Biofuels and Everything Else
The 2008 World Congress breakout sessions addressed a variety of topics and appealed to anyone with an interest in starting or managing a biotech company or industrial biotech research program. Although a large amount of the content was tied to the biofuels industry, there were also sessions on building biotech hubs, business management, incentives, bioethics issues (particularly at the plenary on synthetic genomics), food biotech, climate change, automotive and aviation industries and more.
A large proportion of the plenary speakers topics focussed on the biofuels situation and the next generation of cellulosic biofuels. It was clear that the mandate of BIO was to emphasize to the public and spread the word that, as a group, members of this industry are attempting to address the ethical, environmental and economical issues that have arisen due to the use of corn-based, Phase I biofuels. Some of the delegates that I talked to felt that the more aggressive plenary presentations seemed rather repetitive and a bit like advertising. However, the bottom line was that there are a whole lot of companies tackling these issues and, in my opinion, encouraging people to not reject biofuels as a petroleum alternative, but have faith that we are trying to make the world a better place, is a respectable goal.
The Meeting - In Brief:
- Well represented by world leaders in industrial biotechnology and various levels of government (mainly American).
- A variety of informative sessions and morning and lunch plenaries where top CEOs gave their perspectives on the industry.
- Ample networking opportunities between sessions and at evening mixers.
- Confusing venue layout...it took me the entire 3 days to figure out the maze of floors in the Chicago Hilton.
- Scenic surroundings offered by downtown Chicago, with Grant Park and views of Lake Michigan were clean and green.
- Excellent catering! (Yes, this matters doesn't it?) We were well fed on healthy meals and extravagant desserts.
