Bioceb

Bioceb Graduation Day of the Fourth Intake

2025-10-09T11:50:43Z

The fourth Bioceb Graduation Day was held on 19 September 2025 in Reims, France, to celebrate the culmination of a two-year journey!

Hosted in the elegant setting of the Degermann Salon in Reims, this ceremony marked the achievement of the cohort that embarked on their Bioceb adventure in September 2023. After intensive training at partner universities across Europe, the graduates and their loved ones gathered to commemorate their accomplishments.

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The event was organized by the University of Reims Champagne‐Ardenne (URCA)—which welcomed all students for the joint first semester—and AgroParisTech, the coordinating institution. The ceremony wove together recognition, conviviality, and connection, and also gave the newly graduated class the opportunity to meet their predecessors, fostering a spirit of continuity and mentorship.

This graduation was more than an academic milestone: it was a celebration of international bonds, shared projects, and the collective growth of a community. Around 100 participants were present, including graduates and their families, students from previous cohorts, faculty members, administrative staff, and representatives from the consortium and the city of Reims.

To start with, the guests were warmly welcomed at 4 pm by the two ceremony moderators, Stéphanie Baumberger, professor in green chemistry at AgroParisTech and Bioceb coordinator, and Caroline Rémond, professor in biotechnology and Bioceb local coordinator at URCA.

Then, the ceremony proceeded with official speeches delivered by:
– Pr. Christophe Clément, President of University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
– Mrs Patricia Durin, Vice-President in charge of Higher Education and Research Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims

– Pr. Étienne Verrier, Deputy Director General in charge of Academic Affairs and Development, AgroParisTech
– Pr. Eero Kontturi, Professor in Bio-based Materials, Aalto University
– Pr. Fjodor Sergejev, Dean of the School of Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology

Messages of solidarity and humility were conveyed in the speeches, along with acknowledgement of Bioceb's success in being selected by the European Union for a second round.

Several members of the consortium also travelled to Reims. From TalTech: Jaan Kers (professor, polymer sciences), Yevgen Karpichev (Senior Research Scientist, sustainable chemistry) and Fjodor Sergejev. From ULiège: Manon Genva (lecturer, chemistry of natural substances). From Aalto: Eero Kontturi and Ibrahim Abousharabia (PhD student). The URCA delegation included Christophe Clément, Caroline Remond, Marie-Charlotte Belhomme (lecturer in chemistry), and the team from the International Relations Office, including Philippine Henry, Alpin Charbaut, Pascale Cliquot, Priscilla Ebaka —all of whom play pivotal roles in the Bioceb program at URCA. From AgroParisTech, attendees included Étienne Verrier, Stéphanie Baumberger, Jeanne Beyrand (Bioceb projet manager), Ana Karen Sánchez Castañeda (lecturer in microbiology), and Ghislaine Tamisier (intercultural trainer). Likewise, the European Office was represented by Elodie Popenda (Head of European Affairs), Clémence Rotolo, Victoria Tallarita and Ioannis Kogias.

The highlight of the evening came when students were invited, track by track, to the stage to receive their diplomas, and then delivered a speech. Each Bioceb graduate earned multiple national master's degrees. Diploma calls were led by academics associated with each track:
-For Track 1 (“Bioproducts, Green Chemistry, Biomass Engineering” – URCA, TalTech, AgroParisTech), Yevgen Karpichev and Jaan Kers addressed students.

-For Track 2 (“Bioproducts, Green Chemistry, Bioprocesses” – URCA, TalTech, ULiège), Manon Genva offered her congratulations

-For Track 3 (“Bioproducts, Green Chemistry, Materials, Polymers” – URCA, TalTech, Aalto), Eero Kontturi spoke to each student & for track 5 (“Agro-resources, Value-chain Assessment, Materials, Polymers” – URCA, AgroParisTech, Aalto), Marie-Charlotte Belhomme recalled their earliest days at URCA

-For Track 4 (“Agro-resources, Value-chain Assessment, Bioprocesses” – URCA, AgroParisTech, ULiège), Ana Karen Sánchez Castañeda emphasized their scientific drive

One standout moment was the cultural performances by the students themselves—ranging from emotional songs to piano pieces—that reflected the strong cohesion and creative spirit of the cohort. The ceremony closed on a joyful note.

