Dublin, 20–21 October 2026
As an international centre dedicated to Sustainable Chemistry, ISC3 brings a distinct perspective to the global bioeconomy debate, with a particular focus on the Advanced Bioeconomy and on ensuring that circular and bio-based industrial transformation delivers genuine environmental, economic and societal benefits.
At the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026, ISC3 contributed by coordinating a Scaling Action Lab and highlighting the role of Sustainable Chemistry in enabling a just and sustainable transition towards a bioeconomy. ISC3's contribution focused on how to translate the bioeconomic potential of different regions, particularly the Global South, into sustainable industrial applications and higher local and regional value creation. Discussions addressed how to better connect different stages of bio-based value chains, strengthen international cooperation and avoid extractivist approaches and unintended environmental or economic rebound effects. ISC3 highlighted the importance of engaging the private sector, ensuring shared benefits and integrating sustainability from the outset.
One message resonated with ISC3: It is also key to acknowledge that bioeconomy visions and approaches to achieving bioeconomy goals may differ in different parts of the world, adapting to local opportunities and challenges.
Christine Lang, Co-Chair of the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB). These opening words reinforce ISC3’s international approach to sustainable chemistry, recognising the importance of addressing diverse regional contexts and priorities.
The event brought together policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, financial institutions and development organisations from around the world. It also marked the launch of the Global Bioeconomy Partnership, a network of networks
, and presented the draft Global Bioeconomy Vision 2040.
Discussions focused on scaling the bioeconomy, the use of biological resources to produce food, materials, chemicals and energy, by translating innovation into viable markets while ensuring sustainability, circularity, equity and regional relevance. Key themes included investment and policy, biodiversity and social equity, as well as developments in Ireland and the EU.
The workshop “Scaling the Bioeconomy in the Global South: Enabling Conditions, Regional Cooperation and Global Partnerships”, coordinated and moderated by IICA together with Red LATAM, explored experiences from the Global South, identified enabling conditions and shared priorities, and examined how regional cooperation and international partnerships can translate these priorities into practical solutions, creating added value, jobs and income in the territories that provide biological resources and knowledge.
Around 85 experts and decision-makers of rhe Global Bioeconomy Community joined the workshop, with contributions from IDB’s Amazonía Siempre initiative, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO/OTCA), SENACYT Panama, South Africa’s DSTI, BioInnovate Africa and NatureFinance. Following the contributions from the Global South, three Scaling Action Labs, addressed investment and scaling, markets and value webs, and territorial implementation. The session concluded with a dialogue involving the European Commission, the Bioeconomy Challenge and the Global Bioeconomy Partnership.
ISC3 facilitated and coordinated Scaling Action Lab 2, “Markets and Value Webs,” which explored opportunities and barriers to bringing bio-based products and innovations to market, strengthening local value creation and fostering cooperation among stakeholders.
The discussions also highlighted opportunities to advance the bioeconomy, from improving access to finance for smaller initiatives and strengthening regional cooperation to building local expertise and encouraging knowledge exchange. Closer collaboration between businesses and research institutions was identified as another important step, alongside developing business models that make bio-based products more competitive and economically viable.
From ISC3's perspective, these discussions also raised important questions about the sustainability of bio-based industrial transformation: how can biological resources be used efficiently, while avoiding competition with food production, biodiversity and other essential ecosystem functions? How can value be retained and increased in the regions where biological resources originate? And how can international cooperation support these objectives without shifting environmental pressures or creating new dependencies?
The discussions also shed light on challenges facing the bioeconomy, including limited awareness of the potential and economic value of biomass, lengthy standardisation processes for bio-based products, and gaps in knowledge sharing and coordination among stakeholders. In some countries, limited institutional capacity and economic challenges further hinder the development of bio-based value chains.
The workshop brought country and regional perspectives into focus. Panama highlighted the challenges of translating bioeconomy strategies into practice, including outdated regulations and limited participation at the local level. The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) emphasised the importance of regional governance and institutional continuity in creating favourable conditions for investment.
Participants also stressed the need for common indicators to measure progress and ensure that bioeconomy development generates tangible benefits for local communities and Indigenous peoples. Stronger international cooperation, including through the United Nations system, was discussed to support locally driven bioeconomy initiatives and strengthen regional value chains.
For ISC3, the discussions in Dublin reaffirmed the importance of an international, sustainability-oriented approach to the Advanced Bioeconomy. Building stronger connections between regional resources, technological capabilities, markets and expertise can open opportunities for higher-value applications and more inclusive value chains. However, scaling up must go hand in hand with resource efficiency, circularity, environmental integrity and the prevention of unintended rebound effects. This is essential to ensuring that the bioeconomy contributes to genuinely sustainable economic development across regions.