CNPEM has formally joined the Global Bioeconomy Alliance (GBA), a network that brings together leading universities from around the world to build a global, inclusive bioeconomy that advances sustainability, addresses environmental challenges, and fosters worldwide collaboration.
The alliance was founded in 2018 by the Technical University of Munich (Germany), the University of Queensland (Australia) and São Paulo State University (UNESP), and was later expanded to include institutions from countries including Denmark, Mexico, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The mission of this alliance is to connect global partners in research, education, and industry to advance sustainable bio-based solutions and strengthen international collaboration in the bioeconomy.
According to Leticia Maria Zanphorlin, a researcher at the Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory, “CNPEM’s entry into the GBA is a very important step in expanding the international presence of both the Center and Brazil within this globally recognized network.” This new affiliation formalizes links that have been constructed over the years and recognizes CNPEM’s unique nature as a center for pioneering infrastructure, multidisciplinary activities, and a strong capacity for creating science-based solutions in a single place. The technologies we develop here are firmly in line with the topics that mobilize the GBA, which makes this
participation especially valuable. At the same time, it creates new possibilities for cooperation and further highlights Brazil’s potential in areas that are essential for the future, like biodiversity, biotechnology and the bioeconomy.”
The Center’s strategic differentials and interdisciplinary activities
Participation in the alliance solidifies CNPEM’s role as a link between outstanding research and industrial applications, serving as a bridge between knowledge and innovation through highly specialized science and engineering teams. By providing biotech platforms for scaling up bioprocesses, and with academic support from the Ilum School of Science, the Center makes active contributions to the GBA’s mission of advancing sustainable bio-based solutions. This connection with leading global universities strengthens research and education in this area, allowing CNPEM to collaborate on topics like renewable carbon and innovation that are essential for the energy transition and sustainable development on a global scale.
In joining the alliance, CNPEM contributes its cutting-edge infrastructure and multidisciplinary expertise to address strategic scientific challenges. The Center is responsible for Sirius, the country’s largest scientific research infrastructure, and is constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research, with essential competencies in bioprospecting, synthetic biology, biocatalysis and bioprocesses. Its work is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials and sustainability, with a focus on developing technologies based on renewable sources and Brazilian biodiversity. Its sophisticated infrastructure, which includes multi-omics tools and precision fermentation, is open to the scientific community in order to strengthen the national ecosystem and boost its autonomy in biofuels, chemicals and materials.
About LNBR
The Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR) works to address scientific challenges that are strategic for Brazil in order to promote energy transition and develop a sustainable bioeconomy. Its interdisciplinary competencies in bioprospecting, synthetic biology, biocatalysis, bioprocesses and sustainability are integrated into the development of technologies founded on renewable sources, domestic production chains and Brazilian biodiversity. Its infrastructure on the cutting edge of multi-omics, synthetic biology, precision fermenting, and scaling-up of bioprocesses is open to the scientific community in order to strengthen the national bioeconomy ecosystem and partnerships with the productive sector. The biotechnology platforms developed by LNBR, which are made available for research and innovation, are intended to boost Brazil’s autonomy and competitiveness in the production of biofuels, chemicals and materials. LNBR is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a private, non-profit organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment with activities on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. CNPEM is responsible for Sirius, the country’s largest scientific research infrastructure, and is currently
constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. Research and development activities at CNPEM are conducted by its National Laboratories in the areas of Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), and Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as the Ilum School of Science, which offers a bachelor’s degree program in science and technology with support from the Ministry of Education (MEC). https://cnpem.br/
