plans to transition from research to market On a separate note she raised concerns
about the gaps in education and training for the set of skills needed in industrial biotechnology
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
28
The debate was then opened to the floor The first part focused on issues related to the generation
of exploitable results and further improving their impact The following points summarise the
highlights of this discussion
1) the importance of expanding impact beyond the consortium identifying external stakeholder
groups that could be interested in developing the innovations further
2) the importance of resolving any internal reluctance on the part of commercial partners in the
consortium to share information outside due to intellectual property concerns - confidentiality
agreements are useful within the consortium but not with outsiders
3) the importance of obtaining early feedback from the market on the anticipated innovations by
including end-users and SMEs in the consortium intellectual property issues and deadlines
must also be addressed in the early stages and patents must be filed as soon as possible a
message was passed to the EU authorities on the need to work towards reducing patenting
costs
4) given the importance of dissemination and intellectual property for each innovation the right
solution must be found from the outset a list of potential innovations should be prepared
regularly revised and benchmarked against competitors
The debate evolved with discussions around the advantages of using any form of clustering and
cooperation in projects Ideas proposed where the organisation of workshops mdashsuch as the inter-
sectoral workshops organised under FP7mdash using platforms to promote clustering like COST-Actions
or participating in fora for industrial stakeholders (eg the European Forum for Industrial
Biotechnology) An opportunity to identify synergies was highlighted using the example of KET
Biotechnology Horizon 2020 projects and those funded by the BBI which focus on complementary
research themes
The paradox between the need for openness and clustering versus the importance of protecting
data and innovations was highlighted The need to publish by academic partners should be taken
into account while protection strategies must be adequately resolved by all stakeholders involved
Mention was made to the fact that a new commercial landscape where there is freedom of
information and open data is developing Keeping it all for yourself does not mean you have
more thus alternative innovation models such as free access to the results can always be
considered
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
29
7 CONCLUSIONS
The rapporteur Ms Garcia-Alonso made a brief summary of the conclusions to be taken away
from the workshop She commended the high quality of the presentations and the good overview
of project achievements given during the workshop
Many of the project presentations highlighted the importance of having varied and balanced
consortia with academic partners that can drive cutting edge research and commercial partners
that can guide the path to commercialisation The specialist knowledge of each partner provides
synergisms that pave the way towards a common goal Some projects emphasised the importance
of developing business plans early on and to include marketing and regulatory expertise to ensure
a smooth route to commercialisation Some of the commercial partners discussed the issues facing
industrial biotechnology such as practical implementation technology acceptance and limited
support from regulatory entities
The projects in more advanced stages shared experiences that facilitated their work thus seeding
ideas and best practices for other projects Many projects mentioned the role of collaboration to
enhance the prospects of finding new technologies new applications for those technologies and the
potential for developing new and useful products
One of the difficulties raised by many participants was the dilemma of communicating and
exchanging information openly while protecting new inventions and technologies However many
agreed that effective communication within the consortium and promoting synergies with other
projects could help innovation Communication with the public and public education in general
should improve the acceptance and understanding of biotechnology-based solutions
Ms Garcia-Alonso concluded her summary by pointing out that given the rapid progress of
industrial biotechnology standardisation and international cooperation were seen as important and
deserved particular attention
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
30
Appendix 1 Agenda
Agenda
EC-Workshop on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology
15 - 16 November 2016 Brussels Belgium
Venue Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 70) Rue Belliard 101 Brussels 1040 15 November 2016
1300-1315 Registration Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 1315-1320 Welcome address by the Chair 1320-1330 Policies and Incentives for Biotechnology in Horizon 2020
Peter DROumlLL Director RTDD 1330-1430 Cutting-edge biotechnologies
Synthetic Biology Mycosynvac Alain Blanchard INRAHubert Bernauer ATGBiosynthetics
Empowerputida Vitor Martin dos Santos WURElke Duwenig BASF P4SB Shane Kenny BioplastechAuxi Prieto CSIC Systems Biology Topcapi Eriko Takano University of Manchester Chassy John Morrissey University College Cork Rafts4Biotech Daniel Lopez CSIC
1430-1500 Coffee break 1500-1615 Biotechnology-based industrial processes Downstream processing DiViNe Olivier Kitten Affilogic
NextBioPharmDSP Gorazd Hribar Lek Pharmaceuticals
Biocatalysis Robox Martin Shcurmann DSMMarco Fraaije RUG CarbaZymes Simon Charnock Prozomix
Bioconversion of waste Volatile Thomas Dietrich Tecnalia Falcon Michael D Boot TUE Dafia Ferran Marti AIMPLAS
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
31
1615-1715 Innovative platform technologies Bioinformatics
DD-DeCaF Markus Herrgard DTU BiosustainSimao Soares Silicolife CanPathPro Bodo Lange Alacris
Metagenomics Metafluidics Aurelio Hidalgo UAMMichael Lappe Qiagen Aarhus Virus-X Arnthor Aevarsson Prokazyme
1715-1740 Cross-cutting biotechnology actions CoBioTech (ERA-NET) Petra Schulte Forschungszentrum Juumllich Progress (CSA) Sven Wydra Fraunhofer ISI 1740-1800 SME instrument
SO2SAFE Arrate Jaureguibeitia Biolan APEX Alex Michine MetGen Oy 1800-1900 Networking Drink
