The BIOCON-CO2 Final Symposium took place from 14-15 June 2022, in Ghent, Belgium. This was the final event of the project and was attended by over 65 participants. It was held in hybrid format, both online and at the North Sea Port Visitor Centre in Ghent. The aim of the symposium was to celebrate the achievements of the project and explore the wider impact these results will have for the sector both in Europe and beyond. It was also a great opportunity for partners to re-connect in person, and was the first time partners had seen each other since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The one and half day event comprised of three sessions which focused on project impacts through three key lenses: industry, science and policy. Each session featured a series of presentations from project partners and a panel discussion made up of project partners, external evaluation board members and the coordinators from some of BIOCON-CO2’s sister projects: VIVALDI, BioRECO2VER, BIOSFERA and BAC-TO-FUEL. On the evening of the 14th of June, there was a partner meal for the project partners who were able to attend the symposium in person.
On the afternoon of the 15th of June, there was a site visit for all in-person participants. The site visit kicked off with a boat trip through Ghent Seaport which brought participants to the dock at BIOCON-CO2 partner – Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP). From there, participants travelled by coach to ArcelorMittal, for the inauguration ceremony of the project’s new mobile pilot plant. Following the ceremony, participants headed to ArcelorMittal’s steel mill, to meet their engineers and learn more about the Steelanol Project. Participants then returned to the North Sea Port Visitor Centre for the conclusion of the Final Symposium.
All in all, the Final Symposium was a very insightful and informative event. Not only was it a celebration of the project results but it provided partners with an opportunity to re-connect in-person and share their results with project stakeholders and the wider public.
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IMAGES: a. Partner meal, 14th June; b. Industry Session Presentation by Koen Quataert (BBEPP); c. Mobile Pilot Plant inauguration ceremony at ArcelorMittal; d. Site visit boat and port view at North Sea Port Visitor Centre; e. Science Panel; f. Steelanol site visit