Guests mingled over a delightful buffet while a DJ turned the venue into a dance floor. Laughter, hugs, and warm congratulations filled the air as everyone celebrated the graduates' achievements and welcomed the new cohort beginning their Bioceb journey. Congratulations to the 4th cohort!

All the pictures are available here: https://jdieppedalle.wixstudio.com/bioceb-2025

Bioceb Graduation Day of the third intake

2024-09-23T14:40:42Z

The third Bioceb Graduation Day took place on September 13th 2024!

The third cohort's students celebrated their graduation in the elegant setting of the Degermann Salon in Reims. After two years of intensive training across several European universities, the students, who began their journey in September 2022, gathered with their families and friends to share this unforgettable moment.

Organized by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, which hosted the students for their common first semester of the master's program, and by AgroParisTech as coordinator, the ceremony was marked by moments of emotion, recognition, and sharing. It also gave the new members of the 2024 cohort the opportunity to meet their predecessors, creating a space for exchange and intergenerational learning.

This graduation ceremony was not only a chance to celebrate academic success, but also to highlight the the connections forged throughout this international adventure. The graduates are now ready to bring their expertise and to contribute to innovative projects around the world.

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Around 130 attendees gathered for the ceremony, including graduates with their families, students from the first, fourth, and fifth cohorts, along with faculty members, the Bioceb administrative staff, and representatives from both the consortium and the city of Reims.

TalTech and ULiège honoured the assembly with the presence of a total of five members who made the trip to Reims: Jaan Kers, professor in polymer sciences, and Yevgen Karpichev, Senior Research Scientist in sustainable chemistry, as Bioceb consortium's representatives of TalTech, Fjodor Sergejev, TalTech Dean of the School of Engineering, along with Manon Genva, lecturer in chemistry of natural substance, and Quentin de Roover, doctoral candidate, both from ULiège.

Besides Caroline Rémond, the participants from URCA included Christophe Clément, President of the University, and Marie-Charlotte Belhomme, lecturer in chemistry. Also present was the entire International Relations Office, with Philippine Henry (Director), Alpin Charbaut (Deputy Director and primary event organizer), but also Pascale Cliquot, Priscilla Ebaka, Romane Genon who are highly involved in Bioceb student affairs at URCA.

AgroParisTech was represented by Étienne Verrier, Deputy Director General responsible for Academic Affairs and Development. Were also present Jeanne Beyrand as Bioceb manager, Ana Karen Sánchez Castañeda, lecturer in microbiology, and Ghislaine Tamisier, intercultural trainer. The European Office was represented by Elodie Popenda (Head of European Affairs), Clémence Rotolo, Isabelle Laissy, and Léona Canno.

After the introduction of the ceremony, it was time for official speeches delivered by:
– Christophe CLEMENT, President of University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
– Patricia DURIN, Vice President in charge of higher education at Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims
– Dimitri OUDIN, Deputy Mayor in charge of International Relations at Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims
– Mounya TAGGAE, City councillor in charge of student's life at Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims
– Etienne VERRIER, Deputy Director General in charge of Academic Affairs and Development at AgroParisTech
– Fjodor SERGEJEV, Dean of the School of Engineering at Tallinn University of Technology

During the speeches, Fjodor Sergjev emphasized the crucial role of training young researchers in strategic fields such as bioeconomy and encouraged the graduates to become influential players in this essential sector to meet contemporary challenges, such as the global rise of bioeconomy.

Then, the moment finally arrived for the students to showcase their artistic talents! They had the honour of delighting the audience with a variety of musical performances, ranging from passionately performed songs to expertly played piano pieces. It was a moment of pure joy and sincere emotion to see them shine on stage. These performances not only celebrated their artistic skills but also demonstrated the remarkable cohesion and collective pride of this cohort of students.

