The ScanBalt Environmental Network – Report

Bio-technology and Environment.
ScanBalt and Øresund Environment Academy / Øresund Science Region has in collaboration launched a new network within the network of networks. The new network is lead by Øresund Environment Academy and is going to focus on multidisciplinary projects on Bio-technology and Environment. The first project within the new network was launched at the 3rd ScanBalt Forum in Turku, Finland.

The Øresund Region and the network
The field of environmental biotechnology is new to the ScanBalt network as a specific topic. Øresund Environment Academy have an interest in promoting and developing the area of Environmental Biotechnology taking into consideartion the highly skilled researchers working on many different topics at universities and companies in all of the Scandinavian/Baltic region. We hope to strengthen and facilitate the development of new research projects.

The new network is launched to support ongoing local research by establishing new research projects on issues that are common to ScanBalt Region. The network is based on research areas that are strong or of particular interest to the research institutions around the Øresund. Although institutions around the Baltic Sea are already included in the first project of the network: The Bio-fuels and bio-ethanol network.

Bio-fuels and bio-ethanol
The first project of the new network on Bio-technology and Environment focus on Bio-fuels and more specifically Bio-ethanol. Bio-ethanol is at the moment regarded as one of the fuel technologies of tomorrow. It has several environmental advantages. Firstly, it is virtually CO2 neutral if produced correctly and can be used as an additive in Gasoline or even as a total replacement of Gasoline. In other words, it can be used in the engines of the existing car pool. Furthermore the Bio-ethanol can be produced from agricultural waste materials and waste from forestry. Research is carried out in all of the ScanBalt Region on the processes of producing Bio-ethanol from these materials and especially to make it feasible compared to using Gasoline. The European Union have adopted a directive on the promotion of use of biofuels and renewable fuels for transport. In the directive Bio-ethanol is mentioned as a specific fuel that should be taken into consideration. The directive also emphasises that at least 5,75 % of liquid fuels for transport must be bio-fuels by 2010.

The Bio-Ethanol project
In the Øresund Region and around the Baltic Sea, research on Bio-ethanol is already an established research area. A wide range of research institutions and researches already involved in bio-ethanol research provides a broad foundation for a Scandinavian/Baltic network.

The Bio-ethanol project has been established based on these already existing research groups around the ScanBalt region . The project was presented at the 3rd ScanBalt Forum in Turku, Finland and includes at the moment researchers and national experts from the DTU, KVL and Risø in Denmark; Lund University in Sweden; VTT in Finland and Riga University in Latvia. There are ongoing discussions with partners from the remaining ScanBalt Region to be involved.

The objectives of the network is to look at the possibilities of establishing a common research project with a matching educational program during 2004/2005. The network has already made an outline of ideas for its first common project and at meeting in Finland during the ScanBalt Forum it was decided to make a draft proposal for the project.
The Bio-ethanol project hope that it will be able to present its first project during the beginning of 2005.

Biotechnology and Environment – new network or project ideas
As stated above, the new network on Biotechnology and Environment has just recently been launched. Nonetheless several ideas for other projects or network within the field of Environmental Biotechnology has been suggested and will be looked into over the coming months.
Øresund Environment Academy and ScanBalt would like to welcome any thoughts or ideas for interesting projects that would fit into the network. Please feel free to contact us with both formal and informal suggestions.

For further information please contact:

Project Manager Jacob Juul, Øresund Environment Academy.
phone + 45 3532 4082