The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) kicked off its 13th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology in San Diego on Sunday, April 17.
The event, which ran through April 20, gathered business leaders, policy makers, academic professionals and investors to discuss the impact that biotechnology has on biofuels, biobased products, materials science, renewable chemicals, synthetic biology and food ingredients. The conference included plenary sessions, workshops, GreenTech investor sessions and a breakout program. More than 1,200 attendees from 50 countries were expected to attend.
"BIO is pleased to hold the world’s largest conference on industrial biotechnology again in one of the significant West Coast hubs of the biotechnology industry, San Diego," Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the industrial and environmental section at BIO, said. "Attendees will get a firsthand look into how biotechnology is bringing about transformative solutions to societal problems and building a robust, sustainable bioeconomy. And business leaders will have a chance to use BIO’s new upgraded business partnering system."
The World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology was held in Canada last year and set a new record by hosting more than 1,400 partnering meetings, which was a 40-percent increase from the 2014 event.