16 November 2016 Chair Joseacute-Lorenzo Valleacutes Head of Unit DG RTDD2 0900-0930 Challenges in Biotechnology 1) Industrys point of view Joanna Dupont EuropaBio
2) Academias point of view Philippe Corvini University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and European Federation on Biotechnology
3) Standardisation of biological components and databases Victor de Lorenzo CSIC Spain
0930-1100 International dimension of biotechnologies
1) Biotechnology in the USA Theresa Good Deputy Division Director for Molecular
and Cellular Biosciences Directorate of Biological Sciences National Science Foundation
2) Biotechnology in China Fengwu Bai Distinguished Professor School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
3) Biotechnology in South Korea Yoon-Mo Koo Director of the Center for
Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology 4) Biotechnology in Japan Ken-ichi Yoshida Professor Graduate School of Science
Technology and Innovation of Kobe University and Director of Kobe University Brussels European Centre
1100 - 1130 Coffee break
1130 ndash 1230 Panel debate on Maximising the impact of KET Biotechnology Panelists - Simon Charnock from Prozomix Ltd (SMEs view) - Michael Lappe from Qiagen Aarhus (large companys view) - Laure Baillargeon (DG GROW) - Marco Rubinato (EASME)
- Eleni Zika (BBI JU) 1230 Conclusions and next steps Outcome of the workshop (by the Rapporteur) Outlook for the future (by the Chair)
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
32
Appendix 2 List of participants
Name Affiliation Project
AEligvarsson Arnthor Prokazyme Virus X
Blanchard Alain INRA MycoSynVac
Bai Fengwu Shanghai Jiao Tong University China and and Asian Federation of Biotechnology
Baillargeon Laure European Commission DG GROW
Benauer Hubert ATGBiosynthetics MycoSynVac
Boot Michael D Technical University Eindhoven Falcon
Charnock Simon Prozomix Carbazymes
Corvini Philippe European Federation of Biotechnology
de Bont Karen European Commission DG RTD
de Lorenzo Victor CSIC
de Vicente Carmen European Commission DG RTD
Dietrich Thomas Tecnalia Volatile
Doce Alberto European Commission DG RTD
Droumlll Peter European Commission DG RTD
Dupont-Inglis Joanna Europa-Bio
Duwenig Elke BASF EmPowerPutida
Fessner Wolf-Dieter Technical University Darmstadt Carbazymes
Fraaije Marco University of Groningen Robox
Fuentes Angel European Commission DG RTD
Garcia-Alonso Monica Estel Consult Ltd
Good Theresa National Science Foundation USA
Helmle Laszlo European Commission DG RTD
Herrgard Markus Technical University of Denmark DD-DeCaF
Hidalgo Aurelio Autonomous University of Madrid Metafluidics
Hribar Gorazd Lek Pharmaceuticals nextBioPharmDSP
Jaureguibeitia Arrate Biolan SO2SAFE
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
33
Kenny Shane Bioplastech P4SB
Kitten Olivier Affilogic DiViNe
Koo Yoon-Mo
Center for Advanced Bioseparation Technology and Asian Federation of Biotechnology South Korea
Lange Bodo Alacris Theranostics GmbH CanPathPro
Lappe Michael Qiagen Metafluidics
Loacutepez Daniel CSIC Rafts4Biotech
Marti Ferran AIMPLAS Dafia
Martin dos Santos Vitor Wageningen University EmPowerPutida
Michine Alex MetGen Oy APEX
Morrissey John University College Cork Chassy
OReagain Sean European Commission DG RTD
Prieto Auxi CSIC P4SB
Rubinato Marco EASME
Satzer Peter University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna nextBioPharmDSP
Schulte Petra Forschungszentrum Juumllich CoBioTech
Schurmann Martin DSM Robox
Soares Simao Silicolife DD-DeCaF
Sorg Tania Institut Clinique de la Souris ICS CanPathPro
Takano Eriko University of Manchester Topcapi
Valles Lorenzo European Commission DG RTD
Vouldis Ioannis European Commission DG RTD
Wydra Sven Fraunhofer ISI Progress
Yoshida Ken-ichi
Kobe University Japan and Kobe
University Brussels European Centre
Zika Eleni BBI-JU
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
34
Appendix 3 List of abbreviations
Abbreviation Definition
BBI-JU Bio-Based Industries ndash Joint Undertaking
CSA Coordination and Support Action
EASME Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
EC European Commission
EFB European Federation of Biotechnology
ERA European Research Area
ETP European Technology Platform
EuropaBio European Association for Bioindustries
IA Innovation Action
IB Industrial Biotechnology
DG GROW Directorate-General Internal Market Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs
FP Framework Programme
KETs Key Enabling Technologies
PPP Public Private Partnership
DG RTD Directorate-General Research and Innovation
SC Societal Challenge
SMEs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
RIA Research and Innovation Action
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
How to obtain EU publications
Free publications
bull one copy
via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
bull more than one copy or postersmaps
from the European Unionrsquos representations (httpeceuropaeurepresent_enhtm)
from the delegations in non-EU countries (httpeeaseuropaeudelegationsindex_enhtm)
by contacting the Europe Direct service (httpeuropaeueuropedirectindex_enhtm) or
calling 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (freephone number from anywhere in the EU) ()
() The information given is free as are most calls (though some operators phone boxes or hotels may charge you)
Priced publications
bull via EU Bookshop (httpbookshopeuropaeu)
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports
The European Commission organised a second EC-Workshop ldquoMaximising the Impact of KET
Biotechnologyrdquo in Brussels on 15-16 of November 2016 The event provided an opportunity for KET
Biotechnology funded project beneficiaries to show progress towards expected impacts
International speakers outlined the history state of the art and interests in industrial biotechnology
in their countries in view of potential cooperation with Europe The discussion of impact at the
workshop focused on 1) successes difficulties and good practices for maximising impact plus
common interests for collaboration 2) building capacities for a new generation of researchers 3)
need for supportive public policies for industrial biotechnology that would facilitate the transfer of
research products to the market and 4) identification of standardization of synthetic biology as a
driver of the fourth industrial revolution
Studies and reports