European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology & the Bioeconomy (EFIB) in Rotterdam next year!

Last week almost 300 attendees from all over the world gathered in Vilnius for the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology & the Bioeconomy (EFIB). The Netherlands was present prominently with a striking booth and bike raffle. Various HollandBIO members shined on stage with inspiring talks and next year’s host was revealed…. The Netherlands!!!

We are the Netherlands 

This year’s edition of the premium partnering conference, HollandBIO and topsector ChemistryNL made sure to give the Netherlands a prominent presence. Prior to the conference, we had the pleasure of bringing together the Dutch delegation and the Dutch ambassador for drinks and snacks. During the conference, a striking orange NL booth served as a central information point for international visitors to show what the Netherlands has to offer with videos and brochures of the various Dutch biotech companies. A raffle of a circular bike at the second day of the conference generated lots of interest and attention. The booth also served as a living room for Dutch attendees. Before or after a partnering meeting or presentation, visitors gladly came by to chat with their compatriots while enjoying some Dutch treats (stroopwafels).  

Dutch sector on stage  

EFIB 2022 hosted inspiring speakers with a plenary opening and keynote by Trish Malarkey, Chief Science Officer at DSM to set the scene on the global challenges ahead. Anne Arink, Director Center for Food Innovation at DSM presented on innovations for food system transformation. Linda Dijkshoorn, CEO and founder of EV Biotech presented on bioprocesses and technologies. Cindy Gerhardt, Managing Director at Planet B.io chaired the start-up hour where various start-ups pitched their company in front of an advisory panel.  
On day 2 Harald Ruijssenaars, Corporate Scientist Industrial Microbiology at Corbion chaired the workshop Building Blocks of the Circular Economy and HollandBIO’s Annemiek Verkamman chaired the final panel debate on an outlook on biotechnology innovation and regulation. Just before the closing reception the host of Lithuania formally handed over to David Pappie, Director of Top Sectors and Industry Policy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate in the Netherlands, as ChemistryNL and HollandBIO are honoured to host EFIB 2023.  

EFIB 2023 in Rotterdam 

We were extremely pleased with all the amazing people we met, the information received and the fruitful partnerships we helped in creating and want to thank EuropaBio and K.I.T. Group GmbH for their amazing support in making this a great success. Curious how this all looked like, see this video for a nice impression of the conference. We are already looking forward to next year, mark your calendars, as we hope to see you all again next year in Rotterdam, October 24-25!