1. Chairman. MIRRI Advisory Board ESRC Genomics Forum
MIRRI Kick-Off Braunschweig 27 November MIRRI – A Rising Sun for Europe’s Bioeconomy…
Iain Gillespie
Chairman. MIRRI Advisory Board
ESRC Genomics Forum
University of Edinburgh

2. World population in 2030
Source: Salim Sawaya, based on medium variant of the UN Population Division’s “World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision Population Database”

3. Infectious diseases globally

4. Projected Global Temperature Change

5. Strong economic downturn
Annualised quarter on quarter growth in world trade (%)
Source: OECD. 5

6. The Bioeconomy
“..harnessing the latent value in biological systems..”

7. Networking of science
1998
2008
Source: OECD (2010) Measuring Innovation: A New Perspective

8. International collaboration in science and innovation (2007-2009)

9. Between Businesses… numbers of co-owned patents
Co-ownership of
Innovation is growing
Between Businesses… numbers of co-owned patents 9

10. Modern technologies are the sum of many parts

11. Challenges Remain…
“Latent value” depends on access to biological resources and data – which can be geographically but not economically sticky
Duplication is rife (and expensive)
Expertise is asymmetric
A common knowledge network/ market infrastructure is lacking (at least in the microbial world).

12. MIRRI - A Dynamic, customer-focused infrastructure at the heart of the bioeconomy..
MIRRI is a concerted push within Europe, supported by ESFRI and Member States, to harness the latent value in microbial biodiversity through its exploitation in the growing global bioeconomy. At the core of this push is the creation of a major new infrastructure.

13. Goals (1)
Microorganisms used in value creation, as well as the data associated with them
are properly characterised
are of a quality that can be relied upon,
are exploited in such a way that delivers fair returns transparently to the places from which they originate.

14. Goals (2) Got right, this effort will help
underpin European jobs and economic growth through a more efficient bioindustry.
better understand and exchange knowledge on microbial biodiversity, including its taxonomic roots.
raise the quality of microbial science and ensure reproducibility of data and better knowledge diffusion and creation.

15. By Networking… MIRRI will:
bring together centres across Europe to exchange expertise and share the burden of knowledge creation;
build links internationally with infrastructure efforts;
help spread the financial burden of the global research effort.

16. By Delivering Tangible benefit…
Spread the network and cooperation in the bioeconomy, distributing costs and benefits.
Improve the quality and reproducibility of microbial science;
Ensure delivery of a high quality resource and dependable data;
Ensure capture of value and benefit to places of origin;
Provide sustained microbial diversity services;

17. By building strong demand-side pull…
MIRRI needs to:
involve stakeholders (customers!) in the design and governance of that infrastructure to ensure that MIRRI delivers added value.
MIRRI must involve ministries and science funding organisations from partner countries as it progresses so that critical requirements and problems can be internalised in project design from the start and throughout.  

18. IDENTIFICATION of NEED
The Innovation cycle
Match innovation and market needs
IDENTIFICATION of NEED
Connectivity
&
Interoperability
DIFFUSION (DEMAND)
DISCOVERY
DEVELOPMENT
COMMERCIALISATION/ DELIVERY

19. The Preparatory Phase:
Technology offering and requirements;
operational strategy and service offerings (including sustaining expertise);
Reach, inclusiveness and open science paradigm;
Legal, financial, governance and management framework for the network;
business plan to deliver and ensure longer term infrastructure sustainability.

20. What is at the core of the MIRRI approach
MIRRI translates rhetoric into practice in a global bioeconomy...
OECD
Biological Resource
Centres (BRC)
EMBARC
CABRI
MIRRI

21. Key Messages Forward looking in service provision; Inclusive and open;
High quality and rapid access;
One stop shop/ clearing house;
Deliver expertise at the cutting edge;
Ramp up capacity;
Nail the economic case;
Keep at the cutting edge of the bioeconomy – anticipate, meet (and drive) demand.

22. A Rising Sun for Europe’s Bioeconomy