The event will bring together more than 200 representatives of government agencies, entrepreneurs, as well as industry and academic leaders, who will search for solutions to the primary issues that affect countries across the region in this area.
San Jose, Costa Rica. 22 April 2019 (IICA). The Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in San Jose, Costa Rica, will host the Latin American Bioeconomy Forum from 20 to 22 November. During the event, experts will share approaches, experiences and lessons learned related to public policies and strategies for capitalizing on the bioeconomy in the region.
The event will be organized by Allbiotech, a non-profit organization that fosters the adoption of biotechnology as a means for driving innovation and competitiveness in Latin America, through the consolidation of a community of young leaders. Its work focuses on generating a significant impact in different areas such as agriculture, health and sustainable development.
Since 2017, Allbiotech has held a Latin American Summit of Young Biotech Leaders each year. However, the organization has decided to change the modality of this year’s event by incorporating the bioeconomy as a topic of discussion. The bioeconomy is a concept that describes the knowledge-based intensive use of biological resources, processes, technologies and principles, for the sustainable provision of goods and services.
“The first two events were held in Chile and in Mexico. This year’s event has shifted its focus, aiming to consolidate the network of young leaders that has been established to date and to officially involve more than 200 representatives of government agencies, entrepreneurs, as well as industry and academic leaders in its efforts,” stated Marcelo Castro, the forum’s general coordinator.
The activity will also serve as an ideal framework for disseminating Costa Rica’s National Bioeconomy Strategy, a project in which Allbiotech is collaborating.
According to Hugo Chavarría, Manager of IICA’s Bioeconomy and Production Development Program, this event will play a key role in disseminating the concept of the bioeconomy and promoting its potential. It will also contribute to creating an adequate context for the development of the bioeconomy in Costa Rica and Latin America, given that it will allow for generating partnerships and learning about initiatives that are currently underway in the region.
“There is a great deal of potential in Latin America and the Caribbean due to the availability of biological resources and scientific capabilities. However, in order to capitalize on the bioeconomy and drive its transformation into profitable and sustainable businesses, it will be necessary to develop policies and regulations, as well as market conditions, to guarantee their feasibility. Sharing knowledge and experiences to generate these conditions is exactly what we are hoping to achieve,” remarked Chavarría.
The specialist added that the event would also provide IICA with an opportunity to share its vision on how to transition toward an economy that utilizes biological resources in a more efficient and sustainable manner in production development.
Any person or organization interested in participating in the event, either as an assistant or sponsor, may request additional information by completing the event form or visiting www.allbiotech.org. Participation in the Latin American Bioeconomy Forum is by invitation only, given that the event hopes to bring together the most relevant stakeholders from the entire region.
More information:
Marvin Blanco, IICA Specialist in Agribusiness and Value-Adding
Marcelo Castro Alpízar, General Coordinator of the Latin American Bioeconomy Forum
coordinacioncostarica@allbiotech.org
