WORLD-GENERATION MAY/JUNE 2016
17
PERSPECTIVE
In mid-April, the Biotechnology
Innovation Organization (BIO) hosted the
13th annual BIO World Congress on
Industrial Biotechnology at the San Diego
Convention Center. A new cycle of innova-
tion emerged at the event. Many of the
more than 900 participants were first-time
attendees. University researchers and
startup company scientists presenting new
technology applications shone in the edu-
cational programming. And partnering
meetings, which are designed to match
make technology developers and inves-
tors, reached record levels. With new
attendees, new companies and robust
investment interest, the 13th annual BIO
World Congress set the table for a new
round of product commercialization in the
biobased products and energy sector.
Entering its 13th year, BIO’s World
Congress – long recognized as the pre-
mier event in the industry – positioned
itself for a renewal. At the start of 2016,
BIO (formerly the Biotechnology Industry
Organization) rebranded itself as the
Biotechnology Innovation Organization.
And 2016 marked the first time that the
BIO World Congress has been held on the
West Coast of the United States. The con-
ference has been held in Orlando, Fla.;
Toronto; Chicago; Montreal; Washington,
D.C.; and Philadelphia. BIO alternates the
location between the U.S. and Canada
each year; the conference returns to
Montreal in 2017.
START UP COMPANIES
This year’s World Congress attracted
an influx of new faces and ideas. More
than one third of the 900 World Congress
participants, representing 529 companies
and 32 countries, attended the event for
the first time this year. Many of the 280
speakers delivering presentations in the
48 sessions within the World Congress’ 8
educational tracks presented university or
startup company research. On the
Congress’ second day, the lunch panel fea-
tured young executives from startup com-
panies, including Lygos Technologies,
which is commercializing malonic acid
produced via yeast fermentation; Bolt
Thread, which is commercializing spider
silk thread and materials, also produced
through yeast; and Ginkgo Bioworks,
which produces and licenses new
microbes for fermentation processes.
“This year’s BIO World Congress on
Industrial Biotechnology brought together
presenters right out of the tech transfer
phase of development, giving attendees a
front row seat to the latest industry inno-
vations. It looked very much like the start
of a new cycle of commercialization right
here at the World Congress,” remarked
Brent Erickson, executive vice president
of BIO’s Industrial & Environmental
Section.
BIO also rolled out a revamped one-
on-one partnering software application
that allowed World Congress attendees to
automate the scheduling of business devel-
opment and investment meetings. This
year’s Congress hosted a record 1,961
partnering meetings, nearly a 40 percent
increase from the 2015 BIO World
Congress. The networking and business
development opportunities are one of the
biggest draws for attendees of the World
Congress. BIO upgraded the partnering
software ahead of the conference to enable
companies to better describe their busi-
ness proposition and to enable attendees
to schedule both business meetings and
education sessions within the same appli-
cation.
BIO AWARDS
While witnessing the emergence of a
new round of innovations just starting the
commercialization cycle, BIO’s World
Congress took time to recognize the
achievements of past innovators. BIO
named J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. as the recipi-
ent of its 2016 George Washington Carver
Award for innovation in industrial biotech-
nology. Dr. Venter is founder and presi-
dent of the J. Craig Venter Institute as well
as Synthetic Genomics Inc., a privately
held company developing and commercial-
izing genomic-driven solutions to address
global energy and environmental challeng-
es.
BIO also awarded Anna Rath, Chief
Executive Officer of NexSteppe, the BIO
Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership
in Industrial Biotechnology. This annual
award was established in 2014 to spotlight
pioneering women in the industrial bio-
technology sector who have made signifi-
cant contributions to the advancement of
the biobased economy and biotech innova-
tion. Rath has built NexSteppe from a
startup company to an international sup-
plier of biomass and new energy crop seed
technology.
BIO also presented Dr. Ganesh
Kishore, co-Managing Partner of Spruce
Capital Partners, the newly established
BIO Leadership and Legacy Award. The
new award was created to pay tribute to an
individual who has dedicated their career
to advancing industrial biotechnology and
growing the biobased economy.
A NEW CYCLE OF INNOVATION
BY PAUL WINTERS,BIO
