Execs From Coca Cola, United Airlines, Goodyear and Chrysler Among Speakers at 2012 World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Apr. 5, 2012) – Executives from brand-name consumer product companies will discuss the strategies for adoption of industrial biotech innovations in plenary and breakout sessions at BIO’s 9th annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. The world’s largest industrial biotechnology conference for business leaders, investors, academics and policymakers in biofuels, biobased products, renewable chemicals, synthetic biology, food ingredients and biomass comes to Orlando, April 29 - May 2 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.
 

“Some of the most widely used consumer products are joining the biobased economy. Businesses see consumer benefits and a cleaner, safer and healthier environment as biobased product and renewable chemical applications reach the marketplace. Industrial biotech is not only cleaner, it also helps reduce the cost of manufacturing,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental Section. “Speakers at the World Congress will highlight innovative public-private partnerships that enable industrial biotechnology ventures to accelerate R&D and attract private investment capital, bringing them to the consumer market quicker.” 
 

Continued commercialization of industrial biotechnology is driving the creation of a biobased economy, building a foundation for environmentally sustainable growth of our economy, providing energy security and building a cleaner environment. Breakout and plenary sessions examining renewable and specialty chemical applications of industrial biotech include:

Fostering a Biobased Economy (Lunch Plenary) 

Monday, April 30, 12pm – 2:15pm  
 

• H. Thomas Watkins, Human Genome Sciences, Chairman of the Board, Biotechnology Industry Organization

• James C. Greenwood, Biotechnology Industry Organization

• Andrew Hagan, World Economic Forum

• Kathleen A. Merrigan, United States Department of Agriculture

• Philip New, BP Biofuels

• Valerie Sarisky-Reed, United States Department of Energy

• Roger Wyse, Burrill & Company
 

What’s Driving Demand for Biotech Products: A Customer’s Perspective (Lunch Plenary) 

Wednesday, May 2, 12pm – 2:15pm
 

• Melody Bomgardner, Chemical & Engineering News

• David A. Benko, Goodyear Tire

• Scott Vitters, The Coca Cola Company

• Rainer Cina, Procter & Gamble 

• Robert Sturtz, United Airlines

 

Industrial Biotechnology in the Pharmaceutical Industry - Innovations and New Production Methods Towards Economic and Ecologic Efficiency and Sustainability

Monday, April 30, 8:30am – 10am
 

• Klaus-Peter Koller, Frankfurt Goethe University

• Heinz Schwer, MorphoSys AG

• Thomas Herget, Merck KGaA

• Johannes Panten, Symrise AG
 

Open Innovation and Partnerships for Speed to Commercialization of Biobased Chemicals

Tuesday, May 1, 8:30am – 10am

 

• Jean-Francois Huc, BioAmber, Inc

• Shigeru Handa, Mitsubishi Chemical

• Karsten Job, Lanxess AG

• Marc Verbruggen, Natureworks, LLC

• Mike Salzburg, DuPont

 

Getting Cellulosic Ethanol from Feedstock to Fuel Tanks

Tuesday, May 1, 2:30pm – 4pm 

 

• Carrie Atiyeh, ZeaChem, Inc.

• Reg Modlin, Chrysler Group LLC

• Spencer Swayze, Ceres, Inc.

• Tim Eggeman, ZeaChem Inc.

 

BIO’s World Congress will feature six breakout session tracks over three days, with industry presentations on Advanced Biofuel Technologies; Algae and Feedstock Crops; Renewable Chemical Platforms and Biobased Materials; Specialty Chemicals; Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering; and Technical Presentations. The full program of breakout panel sessions and speakers is available online. 
 

Online pre-registration for reporters and editors is now open. All programs at the BIO World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing are open to attendance by members of the media. Complimentary media registration is available to editors and reporters with valid press credentials working full time for print, broadcast or web publications.
 

Online registration for the conference in to Orlando, Fla., April 29 - May 2 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center is open. Please visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress/ for additional information, or email worldcongress@bio.org.