The Biotechnology Technical Officer of CTA, Gloria de la Viña, has participated in the first meeting of the Programming Working Group of the European Consortium BIC 2019 (Bio-Based Industries Consortium), held on Tuesday 19th March in Brussels.

The BIC Programming Working Group consists of members of the bio-industry, including industrial clusters such as CTA, and has as its main task the development of topics for the BIC Annual Work Plans, which are the basis for establishing the themes for the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) annual calls and the updating of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SIRA).

The SIRA is a strategic reference document that establishes the main technological and innovation challenges for the development of sustainable and competitive biological industries in Europe. This document reflects the view of the industry for a competitive, innovative and sustainable Europe that leads the transition to the bioeconomy. The SIRA also promotes economic growth and ensures the sustainability of biological resources, minimizing environmental impact.

The BIC brings together large companies, SMEs, clusters, research and transfer organisations, universities and technology platforms throughout Europe and represents the private sector in the JU BBI, the public-private partnership of the European Commission (EC) for boosting the bioeconomy.

Belonging to the BIC Consortium has allowed CTA to consolidate itself as an expert and reference entity in bioeconomy, through its participation in EU projects and first hand knowledge of the trends and strategic lines marked by the EU bio-industry.