The BioVale team is starting to prepare for our annual participation at the UK’s leading trade expos. At this time of the year, we’re busily identifying innovative regional companies to showcase, supporting start-ups to prep their pitches, and developing our keynote and panel sessions.
I enjoy the buzz and energy of these shows; connecting with new bioeconomy-linked businesses, catching up with collaborators, and feeding my curiosity from the diversity of speakers and topics. Admittedly, I come away exhausted but also inspired by the ever-increasing numbers of businesses offering bio-based products and services or those aspiring to do so.
The first stop is the World Biogas Expo, the only global trade expo dedicated to the anaerobic digestion and biogas industry. At the Expo, we will be representing our Anaerobic Digestion Special Interest Group – Yorkshire and the Humber’s thriving AD sector and its regional expertise and assets. Cromwell Polythene will join us with new products and services for the incoming mandatory food waste collection schemes and Mortimer Engineering will also showcase its bespoke design engineering services.
At this Expo, we are exhibiting alongside the Biorenewables Development Centre (BDC) in the Research and Innovation Hub. The BDC offers a wide variety of services in the field of anaerobic digestion and biogas production. At the Expo, they will be showcasing a broad range of case study examples through the ADCEY project, grant-funded and commercial work to help clients and research partners to optimise the AD process and maximise its yield.
Our participation at CHEMUK 2023 will see us further developing our role as the Expo’s bioeconomy partner. The success of our 2021 bio-based chemicals innovation flash talk session inspired the creation of the BioInnovations Poster Zone in 2022. In this area we, and our partners at the High Value Biorenewables network, showcased nine start-ups and spin-out companies to help them raise their profile amongst the leading organisations in the UK’s chemicals sector. Outcomes of this event for the start-ups included securing a first distribution deal, investor interest, and spotlight features in sector-specific trade magazines.
This year we are taking our flash talk session to another level and hosting a bio-based innovators pitch competition which will provide those participating with not only a platform by which to promote their innovations, but also the opportunity to gather valuable feedback from industry leaders and investors. If you are a bio-based innovator, then there is still time to apply to take part in BioVale’s pitch fest, so send us your pitches before the deadline in April.
Anna Zhenova, CEO of Green Rose Chemistry and BioVale member, has brought a wealth of knowledge and passion for the sustainable chemicals sector to our sessions in previous years and I’m looking forward to working with her again this year. Anna will be hosting our CHEMUK session with panelists from the BDC, CPI, Innovate UK and IBIoC. This session will discuss and debate the opportunities and hurdles of scaling up in the UK. We will also be joined at the event by regional businesses BioShield Systems and Eutechtics to showcase their green chemical products and services.
If you are attending these expos, come and have a conversation! You’ll find us at Stand A107 at the World Biogas Expo and next to the Sustainability Stage, Stand A100, at CHEMUK Expo 2023.
Look forward to seeing you there.
Caroline Wilcock
BioVale Stakeholder Engagement Manager
