Category: Thought Leadership

Engineers are from Mars, business developers are from Venus

Engineers are from Mars, business developers are from Venus

January 10, 2016 |

By Mark Warner, PE, Founder, Warner Advisors LLC, Special to The Digest What does a relationship book from the 1990’s have to do with successfully scaling up biotechnology? More than you would expect. In this case, we are substituting engineers and business developers, then focusing on the differences in how they view biotechnology commercialization and the […]

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Behind the Renewable Energy Curtain in California

Behind the Renewable Energy Curtain in California

December 23, 2015 |

By James L. Stewart, special to The Digest At this month’s COP21 Conference in Paris, California’s two most recent Governors, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown, heralded the legislative and regulatory initiatives of the past decade that have placed California in the forefront of environmental and climate change policy. These programs most certainly provided inspiration for […]

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The Next Wave of Industrial Biotechnology (with Bicycles, Unicorns & Rainbows)

The Next Wave of Industrial Biotechnology (with Bicycles, Unicorns & Rainbows)

December 22, 2015 |

By Sam Nejame, Special to the Digest Early last month I travelled to San Francisco for a conference. Over the weekend I and some old college friends cycled through Marin. In rain and fog we spun up long steady climbs then bombed hairy twisting descents through the famed redwoods. When my borrowed bicycle needed a […]

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Consumers go ‘green.’ Are we leveraging this trend enough?

Consumers go ‘green.’ Are we leveraging this trend enough?

December 16, 2015 |

Novozymes’ Sebastian Søderberg on how the growing consumer trend to choose ‘green’ products can help the cellulosic ethanol industry take off. Why would people be willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly product? I believe consumers are becoming increasingly aware and concerned about the damage their consumption can cause to the planet. With this […]

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EPA’s Contradictory Rule Is A Gut Punch to Advanced Biofuels

EPA’s Contradictory Rule Is A Gut Punch to Advanced Biofuels

December 9, 2015 |

By Brent Erickson, Executive Vice-President, BIO After a painful and damaging two-year delay, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week published Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for 2014, 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, the agency finalized a rule riddled with contradictions and confusing logic. EPA asserts that Congress gave it the authority to slow down the RFS […]

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What makes scale-up of industrial biotechnology so difficult?

What makes scale-up of industrial biotechnology so difficult?

December 2, 2015 |

By Mark Warner, PE, Founder, Warner Advisors LLC, Special to The Digest Two questions have dominated the responses received after my Lessons Learned series on commercializing industrial biotechnology (here) and the deep-dive into the industrial biotechnology commercialization process (here), the questions are what makes scale-up of industrial biotechnology so difficult and of course how can risk […]

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Innovation to Tackle Climate Change and Feed a Growing Population: Commercializing Synthetic Biology

Innovation to Tackle Climate Change and Feed a Growing Population: Commercializing Synthetic Biology

December 1, 2015 |

By Vonnie Estes, Special to The Digest Around the world, manufacturers make everyday products, from food to containers to fabrics, using processes and ingredients developed decades to centuries ago. These manufacturing systems have enabled impressive economic growth and raised the global standard of living. But as the land, water, and fossil fuel resources those systems […]

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Biobased Platform Chemicals: A Clean Credible Solution To Support Climate Action

Biobased Platform Chemicals: A Clean Credible Solution To Support Climate Action

November 29, 2015 |

By Marcel van Berkel, Chief Commercial Officer, GFBiochemicals, special to The Digest There is a clear and growing need for new chemical building blocks.  As the world readies for COP 21 in Paris, this is more evident than ever before.  Civil society, policymakers and industry are all demanding new solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  […]

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Algae: 2015, the Year in Review

Algae: 2015, the Year in Review

November 22, 2015 |

By Matt Carr, Executive Director, Algae Biomass Organization, special to The Digest The 2015 conference season is coming to a close and a common theme seems to be that the state of the bioeconomy is one of transition. Speaking for the hundreds of innovating companies in the algae industry: We wouldn’t have it any other […]

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Will EPA Undercut the RFS at the Start of the Paris Climate Change Conference?

Will EPA Undercut the RFS at the Start of the Paris Climate Change Conference?

November 22, 2015 |

By Brent Erickson, Executive VP, Biotechnology Industry Organization, special to The Digest With his planned visit to the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference in the coming weeks, President Obama seeks a leading role for the United States in addressing global climate change. Unfortunately, that leading role could be forfeited before the conference even gets under […]

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