Advocating for Public Policies to Promote the Development & Production of Alternative Fuels, Renewable Chemicals, Biobased Products, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition
Track 5 Session Details
AFCC Conference Breakout Sessions
Breakout Sessions are 90 minutes, each one has one moderator with a maximum of four to five speakers.
Breakout sessions will be focused on the following five subject areas:
​
-
Track 2: Sustainable Feedstocks and Biofuels, Driving Decarbonization
-
Track 4: Synthetic Biology, Alternative Proteins, Regenerative Agriculture, Food & Fiber
-
Track 5: Building the Biobased Economy Supply Chain
Track 5 Breakout Session Details​
Building the Biobased Economy Supply Chain
​
​
This Track is Sponsored by:
​
Thursday, November 21, 2024
All sessions for this Track will be held in Annapolis 5
Session 1 : 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM : Bridging the Bioindustrial Valley of Death: BioMADE Year Three
Moderator: Clem Fortman, Director of Program Management, BioMADE
Speakers:
.jpg)
BioMADE was catalyzed in 2021 by the Department of Defense (DoD) to coalesce a community of stakeholders associated with all aspects of bioindustrial manufacturing. BioMADE is building an end-to-end ecosystem that could work together to solve general problems associated with bringing non-medical products made from biotechnology from the benchtop to the marketplace. In the intervening three years, BioMADE has funded $170MM in projects to solve problems for the DoD and the industry in general. In this session, you will hear about the BioMADE membership model and how it works to engage stakeholders to share problems, resources, and results. You will also hear the perspective of a few of BioMADE’s member organizations and how they’re working to accelerate the production and commercialization of products from industrial biotechnology.
​
Peter Jackson, Director, Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox, IP Challenges and Opportunities to Bridge the Valley of Death for Bioindustrial Manufacturers
Few biotechnology innovations make it through the Valley of Death to market. A company’s intellectual property is its number one asset, and it is invaluable in the path to success. Developing a patent portfolio while navigating third party patents is ripe with challenges and opportunities. Should companies pursue patent or trade secret protection for their innovative technologies? Are certain aspects of the company's technologies even eligible for patent protection? When should filings be made and how often? What are the IP implications of industry or university collaborations? Do you have freedom to operate in view of third party patents? The presentation will highlight best practices to maximize IP protection and minimize invalidation and infringement risks along the road to market.
Session 2 : 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM: Biomanufacturing with Public-Private Partnership
Moderator: Roger Wyse, Founder & Managing Partner, Spruce Capital Partners
Speakers:
The high Capital costs and complexities of developing and scaling biomanufacturing technologies present significant challenges to their accelerated deployment. Recent efforts of public-private partnerships (PPPs) serve to bridge the gap between research and scaled commercial application and could provide a crucial boost to US biomanufacturing. These include but are not limited to, programs such as the DOE loan guarantee, BioMADE - a Manufacturing Innovation Institute in part supported by the DoD, DoD Distributed BioIndustrial Manufacturing, and OSTP's efforts on policy development.
​
This panel will explore the transformative potential of biomanufacturing through PPPs, highlighting recent efforts and potential opportunities in the sector. Industry leaders and policymakers will discuss key topics, including funding strategies for building infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, intellectual property considerations, and how PPPs can mitigate risks, accelerate technology transfer, and ensure biomanufacturing advancements yield societal benefits. By fostering an open dialogue, this panel aims to chart a path for future collaborations that harness the collective expertise and resources of both sectors to overcome challenges and unlock the full potential of biomanufacturing.
Session 3: 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM: Building the Biobased Economy Supply Chain
Moderator: Julie Bushell, President, GSD and CEO Ethos Connected
Speakers:
.webp)
The Honorable Jim Pillen, Governor of Nebraska
As the bioeconomy becomes THE economy, it is imperative we focus on building a resilient supply chain that consistently supplies the feedstocks required for a successful transition to bio-based products while ensuring a sustainable full-system design. Recognizing the complexity and unintended effects of bio-manufacturing on the aquifer, soil health and disruption to rural economic ecosystems must all be addressed to ensure positive environmental outcomes and long- term market success.
​
While effective system planning and design requires additional capital and resources, it is the most consequential step we must take to grow the bioeconomy at scale. Nebraska’s BioEconomy exemplifies the cornerstone of a strong bio-supply chain: people, water, crops and livestock. Built on these four tenets, Nebraska’s roadmap creates full system alignment, promotes incentives at multiple scales and increases the chain of connectivity that will generate value based on local farming practices. This plenary will unveil full bioeconomy supply chain planning from the very soil and water we need to grow our feedstocks to the policy supporting market growth.
​
The Honorable Jim Pillen, Governor of Nebraska, will speak about Nebraska’s people, biosecurity and why full value agriculture is key to Nebraska’s BioEconomy leadership.
