Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy

Catalyzing Across Sectors to Advance the Bioeconomy (CASA-Bio) was launched in response to the Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy, released in September 2022 by the Biden administration. One of the aims of the EO was to advance the bioeconomy in five key areas (EO Bioeconomy Themes): climate change solutions, food and agriculture innovation, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross-cutting innovations—through collaboration across government, industry, non-profits, and academia, i.e., stakeholders.

In consultation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, NSF assumed the lead role to foster this collaboration by hosting a two-day meeting in December 2023 to bring together stakeholders to identify shared research and development (R&D) priorities with strong potential to be advanced through synergistic cooperation. Two dozen bioeconomy-relevant subthemes were identified and shared with the broad R&D community to seek input through direct feedback and Town Hall events held in February 2024. See our synthesis of the Town Hall data.

Between February and April, the NSF team reviewed and shared over 100 bioeconomy roadmaps and planning documents to provide the stakeholders with additional insights in preparation for a Synthesis meeting in April. Armed with this expanded knowledge, stakeholders from government, industry, and non-profits met again to refine the subthemes and to identify six R&D priority areas with strong opportunities for synergy and impact for the bioeconomy.

In August and September, six workshops were held, each led by multiple experts from academia, industry, and non-profit organizations. These leaders developed draft proposals for innovative R&D initiatives with high potential to produce meaningful outcomes for the bioeconomy, and their proposals formed the basis for workshop discussions. Workshop participants with a broad spectrum of interests and expertise engaged in robust discussions at each workshop, and their feedback helped inform final versions of the bioeconomy initiatives. See the full CASA-Bio Action Plan and learn more about how the bioeconomy initiatives are synergistic by reading Synergies and Broader Impact.

Overview of the Bioeconomy Initiatives

The final set of CASA-Bio initiatives capture the excitement and outstanding promise of these R&D areas to catalyze collaboration across sectors to advance the future of the bioeconomy. The initiatives include the following:
Delivery on Target: Transforming Vaccines and Biologics Delivery
Coordinated advancements in delivery systems for vaccines and biologics for humans and animals will enhance U.S. preparedness for emerging health threats, improve global health outcomes, and foster innovation in biotechnology, public health, and agriculture.
AgSystems: Accelerated Breeding for a Resilient Bioeconomy
Integrating advanced plant and animal breeding systems will transform agricultural productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience in the U.S. This initiative will drive biotechnological innovation and foster economic growth in food, feed, biofuels, and other bioproducts.
Diversifying Edible Protein Sources for a Sustainable Future
Investments to diversify proteins for human food and animal feed will create food supply chain resilience, drive American innovation in a globally competitive sector, and foster sustainable growth and employment in the modern bioeconomy.
Building Resilient Biomass Supply Chains for a Sustainable Bioeconomy
The U.S. must transition from a fossil-fuel-based economy to a bioeconomy that uses renewable biomass. This initiative focuses on creating resilient biomass supply chains to support the bioeconomy, while reducing carbon emissions, enhancing sustainability, and generating economic growth.
Creating Value from Waste Carbon for a Circular Bioeconomy
Waste carbon from agricultural, industrial, and consumer wastes could be transformed into valuable resources for critical materials, fuels, and food. This initiative outlines a bold plan to revolutionize waste management, reduce environmental impacts, and build a more resilient economy.
Unleashing the Power of Biology for Carbon Capture and Utilization
Further development of biomanufacturing technologies that not only capture carbon emissions but also convert them into useful products will enable a circular U.S. bioeconomy that boosts domestic bio-production, reduces environmental impacts, and fortifies supply chains.
Relevant EO Themes:Climate Change Solutions.

Acknowledgements

We extend our sincere thanks to the many planning committee members from government and private sectors, who enthusiastically shared ideas and insights on their organizations’ priorities, which provided, and continues to provide, a breadth of collaborative opportunities to explore. A list of these organizations can be found here.

We also wish to thank all participants of the Town Hall and Workshop events who gave generously of their time to share their scientific ideas and visions for the future, which immensely enriched the discussions and helped influence the scientific directions of the initiatives.

We are especially grateful for the Workshop Chairs who played a pivotal role in developing the workshop topics and representing their R&D communities, while envisioning and authoring the six CASA-Bio initiatives. Their leadership and expertise were essential in shaping six actionable and impactful paths to a future bioeconomy. The ideas represented in the initiatives belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of government agencies.

All CASA-Bio events and subsequent discussions were facilitated by an outstanding team at Knowinnovation; we thank them for their professional guidance on designing and implementing productive and enjoyable work environments.

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CASA-Bio is based upon work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Contract No. 49100423P0058. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
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