International Government Officials and Investment Analysts to Highlight Biofuels Opportunities at World Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 6, 2006) – Investment opportunities in the growing industrial biotechnology sector will be one of the topics of the plenary sessions at the third annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing. The Congress, to be held July 11-14, 2006 at the Toronto Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, is hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), American Chemical Society, the National Agriculture Biotechnology Council, the Agri-Food Innovation Forum, the Chemical Institute of Canada, BIOTECanada and EuropaBIO.
The World Congress will feature five plenary sessions:
Wednesday, July 12 at 12:00 p.m.
Thomas C. Dorr, Under Secretary for Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is scheduled to welcome attendees to the World Congress at the opening plenary session. Dorr will discuss the United States’ policy focus on bioenergy and biobased products and their importance for rural economic development.
Thursday, July 13 at 7:00 a.m.
High-level policymakers from the European Union and United States will discuss regional policies to encourage the development of industrial biotechnology and biofuels. The panel session, titled “A Comparative Analysis of Industrial Biotechnology Policy,” will feature Christian Patermann, director of biotechnology at the European Commission; and Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy (EERE).
Thursday, July 13 at 12:00 p.m.
Jens Riese, a partner at McKinsey & Company, will present new data and projections for the industrial biotechnology sector, in a plenary titled, “Industrial Biotechnology – Turning Potential into Profits.”
The lunch plenary will also feature a Biotech Fashion Show, featuring biobased clothing and fabrics made from renewable agricultural feedstocks with industrial biotechnology. The show will feature dresses from top designers Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Heatherette, and Elisa Jimenez, all made with Ingeo™ fabric. Ingeo™ is spun from polylactic acid (PLA), a compostable biopolymer made from dextrose corn sugar.
Friday, July 14 at 7:00 a.m.
In “Biofuels: Perspectives from the Oil and Chemical Industries,” Justin Adams of BP and Bill Provine of DuPont will kick off the discussion. The two companies recently announced a partnership to produce biofuels from sugar beets. BP has also made a $500 million investment to found an Energy Biosciences Institute and commercialize research in biofuels. Richard Zelesky, head of Chevron’s newly formed biofuels business unit, will also discuss his company’s partnership with Georgia Tech for commercial biofuel production and distribution. The discussion will be moderated by Jack Huttner of Genencor, which recently announced advancement in enzymes that extract more ethanol from corn.
Friday, July 14 at 12:00 p.m.
The plenary lunch will feature a panel discussion, “An International Perspective on Biofuels and Cellulosic Ethanol.” Three of the top thought leaders and experts in the world will discuss current biofuels issues and the future of cellulosic ethanol as a replacement for petroleum transportation fuel. The scheduled speakers are Lee Lynd, professor, Dartmouth University Thayer School of Engineering; Susan Hunt, biofuels project manager, Worldwatch Institute; and Fernando Reinach, CEO, Alellyx, and director, Votorantim New Business (Brazil).
To view full program information, please visit http://www.bio.org/worldcongress/. Media registration for the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing will be available on-site. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. Only reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register on-site with valid media credentials.
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.
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