BPI Connect 2024, held at the UBC Life Science Centre on December 6th, celebrated the close of another wonderful year marked by collective successes and exceptional partnerships. Over 250 guests participated representing 39 academia, industry, and government organizations. The event was made possible through the support of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions.
The event began with a warm welcome from Mark MacLachlan, Dean (pro tem) of the Faculty of Science, and Dr. Orlando Rojas, BPI Scientific Director. The keynote presentations that followed featured industry experts Irene Yang (BASF Venture Capital), Steven Hallam (UBC Microbiology & Immunology), and Rishikesh Mankidy (Natural Products Canada), offering valuable insights into industry trends and the future of the bio-economy. Richard Sones, BPI Director of Partner Innovations, also provided an update on the BPI Accelerating Technology Readiness (ATR) Program, emphasizing its role in advancing bio-based technologies toward commercialization.
The highlight was the Showcase Competition, where 35 teams of students and postdocs showcased their innovative research through 1-minute flash presentations and table booth exhibits. Judges from academia, industry, and government evaluated the presentations and selected the following winners:
- Best Showcase Awards: Cecilia Cancellara, Eupidio Scopel, Isobel McLean, Lorena Polovina
- Climate Impact Award: Julia Azzi, Daniel Barker-Rothschild, Adam Wu
- EDI.I Excellence Award: Lukas Bauman, Ahmadreza Ghaffarkhah
- People’s Choice Awards: Athanasios Kritharis, Jaiya Varshney
Dr. Orlando Rojas concluded the event by expressing his gratitude for the collaborative efforts that continue to drive BPI’s success. He emphasized the importance of partnerships in advancing the bio-economy and supporting innovation.
Connect 2024 served as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and the joyous celebration of achievements, wrapping up a fruitful year. Congratulations to all participants on a successful event!
Explore the event highlights on our YouTube playlist.
- Opening - Mark MacLachlan and Orlando Rojas
- Keynote - Irene Yang
- Keynote - Steven Hallam
- Keynote - Rishikesh Mankidy
- BPI ATR Program Update - Richard Sones
- BPI Emerging Researchers' Flash Presentations - Jaiya Varshney, Diana Yumeng Liang, Kevin Kung, Lukas Bauman, Sarah Lin, Shiva Zargar, Soroush Aghamohamadi Bosjin, Srishty Maggo, Amir Amiri, Lucy Binfield, Sawyer d’Entremont, Cameron Zheng, Cecilia Cancellara, Eupidio Scopel, Julia Azzi, Rosalia Jaffray, Emilie Payment, Isobel McLean, Jason Yu, Kimiya Rahmani Mokarrari, Xanyar Mohammadi, Alexnadre Babin
- Award Ceremony & Closing