Key Technologies in the Bioeconomy: A Global Bioeconomy Alliance Conference

27-29 September 2023

Room 212, level 2, Sir Llew Edwards Building (14), UQ St Lucia Campus

Key Technologies in the Bioeconomy: A Global Bioeconomy Alliance Conference aims to stimulate conversation around global challenges and showcase solutions to inform the future of the bioeconomy – locally and internationally. The conference will facilitate action-oriented and future-focused discussions on building a sustainable future amidst a backdrop of unprecedented change and disruption.

Decarbonisation

Many economies have set aggressive decarbonisation targets, but the scale and complexity of achieving these targets will require collective action across a range of pathways. This session explores what it would take to achieve net zero and the contribution of the bioeconomy in supporting decarbonised industrial development.

Critical minerals

Critical minerals play crucial roles in information and renewable energy technologies, they underpin major strategies to establish low to no carbon-emitting processes in many industry sectors. Current extraction and separation procedures are, however, costly in terms of energy consumption and hazardous in regards of environmental impact. As a result, alternative, sustainable methods are required urgently.

Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is of central importance to provide the resources necessary for the present population while conserving the planet’s ability to sustain future generations. In this session we will discuss technological advances and policies that are necessary to safe-guard climate-ready agriculture to balance agri-food and agri-energy demands while meeting the global emissions challenge.

Future materials

The emergence of bioeconomy is expected to have a transformative effect on future materials. The shift towards bio-based materials has the potential to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, decrease carbon emissions, and contribute to a circular economy for the development of advanced biomaterials with unique properties, such as biodegradability, enhanced properties, and improved functionality.

Local foods and the bioeconomy

Local foods represent a major opportunity for premium products in both domestic and export markets, capitalising on consumer interest in the provenance and traditional heritage characteristics of foods. Within Australia, local native foods offer a number of opportunities for sustainable economic, cultural, health and social benefits for First Nations enterprises and communities.

Bioenergy and green hydrogen

This session will explore the fields of Bioenergy and Green Hydrogen, with a unique focus on the Australian and Queensland context for SAFs production. As Australia rapidly accelerates its transition towards a low-carbon economy, the imperative to identify and harness sustainable energy sources has never been more paramount.

Nicholas Gurieff

Principal Advisor, Mine Closure R&D, Rio Tinto

Jitendra Joshi

Chief Technologist, New Energy, Woodside Energy Ltd

Madonna Thomson

Director of Nyanda Cultural Tours and Owner of Jagera Daran

Chris Tindal

Assistant Director, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI)

Professor Alcides Lopes Leão

Sao Paulo State University (UNESP)

Dr Surinder Singh

Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO and Science Advisor, Nourish Ingredients

The Hon. Cameron Dick MP
Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment

As the Queensland Treasurer, Cameron has driven Queensland’s nation-leading economic recovery from COVID-19, delivering record low unemployment, the largest budget surplus and the biggest infrastructure investment in Queensland history.

As Minister for Trade and Investment, Cameron is committed to supporting Queensland’s vibrant export and trade economy, particularly Queensland businesses and industries focused on exporting, as well as encouraging inward investment to Queensland, both domestic and international.

Find out more

This conference will run from Wednesday 27 - Friday 29 September 2023.

