IBISBA featured at the 48th FEBS Congress in Milan

As FEBS celebrated its monumental 60th anniversary since its foundation, IBISBA joined over 2000 fellow scientists and industry leaders at one of Europe’s premier scientific events.

As an invited speaker, IBISBA director Michael O’Donohue shared his perspective on the evolution of biorefineries, focusing on sustainability, multi-product criteria, and the limitations of the traditional oil refinery paradigm with an outlook on the future of biotechnology and biomanufacturing in Europe, especially at the preindustrial R&D level. After considering the limited usefulness of the oil refinery industrial framework, O’Donohue questioned whether biorefining and biomanufacturing needed a new model, emphasising the necessity for smart and reliable bioprocesses. In this perspective, IBISBA and its flagship project, Bioindustry 4.0, are focused on enhancing the global competitiveness of the European biotech sector. By advancing technologies such as AI, digital twin and cloud computing, they aim to innovate bioprocess design and control, making these technologies faster, more affordable, and sustainable.

IBISBA also marked its presence by hosting an interactive exhibit with a delegation of members. The exhibit engaged international visitors, who showed interest in IBISBA’s service offerings and future training and educational programmes.