Before handing out their diplomas to the graduates, Stéphanie Baumberger and Caroline Rémond played a ping-pong game aiming at qualifying Cohort 3 through a few words. The first word chosen was “competitiveness”: the students of this cohort demonstrated this trait by winning first place at the BISC-E finals in October 2023 and receiving two awards for two posters at the EBU Scientific Forum in Vienna in September 2023. The second word was “artistic” as they showed on stage and throughout these two years that they enjoy dancing, playing the piano, singing together, and engaging in theatre. Another word chosen was “committed”; indeed, they demonstrated notable commitment through various high-profile engagements. For instance, they actively participated in the Bioeconomy Changemakers Festival in Brussels in 2024, and one of their peers spoke at the World Food Forum held at the FAO headquarters in Rome in 2023. Additionally, they were involved in Track 1 of the World Café brainstorming sessions focused on ecological transition during the Biosphera Scientific Days in Paris in 2023. Finally, they were described as “lovely” but also as very good eaters, as the students enjoyed gathering around good meals to chat and love cooking.

The highlight of the evening was the long-awaited moment when students were called to the stage, according to their track, to receive their diplomas.
Each successful Bioceb student obtain a triple degree composed of the National Master Degree certificate of each university of his/her track:
– Master in Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), study track Biomass Engineering for Bioeconomy (BEB), delivered by the Université Paris-Saclay (UPSaclay), operated by AgroParisTech;
– Master of Science (Technology), delivered by the Aalto University;
– Master of Science in Engineering, delivered by Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia;
– Master: Bioingénieur en chimie et bioindustries, à finalité (Master in Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries), delivered by the University of Liège (ULiège);
– Master in Biology AgroSciences (BAS), delivered by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA).

Students from Track 1 “Bioproducts, green chemistry, biomass engineering” (URCA, TalTech, AgroParisTech) were called on stage by their TalTech Semester 2 teacher Yevgen Karpichev who evoked key moments they had in Estonia, such as the summer school:

Students from Track 2 “Bioproducts, green chemistry, bioprocesses” (URCA, TalTech, ULiège) were called on stage by their ULiège Semester 3 teacher Manon Genva who sincerely congratulated them for their success:

Students from Track 3 “Bioproducts, green chemistry, materials, polymers” (URCA, TalTech, Aalto) were called on stage by their TalTech Semester 2 teacher Jaan Kers who said a few personalized words on each student:

Students from Track 4 “Agro-resources, value-chain assessment, bioprocesses” (URCA, AgroParisTech, ULiège) were called on stage by their AgroParisTech Semester 2 teacher Ana Karen Sánchez Castañeda who warmly emphasized the dynamism of the students during their Green Line Project experimental work:

Students from Track 5 “Agro-resources, value-chain assessment, materials, polymers” (URCA, AgroParisTech, Aalto) were called on stage by their URCA Semester 1 teacher Marie-Charlotte Belhomme who remembered them the times of their very first organic chemistry lessons at URCA:

The graduation ceremony was marked by touching reunions and shared moments of joy. Students, their families, as well as partners and administrative staff, had the chance to celebrate together during a memorable evening.

A delightful buffet pleased the guests, while the music provided by the DJ turned the venue into a real dance floor. The festive atmosphere allowed everyone to celebrate successes and enjoy themselves in a lively and convivial setting.

Mix of students from cohort 1, 3, 4 and 5!

Congratulations to all the graduates, and a warm welcome to the new cohort, who is embarking on this exciting journey full of challenges and opportunities!

All the pictures are available here: https://jdieppedalle.wixstudio.io/bioceb-2

Bioceb Graduation Day of the second intake

2023-09-26T17:00:15Z

The second Bioceb Graduation Day took place on September 15th 2023!

It's already over! The second cohort of Bioceb students graduated in the magnificent Salle des Fêtes at Reims City Hall. After two intensive years studying throughout Europe, the students, who started their studies in September 2021, got together with their families to celebrate.

This unique day in the life of a student was organised by University of Reims Champagne-Ardennes, where all the students spent the first common semester of the master's programme, and where the new cohort has just started: a great opportunity for inter-cohort exchanges!

