{"id":158044,"date":"2025-02-18T07:26:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T06:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=158044"},"modified":"2025-02-13T11:09:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T10:09:44","slug":"innovation-network-gains-100-new-members-in-less-than-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/innovation-network-gains-100-new-members-in-less-than-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation network gains 100 new members in less than a year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Test sample for analysis. Selective focus of a transparent petri dish with liquid in it \u00a9 IBioIC<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) welcomed more than 100 new members to its network in 2024, reflecting the ongoing growth of Scotland\u2019s bioeconomy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation now boasts more than 300 members, with start-ups Vaste and Seastex recently joining the group and helping to push the network past the milestone. Access to the innovation centre\u2019s network can help businesses with scale up expertise, facilities and funding opportunities for proof-of-concept studies, with biotechnology helping to create more sustainable materials and products through the use of bio-based alternatives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as support for startups, IBioIC bridges the gap between industry and Scotland\u2019s academic expertise, with research support, skills development programmes, and access to bioprocess scale-up facility \u2013 FlexBio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of IBioIC\u2019s newest members, Edinburgh-based Vaste, is developing an online procurement platform to connect suppliers of biomass feedstock, such as agricultural residues, forestry by-products and organic waste, with industrial buyers that can integrate these feedstocks into their operations. In response to the growing demand for sustainable raw materials and low-carbon alternatives, Vaste is helping companies decarbonise by ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of biomass feedstock, supporting the transition away from petrochemical-based materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Evans Chelal, founder and chief executive of Vaste, said: <\/strong>\u201cWe are passionate about transforming the biomass feedstock market through the UK\u2019s first trading and analytics platform. Our commitment to the bio-based industries is clear: to provide access to consistent, high-quality feedstock and deliver real-time market insights on feedstock availability and pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoining the IBioIC network and becoming part of Scotland\u2019s biotech cluster has come at the perfect time as we seek collaboration opportunities to help businesses decarbonise on an industrial scale. I\u2019m truly grateful for the warmth and generosity of the IBioIC team and I\u2019m looking forward to connecting with other members at the conference in March.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another recent addition to the network is Seastex, a start-up that is transforming by-products from Scotland\u2019s shellfish sector into a biodegradable textile it calls \u201csea-wool\u201d. Made from mussel beards, or byssus \u2013 the elastic threads that help mussels attach to solid surfaces \u2013 the material is recyclable, lightweight and naturally fire-resistant. It has applications in construction, such as soundproofing panels, as well as other industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sander Nevejans, chief executive at Seastex, said: <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re already seeing the benefits of joining IBioIC as we set our sights on scaling up and broadening our impact. The network\u2019s resources and access to facilities like FlexBio will be invaluable in helping us take our products to the next level. It\u2019s also been great to connect with others in the biotech space who share our vision for turning waste into something valuable and sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Since 2014, IBioIC has played a key role in the growth of Scotland\u2019s industrial biotechnology sector, helping to attract \u00a335 million in additional funding for research and development. Other members supported by the organisation include Diageo, Glasgow Science Centre, and Scottish Water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The innovation centre is set to host its 11th annual conference at Glasgow\u2019s Technology and Innovation Centre on 12 and 13 March. Speakers include Lord Vallance, minister of state for science, research, and innovation, and Dr Rita Cruz, head of molecular biology at Ingenza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr Liz Fletcher, director of business engagement at IBioIC, added: <\/strong>\u201cReaching 300 members is a fantastic milestone and reflects the growing strength of Scotland\u2019s industrial biotechnology community. Our network is all about fostering collaboration and providing the tools and backing that companies need to scale up and make a real impact, and we\u2019re excited to see what the future holds for Vaste, Seastex, and all of our newest members.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) welcomed more than 100 new members to its network in 2024, reflecting the ongoing growth of Scotland\u2019s bioeconomy. The organisation now boasts more than 300 members, with start-ups Vaste and Seastex recently joining the group and helping to push the network past the milestone. Access to the innovation centre\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":158099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"As well as support for startups, IBioIC bridges the gap between industry and Scotland\u2019s academic expertise, with research support, skills development programmes, and access to bioprocess scale-up facility","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[23834,11270,5838,22614,5842,25074,11323,12468],"supplier":[6780,24228],"class_list":["post-158044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-agriculturalwaste","tag-biodegradability","tag-bioeconomy","tag-biofeedstocks","tag-biomass","tag-bioresidues","tag-naturalfibers","tag-textiles","supplier-biotechnology-innovation-centre","supplier-seastex"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158044"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=158044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}