During the final year of the project, Nenu2PHAr partners attended several conferences and events, which were occasions for them to showcase their work on the project and its results. It helped to raise general public awareness on bio-based plastic and their relevance to tackle present and future eco-industrial challenges.
Let’s focus on these 2023 events presented in chronological order:
Nenu2PHAr’s first Workshop
IPC, a partner in the Nenu2PHAr project organized a workshop on the project on April 4th and 5th, 2023 in their premises in Alençon (France). It proved to be an opportunity to discuss current and future challenges regarding PHA, share experiences and expertise on a wide range of topics, from industrial aspects to regulations through end of life. The workshop was attended by the consortium partners and various experts and comannies specializing in PHA. Samples of sustainable products, including plastic cups, bottles, lids, and trays were displayed.
MILAN POLYMER DAY CONGRESS
The Nenu2PHAr project was presented at the Milan Polymer Day Congress (MILPOL2023) in Milan, on June 7th and 8th. During this event, Stéphane Bruzaud, a university professor and researcher from our partner Université de Bretagne Sud (UBS) gave a thorough presentation of the project.
Times of Polymers and Composite
Stéphane Bruzaud, from UBS gave an oral presentation at the 11th edition of TOP in Ischia, Italy. The event brought together scientists and engineers from various countries, who were interested in polymers and composites processing, structure, and properties. The sessions on various topics provided opportunities for exchanging ideas and expertise on fundamental research as well as industry.
PSE Young Scientists meeting
The Phytochemical Society of Europe (PSE) and the Université Paris Cité organized between June 28th and 30th in Paris a meeting on Trends in natural products research. The congress hosted 200 experienced and young international researchers working on chemistry of natural substances with applications in several fields (Health, Agro-food and Cosmetics). The scientific program included plenary lectures, oral communications by young researchers, poster contributions and a workshop. Alexandre Six from our coordinator CEA made an oral presentation on this occasion.
Cos’ming
Gabriel Brouchon, a researcher from UBS represented Nenu2PHAr on July 5th, 6th and 7th in Saint-Malo, in northern Britanny, France. Cos’ming is one of the leading events in the field of cosmetic ingredients and biotechnology, offering a detailed analysis of the latest technological advances (bioprocesses, cell cultures, omic technologies, etc.) while promoting meetings between stakeholders. Gabriel Brouchon gave an oral presentation on the project and his role in the project.
Châlons Fair
The Nenu2PHAr project was present in the Foire de Châlons (Châlons Trade Fair), the second largest agricultural fair in France. With origin tracing back to Champagne fairs in medieval times, this fair, welcomes more than 700 exhibiters, 200 000 visitors in a 3-day exhibition. Marine Bellon and Régis Essis, EU projects officers at our partner Bioeconomy For Change (B4C), gave a presentation highlighting European financial opportunities within the bioeconomy sector, while also showcasing their European projects, including the Nenu2PHAr project. B4C also had a booth in the Bioeconomy Village, where they showcased project product samples and provided information to the general public about the project’s goals, applications, and the field of bioplastics in general.
European Symposium on Biopolymers
Gabriel Bouchon, research engineer from UBS gave an oral presentation of Nenu2PHAr at ESBP 2023. It was organized by the Faculty of Chemistry of Brno Technological University in the Czech Republic from September 13th to 15th. As a leading event in the world of biopolymers, ESPB has the goal to gather experts from very versatile fields such as molecular biology or biotechnology but also from material science and processing to share their knowledge, experience, and opinions on all the aspects related to biopolymers and drive the field of biopolymer science further.
Conference on Packaging tomorrow
The Nenu2PHAr project attended the Conference Packaging today and tomorrow taking place in Warsaw (Poland) on October 3rd, 2023. Our project partner KAJ was present to take part in the conversation during the conference. They presented their lightweight packaging as well as the Nenu2PHAr project. This event was organized by the Polish Union of Cosmetic Industry to exchange views on the future of the cosmetic industry and more particularly the eco-design of packaging.
EU Algae awareness summit
Nenu2PHAr samples were presented by our coordinator CEA at the first EU Algae summit which took place at the Maison de l’Océan in Paris from 5th to 7th October 2023. This first edition was co-organized by the European commission, the French government and the Global Seaweed Coalition and aimed at showcasing the possibilities and applications algae have to offer.
EFIB
Our communication leader B4C attended the European forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy on 24th and 25th October, a key event for fostering discussions, collaborations, and advancements within the field of industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy in Europe. During the forum, held in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, Nenu2PHAr was presented with samples of PHA-based products from the project. It proved to be an occasion to testify to the Nenu2PHAr achievements.
CEA workshop
CEA and Nenu2PHAr organized the second workshop of the project in Arbois Technopôle on 14th November, near Aix-en-Provence, France. After a Tech Time organized by the CEA focusing on microalgae, bioplastics and recycling in the morning, presentations from UBS, IPC and Lomartov, partners in the project, spotlighted the Nenu2PHAr developments, emphasizing the production of PHA bioplastics and their end-of-life considerations. B2B meetings also took place and a showroom exhibited products developed within the Nenu2phar project.
CBE JU stakeholder forum
The Nenu2PHAr project was among the CBE JU project showcased at the CBE JU Stakeholder Forum which took place in Brussels on December 6th and 7th. More than 500 industry leaders, policymakers, researchers, and bioeconomy stakeholders gathered for a two-day exploration of the future of the circular bio-based economy in Europe. Nenu2Phar partners proudly showcased its project samples in a special exhibition with a dedicated booth to present a bio-based roll-on produced by our Polish partner KAJ with help from another partner IPC, for cosmetic purposes. Chloé Joly, EU project manager at our partner B4C presented the roll-on and the goal of the Nenu2phar project to VIP partners. Jean Francois Sassi from our coordinator, CEA also attended the event and provided valuable insights on the Nenu2PHAr project.
Alga Europe
The European Algae Biomass Association (EABA) organized the Alga Europe 2023 edition in Prague between 12th and 15th December. The project had a strong presence there with a dedicated booth as well as 3 oral presentations. Our coordinator, the CEA as well as our project communication leader B4C presented the project’s samples and answered questions on the project value chain. Alexandre Six, from our French coordinator CEA gave an oral presentation on Wednesday 13th on “bridging the gap from raw microalgae to bioplastic: conversion of Chlorella vulgaris into thermoplastic starch”. His colleague Pablo Alvarez, project manager at the CEA gave an oral presentation on Thursday 14th on “the ammonia-based method to control the predator Poterioochromonas malhamensis on Chlorella vulgaris massive cultures”. Bruno Ferreira from our Portuguese partner BIOTREND also gave an oral presentation on Friday 15th on “the prospects for algae in high-volume applications: focus on bioplastics”. The conference was the perfect opportunity to disseminate the project’s results and achievements before the end of the project.