View the full program

Wednesday 27 September	8:30-9am	Opening session Welcome Address: Professor Mark Blows, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research and Innovation), The University of Queensland (UQ) Guest speaker: The Honourable Cameron Dick MP, Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Signing Ceremony with UQ-TUM-UNESP
	9am-12:15pm	Decarbonisation session Plenary speaker: Jitendra Joshi, Chief Technologies, New Energy, Woodside Energy Ltd Keynote presentations: Mark Tierney, Executive Director, Emerging Industries, Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning James Boyle, Associate Director, Deloitte Dr Nele Ameloot, Business Development Manager (BioMolecules), Ghent University Associate Professor Simon Smart, School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology Moderated discussion with all session speakers. Includes morning tea break.
	12:15-1:45pm	Networking lunch and poster session
	1:45-5pm	Bioenergy and green hydrogen session Plenary speaker: Chris Tindal, Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAFFI) Assistant Director Keynote presentations: Flyn van Ewijk, Director, Project Development, Asia Pacific, LanzaJet Heidi Hauf, Regional Sustainability Lead (APAC), Boeing Professor Michael Zavrel, Professor for Bioprocess Engineering, TUM Dr Birgitta Ebert, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), UQ Moderated discussion with all session speakers. Includes afternoon tea break.
Thursday 28 September	8:30-9am	Opening Professor Michael Rosemann, Director, Centre for Future Enterprise, QUT and Honorary Consul for Germany in Brisbane
	9am-12:15pm	Sustainable agriculture session Plenary speaker: Dr Surinder Singh, Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO and Science Advisor, Nourish Ingredients Keynote presentations: Ms Kylie Porter, CEO, Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) Professor Rachel Burton, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide Professor Ueli Grossniklaus, Group Leader and Director of the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich Dr Stefan Pieczonka, Postdoctoral Researcher, Analytical Food Chemistry, TUM Moderated discussion with all session speakers. Includes morning tea break.
	12:15-1:45pm	Networking lunch and poster session
	1:45-5pm	Local foods and the bioeconomy session Plenary speaker: Madonna Thomson, Director of Nyan Cultural Tours, Owner of Jagera Daran and Chair of Indigenous Enterprise Group UQ QAAFI (Research Centre Uniquely Australian Foods) Keynote presentations: Professor Robert Henry, Professor of Innovation in Agriculture, Centre for Crop Science, QAAFI, UQ Sherie Bruce, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, QAAFI, UQ Professor Andrew Fairbairn, School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, UQ Dr Kamalesh Adhikari, Research Fellow, School of Law, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, UQ Moderated discussion with all session speakers. Includes afternoon tea break.
	6-8:30pm	Conference Dinner at Customs House Guest speaker: Mark Tierney, Executive Director, Emerging Industries, Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning
Friday 29 September	8:30-9am	Opening Guest speaker: Daniel Gschwind, Chair, Trade and Investment Commissioner (TIQ)
	9am-12:15pm	Future materials session Plenary speaker: Professor Alcides Lopes Leão, São Paulo State University (UNESP) Keynote presentations: Dr Florian Graichen, General Manager, Forests to Biobased Products, Scion Professor Michelle Colgrave, Deputy Director (Impact), CSIRO Agriculture and Food Professor Bronwyn Laycock, School of Chemical Engineering, UQ Moderated discussion with all session speakers. Includes morning tea break.
	12:15-1:45pm	Networking lunch and poster session
	1:45-5pm	Critical minerals session Plenary speaker: Nicholas Gurieff, Principal Advisor, Mine Closure R&D, Rio Tinto Keynote presentations: Dr Anna Kaksonen, Group Leader, Industrial Biotechnology, CSIRO Dr Denise Bevilaqua, Vice-Director, Institute of Chemistry, São Paulo State University (UNESP) Professor Neville Plint, Adjunct Professor, UQ Professor Gordon Southam, School of the Environment, Faculty of Science, UQ Moderated discussion with all session speakers. Includes afternoon tea break.
	5-5:30pm	Closing session and next steps

Tickets include attendance at the 3-day conference at The University of Queensland St Lucia Campus and the conference dinner as Customs House.

Early bird tickets

Early bird tickets are available until Friday 25 August.

Students – $300
Academics and Industry – $700
UQ Staff – $300

Standard tickets

Standard tickets are available from Saturday 26 August.

Students – $400
Academics and Industry – $800
UQ Staff – $400

Grab your ticket

For questions about tickets to the conference or event enquiries, please contact gba@uq.edu.au.

Poster submissions for the Key Technologies in the Bioeconomy: a Global Bioeconomy Alliance Conference are now closed.

About

The poster session will be an opportunity for postgraduate students to present their research and gain exposure to leaders from academia, industry and government sectors. Poster submissions will align with topics based on the Conference themes as listed above.

A ‘People’s Choice’ award will be determined by delegates during the conference. The prize for People’s Choice poster will include a AUD$200 Amazon gift card and a UQ merch pack.

Eligibility

Be undertaking postgraduate studies or research, a current postdoctoral reseach fellow, or Postgraduate Researcher
Participants must register and attend GBA Conference (27-29 September at UQ St Lucia Campus)

Read the full Terms and Conditions

For questions about the poster session or event enquiries, please contact gba@uq.edu.au.

The idea of the Global Bioeconomy Alliance is the installation of a strong network of universities all over the world, which are leading in the field of bioeconomy. The intension is to strengthen the cooperation in research and teaching by workshops, common projects as well as staff exchange to transfer knowledge and expertise. The strong nucleus will be composed off the Technical University of Munich (Germany), The University of Queensland (Australia) and the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Brazil), which are top-level universities of these countries, and have a strong expertise in research connected to bioeconomy aspects.

The focus of the alliance is to strengthen the external impact of research and teaching in the field of bioeconomy and to create a brand for this global network. Further partners all over the world will be welcome to strengthen the alliance and participate in the realization of a global bioeconomy and biobased industry.

Group photo of the KTB2022 attendees (Photo: TUM).

2022 Key Technologies in the Bioeconomy

“KTB2022 organized by TUM in Straubing was worth visiting! A perfect mix of high-grade academic research, political discussions and industrial insights turned out to be a fantastic basis for very good scientific and business exchange around bioeconomy. Looking forward to the next KTB conference!”

Dr Martin Langer
Executive Vice President, BRAIN Biotech AG

Contact us

Want to learn more about the Global Bioeconomy Alliance Conference.

For enquiries please contact below.

gba@uq.edu.au

2023 Conference Themes

Plenary Speakers

Speaker spotlight

The Hon. Cameron Dick MP
Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment