BOKU Magazin 4/2023

BOKU‘s Rector Eva Schulev-Steindl
on concrete Horizon Europe proposals,
which will be submitted for the work programme
2024 under the EBU umbrella.
The forum also offered a space for young
researchers to present their work in a
poster competition. The competition
saw the exceptional contributions of 25
young researchers and represented a
unique opportunity to promote innovation
in the field of bioeconomy. During
the forum, the selected researchers
shared their studies through poster
presentations, which were on display at
the event venue. With all participants being
entitled to vote for the posters they
deemed to be outstanding and worthy
of praise, 3 posters were rewarded as
winners of the competition.
IMPACT AND OUTCOMES
The number of participants at EBSF2023
exceeded all expectations, coming from
very diverse fields, backgrounds, demographics,
and countries. The total number
of participants reached 221 over the
3 days of the event. Out of these attendees,
52 percent were representatives
from the different EBU members: with
delegates from all 8 EBU universities
and all 3 EBU partners, the forum ensured
the complete engagement of the
alliance. Considering that the remaining
48 percent were comprised of representatives
from non-EBU institutions,
our outreach extended beyond the alliance
itself, enriching and enlarging the
network. This highlights a rising interest
in EBU’s initiatives and a shared commitment
to promoting the shift toward
a sustainable bioeconomy.
The event witnessed significant youth
involvement, with 47 percent of participants
being under the age of 35 years,
also thanks to the active participation
of well-established youth networks. In
addition to this, the forum demonstrated
significant diversity, with 54 percent of
participants identifying as female, showcasing
a balanced gender representation
and underscoring the success of
initiatives promoting gender inclusion
in the bioeconomy sector. The participation
of representatives from institutions
based in 21 different European countries
demonstrated the widespread international
engagement and collaboration
promoted by EBU in the bioeconomy
sector at the European level.
All these numbers suggest that the
event successfully attracted attention
and involvement from a wide range of
stakeholders, demonstrating a collective
interest in discussing and advancing bioeconomy-related
initiatives, research,
and policies. Indeed, this diverse representation
contributed to the exchange
of knowledge, ideas, and best practices
that took place during the forum.
CONCLUSION
The EBSF2023 marked a defining moment
in the journey toward a sustainable
bioeconomy in Europe and for the future
of the EBU Alliance, representing a milestone
for the EBU alliance and BOKU’s
role in the European bioeconomy. Indeed,
under the competent guidance of
the Centre for Bioeconomy of BOKU,
the highly appreciated event offered vast
and effective networking opportunities
which led to cooperations being forged
during the forum and to the expansion
of the membership of EBU.
The event marked a resounding success
which was made possible by the generous
support of Österreichische Hagelversicherung
and SAN Group GmbH, as
sponsors of the event, as well as the City
of Vienna, which ensured that the social
dinner, a highlight of the event, was truly
exceptional. We are looking back on an
event filled with insights, discussions, and
future commitments where, throughout
four engaging sessions, a diverse range
of topics was explored, underscoring the
immense potential of the bioeconomy in
addressing the pressing contemporary
challenges.
The forum was a very inspiring moment
for the European bioeconomy field and
has clearly shown the immense potential
of the bioeconomy for positive change to
contribute to shaping a more sustainable
and prosperous future. On one hand,
this has generated a cascading effect
which has increased the engagement
and enthusiasm within the EBU network
to drive the transformation towards a
sustainable bioeconomy forward. At the
same time, this has also brought BOKU
to the forefront of the bioeconomy discourse,
paving the way for many opportunities
to come.
With one year of chairing the EBU Presidency
left, the Centre for Bioeconomy
will lead the EBU Alliance in the development
of research projects, as well as educational
opportunities and stake holder
activities. Within BOKU, the Centre will
continue to promote internal and external
cooperation, as well as communication
and collaboration. Indeed, many
plans are in store for 2024 for the Centre
– which marks the 5th anniversary of its
foundation –, among others a satellite
event to the Bioeconomy Changemakers
Festival 2024 organised by the European
Commission in March 2024 which will
take place in Vienna in the same month.
Stay tuned for more!
W
Sponsors of the event
https://european-bioeconomy-university.eu/ebu-scientific-forum/ebsf2023/
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