BIO Deutschland’s Managing Director appointed to Bioeconomy Council

On 7 December, the new Bioeconomy Council met virtually for its inaugural meeting. Viola Bronsema, Managing Director of BIO Deutschland, was also appointed to the twenty-member body of scientists and stakeholders. BIO Deutschland board member Jürgen Eck also sits on the Bioeconomy Council.

“The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) established the First Bioeconomy Council in 2009 as an advisory body to the Federal Government. With the end of the initial Council’s term of office, the Second Bioeconomy Council began its work in 2012 and supported the Federal Government in an advisory capacity until the end of 2019. The Councils’ purpose was to provide key input for the preparation of the National Research Strategy Bioeconomy 2030 and the National Policy Strategy Bioeconomy. In January 2020, the Federal Government adopted the National Bioeconomy Strategy under the joint aegis of the BMBF and the BMEL. This integrates the various activities of the Federal Government in the field of bioeconomy policy into an overall strategy. The recently appointed Third Bioeconomy Council will advise the federal government as an independent and neutral body with regard to implementing the strategy within the framework of recommendations and statements, while at the same time promoting public debate on issues related to the bioeconomy. Council members are appointed for an initial term of three years,” reads the joint press release by the BMBF and the BMEL on the inaugural meeting of the Council members. The full press release can be found here (in German only): www.bmbf.de/de/neuer-biooekonomierat-tritt-zur-konstituierenden-sitzung-zusammen-13305.html