Brussels, March 21. Marine biotechnology is highly present on the political agenda. Around 70 experts, company representatives and policymakers met at the European Parliament on March 21 to discuss what is needed for a successful European blue bioeconomy. The fully attended event revealed that the potential of the oceans is unquestionable among experts, but its exploration requires close cooperation and knowledge exchange, a strong focus on sustainability, political commitment, and finally, enthusiasm from investors and consumers.
The event “Unlocking the economic potential of marine biotechnology” was organised by the Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas with the support of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) and the European Marine Biological Research Infrastructure Cluster (EMBRIC). “We need more blue in the Bioeconomy Strategy,” emphasized Felix Leinemann, Head of the Blue Economy Sectors Unit at DG MARE of the European Commission, at the beginning of the event. Marine stakeholders called on policymakers to take into account the potential of marine resources and their sustainable exploitation within the ongoing revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy. In 2018, several European initiatives are planned to highlight marine biotechnology, such as the Blue Bioeconomy Forum, which will bring together all relevant stakeholder groups to identify measures to open markets for emerging blue biotech products, and Blue Invest 2018, a matchmaking event in Brussels connecting innovators with the financial community. “We see enormous potential in marine biotechnology,” said Marco Weydert from DG Research and Innovation, and admitted: “Bringing innovation to market remains a challenge.”
How to overcome existing hurdles was one of the main topics discussed during the event. For the first time, CPMR and EMBRIC joined forces to place marine biotechnology and its potential on the political agenda. Several companies from the marine sector, cluster representatives and regional experts provided input on the obstacles they are facing.
“Going out to discover the diversity of our marine biology is the prerequisite for marine biotechnology,” stated Dermot Hurst from the Marine Institute in Ireland. “Without the costly discovery phase, no product would ever emerge.”
All experts underlined that funding gaps can hinder innovation at all stages of the process: during research, pre-commercialisation, or upscaling. They called for policies that reduce the risk-taking capacity of private investment, tailored to the blue biotechnology sector, that bridge innovation gaps, facilitate technology transfer, and connect the mosaic of marine research institutes and companies. Gesine Meissner, MEP and Chair of the Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas, closed the session by emphasizing that the topics addressed will be taken to Parliament with the clear objective of supporting and promoting the further development of a sustainable blue bioeconomy.
EMBRIC Project – http://www.embric.eu
The European Marine Biological Research Infrastructure Cluster (EMBRIC) is designed to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery and innovation from marine bio-resources. EMBRIC aims to promote new applications derived from marine organisms in fields such as drug discovery, novel foods and food ingredients, selective breeding in aquaculture, and cosmetics. EMBRIC has been operating since June 2015 until May 2019 and is coordinated by Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 654008.
