A project that builds on the transformative power of biopolymers that hold the potential to tackle global challenges and contribute to solving major environmental problems in developing countries.
One of the most pressing global challenges we are facing today is how to leverage the power of new knowledge spread over the globe and regions to help to address the global economic and environmental challenges. New forms of international innovation networks are required, since no single place or a single cluster could possibly host all necessary competencies to assure regions and companies to stay at the forefront of the new global value chain.
The Global Biopolymer Network builds on the transformative power of biopolymers, since they hold great potential to tackle global challenges and at the same time contribute to the efforts of solving major environmental problems in developing countries. Biopolymer applications emerge from scientific, technological and engineering approaches, which require new forms of international science and technological collaboration.
The Global Biopolymer Network supports cross-sectorial linkages and brings together scientific and technological know-how of developed countries and abundant resources and talents from developing countries around the idea of transformative power of biopolymers and biomaterials.
GBN’s members were:
- ABIA, Akron, Ohio
- JKUAT, Nairobi, Kenya
- VDI/VDE-IT, Berlin, Germany
- CE PoliMaT, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- PCCL, Leoben, Austria
These institutions provided support for the development of a biopolymer based platform. Two biopolymer workshops (Biopolymer workshop at JKUAT – Jomo Kenyatta University for Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya, Biopolymer workshop at CBBR – Centre for Biomedical and Biomaterials Research (CBBR), Mauritius). Additionally, various multilateral meetings were organized by GBN, in which many diplomatic community representatives took an active role.
Services provided:
- enabling leadership in biopolymer development initiatives
- identification of biopolymer potential in addressing global challenges
- identification of research and innovation fields with potential for transnational collaboration
- design biopolymer workshops and facilitation of first such workshop at the JKUAT, Nairobi Kenya and second one at ANDI, Mauritius
- facilitation of the design of research and innovation agenda: Biopolymers for Human Well Being program.
Project’s publication: