InnovationXlab: Biomanufacturing – Facilitating a Two-Way Exchange of Ideas and Information Between Industry and National Labs

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) hosted the InnovationXlab: Biomanufacturing Summit on January 28-29 in Berkeley, California. Held at the historic California Memorial Stadium on the University of California, Berkeley campus, the event brought together lab innovators and industry leaders to discuss current and future biomanufacturing processes and applications.

As a growing field in the science industry, biomanufacturing is accelerating innovation across many different sectors, including agriculture, medicine, food, and materials. With DOE’s National Labs contributing heavily to the booming U.S. bioeconomy, this was a great opportunity to present the latest biotechnology developments from the Department and connect with potential industry partners.

This was the fifth installment of DOE’s InnovationXlab series. OTT organizes these landmark events to showcase the world-renowned research and facilities across the Department’s National Labs – connecting industry leaders with lab experts, forging the way for new, innovative collaborations to expand the commercial impact of the DOE lab portfolio.

Check out the recap video below and keep on reading for more event details, including the incredible speakers, panelists, and displays.

LBNL lined up an impressive group of speakers throughout the event.

DOE Chief Commercialization Officer Conner Prochaska kicked things off with welcome remarks and an introduction of Under Secretary Paul Dabbar. During his keynote, Under Secretary Dabbar highlighted the Department’s world-class National Labs, encouraged collaboration with industry to bolster commercialization, and confirmed the Department’s commitment to maintaining sustainable bioenergy.

Additional keynotes from Department leaders included Chris Fall, Director, Office of Science, and Daniel Simmons, Assistant Secretary, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

Dr. Fall celebrated the power of basic research at the Department, particularly in the biotechnology field. “The biotech revolution is one of the most compelling illustrations of the productive relationship between basic science and technology development and industrial innovation,” he said. 

Assistant Secretary Simmons spoke on the importance of collaboration between industry and the National Labs to further strengthen the U.S. bioeconomy.

Industry keynotes included Emily Leproust, Co-founder and CEO at Twist Bioscience, Magalie Guilhabert, VP, Head of Microbial Research Technology at Bayer CropScience, and Alta Charo, Professor of Law and Bioethics as the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Topics covered by these respected thought leaders included global ethics on biomanufacturing, the current bio developments of DNA sequencing and synthesizing, and the evolving processes of identifying new microbes.

In addition to the keynotes, InnovationXLab participants were able to indulge in several different panels comprised of esteemed biomanufacturing leaders. Panel topics included:

• Building the Future – Discovering new trends in bioproducts, biomaterials, and bioplastics.

• The Sustainable Loom – Exploring advances in bioproducts used in the deployment of textiles.

• Protecting the Future – Discussing bio developments in gene editing, biopharma, machine learning, and AI.

• Powering the Future – Looking at biomanufacturing advances in the market.

• Digitizing Biology and Biomanufacturing – Exploring the combination of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence.

• Feeding the Future – Exploring synthetic biology and biomanufacturing in the food sector.

• Leaping toward Profitability – Examining how biomanufacturing leaders select, develop, and advance new specialty chemicals and products in the marketplace.

At the event, National Labs and industry leaders showcased an impressive selection of products and technologies. Event attendees were able to walk around and engage in one-on-one conversations, forging new ideas and partnerships.

OTT showcased its Lab Partnering Service (LPS), an online tool enabling access to leading DOE expert researchers, user facilities, patents, and more. LPS is a great way to explore the Department’s massive R&D portfolio & build new partnerships with our Labs.

For more information on LPS, click here.

Great thanks to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for hosting such a successful event, and to the many summit sponsors for their support.

More information on OTT’s InnovationXLab series can be found here.