Cutting Edge Bio-Innovators' Workshop takes Nature' s Lead

5 April 2008

The Director of the Centre for Sustainable Design at the University for the Creative Arts, Martin Charter, is to chair a unique Bio-Innovators' Workshop at the University of Reading on Monday 7 April.

The day-long workshop will bring together a number of leading thinkers, practioners and entrepreneurs in bio-based innovation and biomimetics. Industry experts will deliver a wide range of presentations, offering unique access to both new concepts and ideas and exclusive networking opportunities in the field.

In the implementation of bio-based innovation, man has much to learn from the natural world. Nature has 3.8 billion years of research and development in eco-innovation - solving many problems with which human designers and engineers still struggle.

Humans mimic nature in the products we build and the systems we implement and Biomimicry is a key mechanism to enable the appropriation and adaption of natural science.

The European Commission has recently highlighted bio-based products - alongside three other green areas - sustainable construction, recycling and renewable technologies - within its newly announced Lead Markets Initiative.

The Commission now aims to use policy measures to help stimulate eco-innovations in the design, research and development sectors.

The Bio-Innovation Workshop will explore biomimetic applications, patents and materials and also builds upon previous events exploring eco-innovation, sustainable building technologies, energy harvesting, low carbon and resourceful innovators (see cfsd.org.uk/eco-i-net/index.html).

Speakers include: Martin Charter,The Centre for Sustainable Design, (University for the Creative Arts); Professor George Jeronimidis, Director, Centre for Biomimetics, (University of Reading); Lars Uno Larsson, Founder and President, Swedish Biomimetics 3000; Dr Alex Parfitt, Senior Scientist, Advanced Technology Centre (ATC), (BAE Systems); Dr David P. Knight, Co-founder, Director and Chief Scientific Officer, Oxford Biomaterials Ltd and Dr Richard Bonser, Lecturer in Biomimetics, Centre for Biomimetics, (University of Reading).

For further details and to book please visit  cfsd.org.uk/eco-innovation_workshops .

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Notes for editors

• The Centre for Sustainable Design facilitates discussion and research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service development. This is achieved through training, workshops, conferences, research, consultancy, publications, and the Internet. The Centre also acts as an information clearing house and a focus for innovative thinking on sustainable products and services. The Centre is an internationally recognised centre of excellence. The Centre for Sustainable Design is an initiative of the University for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester
• The Bio-Innovation Workshop is co-organised by eco-i net and BIONIS with support from CIWEM

For further press information please contact: Media Relations Office