​
Tyler Fields, Senior Director, Valley Irrigation, Valmont Industries, will speak to irrigation know- how and Nebraska’s unique approach to water management. Nebraska’s water resources are the most resilient in the world and the key to building a strong bioeconomy supply chain.
​
Ryan Shoemaker, Director Business Development, Scoular, will highlight the complexity planning within a bioeconomy supply chain, from transitional cropping, infrastructure to transportation and beyond.
​
Julie Bushell, President, GSD and CEO Ethos Connected, as Nebraska’s BioEconomy lead, Julie will present the Nebraska BioEconomy roadmap including the Farming Intensity Registry while leading the discussion.
​
Kelly Knopp, Principal and Co-Founder, Citroniq, will highlight the production of carbon negative materials.
Session 4: 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM: Biomanufacturing for a Resilient Supply Chain
Moderator: Kevin Jarrell, CEO, Modular Genetics, Inc.
Speakers:
Director
Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain (T-BRSC) Program
Recent global-scale disruptions demonstrated supply-chain-fragility. What steps can we take to mitigate future supply chain risk? This is a key question for both commercial entities and for the Department of Defense (DoD), and Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing are part of the solution. There is a need for development and scale-up of processes that enable local conversion of agricultural materials, and other substrates (e.g., CO2, municipal waste…), into useful chemicals and materials. The DoD’s response to this need, established in the 2023 Department of Defense (DoD) Biomanufacturing Strategy, includes investments that will catalyze the establishment of a domestic biomanufacturing industrial base, including through the DoD Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain (T-BRSC) Program. T-BRSC’s mission is to develop a transition pipeline and work with the tri-Services to advance the development and integration of biotechnologies to address supply chain vulnerabilities, while also working with the BioMADE Manufacturing Innovation Institute to bring non-traditional commercial performers into the defense biomanufacturing industrial base. This panel will highlight examples of renewable chemicals that are of are of use to both defense and commercial end-users.
Technology Providers: Learn how DoD Biotechnology is working with Technology Providers to integrate unique capabilities into the DoD. Manufacturers: Learn of opportunities to add new products to your production lines and how the defense biomanufacturing industrial base ensures a resilient supply chain.
​
Brand-Owners: Learn how the DoD is supporting development and launch of renewable products that will enhance the appeal and functionality of your offerings.
Friday, November 22, 2024
All sessions for this Track will be held in Annapolis 5
​Session 5: 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM: Decarbonization Policies and Partnerships Related to Alternative Fuels: Building Strategies for r-DME, RNG, Hydrogen, and SAF
Moderator: Emanuel Wagner, President, Palamedes Strategies
Speakers:
Jose Dominguez
Research Affiliate, Energy Markets and Policy
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Policy support for alternative fuels includes generating syngas from waste and other renewable resources and use beyond the transportation and electric sectors. Policy drivers which exist are the RFS2 (Renewable Fuel Standard), LCFS (Low Carbon Fuel Standard), and IRA 2022 tax incentives. Other policies and products supporting alternative fuels which are cost competitive for production of SAF, hydrogen, scale-up, including utility power and thermal generation will be presented. These will be part of the conversation and presentations from these expert panelists.
Session 6: 3:30 PM to 5 PM: Correcting Trade Imbalance Through a Biobased Economy
Moderator: Mitch Frasier, CEO, AgriNovus Indiana
Speakers:
The United States has a reliance on foreign markets for vital materials ranging from pharmaceuticals to agricultural products to chemicals and more that affect food security. The US is the world's second-largest importer. In 2019, we imported $3.1 trillion: $191 billion in petroleum products & $151 billion in food/feedstock. Thesis: Biomanufacturing has the potential to create new solutions in health, energy, food security, supply chain resilience, and national security. The US is positioned to reshore America’s bioeconomy given the nexus of its strengths across manufacturing, life sciences and its production of feedstocks as well as the presence of corporate and academic innovators. Assets in the US heartland provide abundant renewable sources and a well-developed bio-processing industry that can unite innovators to achieve one-health outcomes across plants, animals, people, & planet. The US Department of Energy reports there is 1.1 to 1.5 billion tons of biomass available annually which could produce 60 billion gallons of renewable fuel, or about half of the current gasoline demand. Evidence, sources: World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) (worldbank.org) https://www.thebalancemoney.com/u-s-imports-statistics-and-issues-3306260 Indiana selected for biotech hub designation worth millions DOE 2023 Billion-Ton Report How does this contribute and why does it matter? AgriNovus is uniquely qualified to assemble policymakers, manufacturers, state/regional economic development groups, the green energy industry, and companies that operate facilities that can expand our asset base. Importance: 22 green energy production facilities in Indiana & nation’s highest concentration of manufacturing jobs. Suited to drive US Goals.