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The international biobased student competition BISC-E can be linked more strongly to the activities of the members of the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), says Nathan de Geyter of Ghent University (Belgium) in an interview with Agro&Chemistry.
Editorial office / Brussels

BISC-E originated in the Netherlands in 2018 with the participation of four Dutch teams and two Danish teams. Universities in other European countries immediately showed interest. Thanks to BIC’s involvement, since 2019 it has been an international competition, open to students at universities across Europe. But not all countries are participating yet.

According to De Geyter, it would be a good idea if the participating countries exchange their experiences and best practices and even share them with countries that are not yet participating. “That would lower the threshold for them to organise such a competition themselves. We may be able to help. We know which universities and colleges are working on green chemistry or bio-based materials.”

Creating synergies

For BISC-E, however, the input of industrial partners is also important, because they can make the link with business practice. “It would boost the participation and visibility of the competition,” thinks De Geyter. “Certainly if the innovations that students come up with can be linked to the business models of BIC members. In this way, synergies can be created that will help the students, but can also enhance progress in the industry.”

Read the full article in Agro&Chemistry.

Image: LoafFoam