{"388361":{"#nid":"388361","#data":{"type":"news","title":"RBI hosts record number at annual conference","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EATLANTA (March 17, 2015) \u2014 More than 100 top researchers and industry leaders converged on Georgia Tech\u2019s campus last week to discuss ways to build on the Renewable Bioproducts Institute\u2019s core capabilities in processing wood to pulp and paper and to find ways of further collaboration as it expands into the broader areas of bioprocesses and bioproducts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe annual spring meeting, entitled \u201cDeveloping and Advancing Opportunities in the Bioeconomy,\u201d was held March 10-11.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThirteen member company representatives \u2013 11 new to RBI \u2013 participated in three tracks moderated by leading experts in their fields of research, which featured faculty presentations on research directions and opportunities in key strategic areas--\u201cCatalytic Advances in Biochemical Production,\u201d \u201cBiocomposites and Nanocellulose\u201d and \u201cOperational Excellence in Advanced Paper and Packaging.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is also a real sense of excitement on the part of the companies, our faculty, and our affiliates,\u201d said Norman Marsolan, executive director of RBI. \u201cThere was a tremendous amount of discussion surrounding the partnerships and collaboration that can take place in these innovative areas of research. We have pledged to develop RBI into a valued partner to companies advancing the evolving bioeconomy. Our objectives for the conference were to share and receive information, and identify areas of mutual interest. Moving forward, we will move aggressively to seek out these partnerships and make them a reality.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe dialogue produced a list of research areas of particular interest to the group, including advanced separations technologies; advanced catalysis processes; mechanisms of formation\/assembly of biocomposites and polymers; and advanced fibers for textiles, electronics and filaments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERBI \u2013 and Georgia Tech itself \u2013 serves as a portal for companies to find research that matching their needs in business. These partnerships are critical in today\u2019s world of shrinking internal research and development funding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are a small company with limited resources, so leveraging Georgia Tech in these bio-based chemistry focus areas will help us extend our reach,\u201d said Ray Miller, chief business officer of Verdezyne, an industrial biotechnology company based in Carlsbad, CA. \u201cIt is important to create partnerships all along the value chain\u2014no one can do this alone.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the true potential of these partnerships can only be realized when there is a bridge between research and real-world application, according to Ben Wang, executive director of Georgia Tech\u2019s Manufacturing Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Valley of Death can be understood as a broken value-chain between academia and industry. Our advanced manufacturing partnership capabilities are building a bridge across that valley,\u201d Dr Wang observed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMarsolan believes RBI can serve as that bridge, and through these open dialogues, can remove the limits of what companies can achieve.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are sharpening the line of sight from your imagination to your company\u2019s success,\u201d he told the audience. \u201cOur role is to lift the confines of going it alone and serve as your partner, leveraging the premier resources through Georgia Tech and some of the greatest minds in our field.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;For more information, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rbi.gatech.edu\/conference\/2015\/about\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.rbi.gatech.edu.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Meeting brings together researchers, company execs to discuss bioeconomy"}],"uid":"28159","created_gmt":"2015-03-18 12:57:06","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:54","author":"Kelly Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"388391":{"id":"388391","type":"image","title":"RBI executive conference-group","body":null,"created":"1449246288","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:48","changed":"1475894403","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:03","alt":"RBI executive conference-group","file":{"fid":"75473","name":"dsc_0022.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0022.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0022.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4284122,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0022.jpg?itok=i-EpihpI"}},"388441":{"id":"388441","type":"image","title":"Marsolan, Norman RBI 2015","body":null,"created":"1449246288","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:48","changed":"1475894403","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:03","alt":"Marsolan, Norman RBI 2015","file":{"fid":"75477","name":"dsc_0107.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0107.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0107.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5151436,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0107.jpg?itok=tksD6TXP"}},"388471":{"id":"388471","type":"image","title":"RBI exec conference, poster session","body":null,"created":"1449246288","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:48","changed":"1475894349","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:09","alt":"RBI exec conference, poster session","file":{"fid":"75479","name":"dsc_0184.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0184.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0184.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5030999,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0184.jpg?itok=ydRVgPx_"}},"388461":{"id":"388461","type":"image","title":"Wang, Ben RBI 2015 exec conference","body":null,"created":"1449246288","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:48","changed":"1475894403","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:03","alt":"Wang, Ben RBI 2015 exec conference","file":{"fid":"75478","name":"dsc_0229.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0229.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0229.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4435249,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0229.jpg?itok=5pxb2mCa"}}},"media_ids":["388391","388441","388471","388461"],"groups":[{"id":"372221","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"118561","name":"bioeconomy"},{"id":"93801","name":"bioproducts"},{"id":"2106","name":"Paper"},{"id":"4174","name":"renewable"},{"id":"365","name":"Research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKelly Smith, Marketing \u0026amp; Communications, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kelly.smith@rbi.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ekelly.smith@rbi.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["Kelly.smith@rbi.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}