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On the day of the ceremony, about 150 guests were present: the graduates and their families, students from the first, third and fourth cohorts, teachers and Bioceb administrative team, as well as representatives from the consortium and the city of Reims.

TalTech honoured the assembly with the presence of four members who made the trip to Reims: Prof. Jaan Kers and Prof. Yevgen Karpichev, as Bioceb consortium's representatives of TalTech, Prof. Tiit Lukk, as Vice-Rector for Research at Tallinn University of Technology, and Kärt Kängsepp, as organiser of the summer school.

URCA's participants were Prof. Essaid Ait-Barka, as Vice-President in charge of international relations, Prof. Caroline Rémond, as Bioceb consortium's representative for URCA, Marie-Charlotte Belhomme, as lecturer in organic chemistry strongly involved in the first semester, and the entire Office of International Affairs, including Philippine Henry (Director) and Alpin Charbaut (Deputy Director and main organiser of the event).

AgroParisTech was represented by Prof. Etienne Verrier, as Deputy Director General in charge of Academic Affairs and Development, Prof. Stéphanie Baumberger and Jeanne Beyrand, as, respectively, Bioceb coordinator and manager. Members of the European Office were also present: Elodie Popenda (Head of European Affairs) Clémence Rotolo and Maëlle Bodiguel.

The guests were warmly welcomed at 4pm by the two moderators of the ceremony: Prof. Stéphanie Baumberger et Prof. Caroline Rémond.

Then, they attended the official speeches delivered by:

Mr. Dimitri Oudin, Deputy Mayor in charge of International Relations for the City of Reims;
Prof. Essaid Ait-Barka, Vice-President in charge of International Relations at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne;
Prof. Etienne Verrier, Deputy Director General in charge of Academic Affairs and Development at AgroParisTech;
Prof. Tiit Lukk, Vice-Rector for Research at Tallinn University of Technology.

Each of the speakers underlined the immense honour of welcoming such a diversity of excellent international students to Reims, a priority for the city of Reims and for each stakeholder. Bioceb's roots in the region contribute to its reputation in the field of the bioeconomy. Prof. Tiit Luuk particularly highlighted the importance of training young researchers in areas as important as the bioeconomy to face current challenges. He strongly suggested that they become key players in this field.

Then came the long-awaited moment when the students were called on stage track by track to receive their diplomas.

The study tracks are major structuring elements of Bioceb which ensure the pedagogical consistency of the students' curricula and contribute to the jointness of the consortium. The students choose their study track when they apply to the Bioceb programme and spend all the three first semesters with the classmates of the same track, which settles strong links between them.
Each successful Bioceb student obtain a triple degree composed of the National Master Degree certificate of each university of his/her track:
– Master in Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), study track Biomass Engineering for Bioeconomy (BEB), delivered by the Université Paris-Saclay (UPSaclay), operated by AgroParisTech;
– Master of Science (Technology), delivered by the Aalto University;
– Master of Science in Engineering, delivered by Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia;
– Master: Bioingénieur en chimie et bioindustries, à finalité (Master in Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries), delivered by the University of Liège (ULiège);
– Master in Biology AgroSciences (BAS), delivered by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA).

For Track 1: Bioproducts, green chemistry, biomass engineering (URCA, TalTech, AgroParisTech), Marie-Charlotte Belhomme delivered a short speech while welcoming the students on stage:

José Gustavo VARONA GARCIA, Martin Alejandro TERAN VELASTEGUI, George William SSENDAGALA, Bernadette LEE JIA RONG, Ariyan AMIRIFAR, Belén FERNANDEZ DE CALEYA RAMIRO and Dania MUHIEDDINE ORFALI (who could not be there).

For Track 2: Bioproducts, green chemistry, bioprocesses (URCA, TalTech, ULiège), it's Yevgen Karpichev who introduced the soon to be graduated students:

Naresh Peter Basil RODRIGO, Erandy CORREA GUILLEN, Uswaththa Liyanage Marian Sureshi
Manthila PERERA and Ignacio Francisco LOPEZ MUNOS.

