ShapingBio

Mariana plays a role in BLUEBIO ALLIANCE, representative network for the Blue Bioeconomy. Her responsibilities include the coordination and management of a broad network across the marine bioresources and blue biotechnology value chains. She ensures that key actors are effectively connected and supported, addressing their challenges through financial solutions, technological innovation, and capacity-building initiatives.

Mr Barna Kovacs is currently working as counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU. He has been appointed as the Secretary General of the BIOEAST Initiative, as vice-chair of the FACCE JPI, and as SCAR member on behalf of Hungary. His responsibilities covers the follow up of the European Council discussion with regard to the research and innovation in the field of bioeconomy.

Peter Wehrheim is the Head of Unit for Bioeconomy and Food Systems within the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission in Brussels. He has played a significant role in implementing the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and in shaping the EU’s Food2030 research and innovation approach.

Wim is policy officer in the unit ‘Bioeconomy & Food Systems’ of DG Research & Innovation. He works on the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, and on FOOD 2030, the EU’s R&I framework for future-proofing food systems.

Wim joined the European Commission from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Flanders, Belgium,  and the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Prior to that he held in various positions in the private sector, in particular in the food sector.

Bärbel Hüsing is a biologist by training and senior scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Germany in the business unit Bioeconomy and Life Sciences. As a member of the ShapingBio team, she coordinated the analyses and led the work on policy and governance and how bioeconomy policy is coordinated. In other projects, she works on the development and implemention of a regional bioeconomy strategy, and on sustainability transitions in food systems.

Sven has been coordinating the Business Unit "Life Sciences and Bioeconomy" within the Department “Emerging Technologies”. His research areas comprise the analysis of innovation generation and diffusion in the bioeconomy, economic and ecological  impact assessment in bioeconomy, biotechnology, circular economy, development of scenarios and strategies, impact of policies on emerging technologies (e.g. biotechnology).  Apart from ShapingBio, he has recently worked on projects to evaluate and monitor the bioeconomy.

Geert is an activist and practitioner in food industry innovation.  A business leader with a deep passion for research and science, he enjoys building high-impact teams—bringing together colleagues and stakeholders to transform knowledge into tangible value. 

Geert represents Cargill at industry associations, research consortia and start-ups.​ 
He is board member at the European Specialty Food Ingredients association, at the European Technology Platform Food for Life, an (advisory) board member of several institutes and start-ups in ingredient discovery and technology development. ​

George works in the Academy of Sciences in Czech Republic. He is also a board member at the Bioeconomy Hub in Czech Republic. He is the vice-chair of the European ICA-CoP on Bioeconomy Education and active in the BioEast platform on Bioeconomy, being a member of the Advisory Council and head of the Thematic Working Group on Bioeconomy Education.

Veerle held several leading positions in global and national organisations and academic institutes, including the United Nations where she directed departments at UNDP and UNEP.  She set up several organisations promoting the transition to the green economy and served on the board of several organisations and NGO’s. Currently she is directing a Scaling Sustainable Industry company in Kenya, aimed at bringing  innovative companies to the market at scale and derisking investment in new asset classes, with a focus on bio-economy, re-use of waste materials, and the transition to “smart”  economies

Stef has extensive knowledge about material upcycling, cradle to cradle and industrial symbiosis. Past experiences include triple helix cleantech cluster management and European collaboration projects with sustainability as focus area. Since 2020, he is the Stakeholder Relations Manager of Pilots4U, the European network of 'open access' pilot and demo facilities for the bioeconomy, bringing innovation closer to the market.

Juliette holds a doctorate in Geology from Arizona State University and has a career deeply rooted at the intersection of technological innovation, global collaboration, and EU policy. She leads the International Centre at the Danish Technological Institute, overseeing a team specializing in R&D fundraising through EU-funded programs such as Horizon Europe.

A business leader with a deep passion for research and science, he enjoys building high-impact teams—bringing together colleagues and stakeholders to transform knowledge into tangible value.Geert represents Cargill at industry associations, research consortia and start-ups.​
He is board member at the European Specialty Food Ingredients association, at the European Technology Platform Food for Life, an (advisory) board member of several institutes and start-ups in ingredient discovery and technology development. ​

Piret over 15 years of experience in the bioeconomy and biotechnology sectors. Her work focuses on EU-level policy design, value-chain development, and transition pathways, combining scientific depth with practical foresight to shape future-oriented bio-based economies.

Arnout has always been engaged with bringing people in motion and impact peoples’ lives positively and sustainably. At Astanor, Arnout is leading investments into impactful Agrifood startups, focusing on sustainable food production and industrial upscaling. This includes companies like Microharvest, Source.ag and Planetary. Before joining Astanor in 2021, he has been leading Engie’s global business to make clean cooking solutions more affordable for the 3 billion people still cooking on wood and charcoal.

Maarit has worked as a deputy head of the SME policy unit in DG GROW designing and implementing the EU policy strategies and programmes, including the Small Business Act (2005), the Start-up and Scale-up initiative (2011) and the SME strategy (2020). She has also extensive experience on EU programme preparation and management, including the Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP 2007-2013), the COSME programme (2014 – 2020) and the SME pillar of the Single Market Programme (2021-2027).  Maarit holds master’s degrees in law, social sciences, arts, and psychology.