The High Value Biorenewables Network contributed to a joint response to the recent Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Call for Evidence on the role of biomass in achieving net zero. The evidence submission was developed in collaboration with the Supergen Bioenergy Hub, the Carbon Recycling Network, and BBNet.
The joint evidence submission considered the supply and use of biomass and highlighted the essential role we believe biomass will play in the transition to net zero, through bioenergy systems, the production of carbon-based chemicals and materials (including high value chemicals), and as a feedstock in negative emission technologies. The response touched on the benefits of industrial biotechnology for biomass utilisation, as well as emphasising need for further investment in research, innovation, and scale up facilities. The full response is available to download here.
The responses to the BEIS Call for Evidence will support the development of the upcoming UK Biomass Strategy. It is crucial that this strategy lays out a pathway for the sustainable production and use of biomass and positions the UK as a global leader in this area (a sentiment which echoes that expressed by the CCC in their latest progress report) and to enable this, we must harness the academic expertise within the research community. To this end, the evidence submission was collated by the newly appointed Biomass Policy Fellow, Joanna Sparks, who is working with the Supergen Bioenergy Hub, the Carbon Recycling Network, BBNet, and the High Value Biorenewables Network. Joanna will provide an important connection with government policy makers, and her position provides a unique opportunity to bring together the wealth of expertise within our community and present it in a consolidated way. We believe that this collaborative approach will afford impactful policy engagement, as well as developing capacity and capability for future policy engagement by the research community.
Joanna will be continuing to engage with development of the Biomass Strategy over the coming months, so keep an eye out for further opportunities to get involved in this work!
Intro to Joanna:
Dr Joanna Sparks recently took up the position of Biomass Policy Fellow with the Supergen Bioenergy Hub, the Carbon Recycling Network, BBNet, and the High Value Biorenewables Network. As the Policy Fellow Joanna will provide an important connection between academic researchers and government policy makers in the area. Her goal is to increase policy engagement by network and to harness the expertise of our members to have a real impact on policy. To facilitate this she is keen to learn more about the work being done by network members. Keep an eye out for policy events which we will be running to get involved. You can connect with Joanna on Linkedin here.