As for Track 3: Bioproducts, green chemistry, materials, polymers (URCA, TalTech, Aalto), Jaan Kers had the pleasure to call on stage the following students:

Glen PAULS, Elijah Mark GARCIA, Willow Nadine DEW, MB Devi MARHENDRASWARI and Mariana MOLINA RESENDIZ.

Caroline Rémond then asked the students from Track 4: Agro-resources, value-chain assessment, bioprocesses (URCA, AgroParisTech, ULiège) to come pick up their diplomas:

Ephraim Edem Amoah AKPARI, Laura Irieri TORRES ARELLANO, Ruxandra TOMA, Mohammad SALIKANDI, Mohamad KHALIFEH and Paul Eduardo LUGO RODRIGUEZ.

Last but not least, Jeanne Beyrand (project manager of Bioceb) called the students from Track 5: Agro-resources, value-chain assessment, materials, polymers (URCA, AgroParisTech, Aalto) on stage:

Anusha BHAT and Celia MARIN COLLADO.

Many photos of the students during their stays in each country were shown during the graduation ceremony and the speeches, which was a very moving moment.

Congratulations to all our graduates!

Once the group photos had been taken, the guests enjoyed a cocktail while a DJ played music.

Cocktail ceremony

Bioceb students Cohort 4

The next day, to close these two years on a high note, the graduating students and their families were invited to the "Au Bureau Reims Cathédrale" restaurant, so they could leave France with some lovely memories.

See you next year!

More pictures of the Ceremony

Bioceb Graduation Days of the first intake

2022-10-24T11:00:20Z

The first Bioceb Graduation Days took place on September 2nd and September 3rd 2022!

After two intensive years spent in at least two different countries, the first intake's students of Bioceb finally lived the long-awaited moment of their graduation. They had started the master programme in September 2020, during the difficult period of the covid sanitary crisis, and had to experiment the very first year of implementation of this joint undertaking.

The Graduation Days were hosted and organised by University of Reims Champagne-Ardennes, where all the students spent the first joint-semester of the Bioceb master programme. Therefore, the return to Reims, where they started Bioceb, was highly symbolic for the students! For the newly recruited third intake, the Graduation Days were a unique opportunity to meet their elders and to propel themselves into their two Bioceb years to come.

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Friday 2nd September: Official Ceremony – Reims City Hall

To start the ceremony, the graduate students attended a participative workshop “Jazz and management” hosted by the band "Didier Burgaud Swing Orchestra". It was the opportunity for them to be reunited again through an entertaining musical activity while learning useful management skills.

The official ceremony then started at 6 pm, with no less than 100 participants. Among the guests were friends and family members of the graduate students, students of the third intake, Bioceb teachers and administrative staff, as well as official representatives of the consortium, of Reims city and of its region.

Several members of the Bioceb Board made the trip to Reims to attend this key moment of Bioceb project's life: Jaan Kers and Yevgen Karpichev from TalTech, Anja Hänninen from Aalto, Sophie Landaud from AgroParisTech, Aurore Richel from ULiège, and of course Caroline Rémond and Philippine Henry from URCA. It had been a long time since that many members of the Bioceb Board were reunited!

Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, Stéphanie Baumberger, Bioceb coordinator, and Jeanne Beyrand, Bioceb project manager, could not attend the ceremony. Other members of URCA, ULiège and AgroParisTech were also part of the guests, among which Sandra Domenek, the coordinator of the Bioceb “Green Line Project” module.

Pr. Sophie Landaud (Professor in Microbiology, INRAE AgroParisTech) and Pr. Caroline Rémond (Professor in Biotechnology, Bioceb local coordinator, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne) hosted the ceremony and introduced the speeches of the official representatives:

– Mr. Dimitri Oudin, Deputy Mayor of the city of Reims in charge of international Events;

– Mrs. Patricia Durin, Vice President in charge of higher education, Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims;

– Mrs. Mounya Taggae, Deputy Mayor in charge of student life, Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims;

– Pr. Fjodor Sergejev, Dean of the School of Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech);

– Mrs. Marine Godaux, Director of European & International Relations, AgroParisTech;

– Pr. Christophe Clément, Vice President for Research, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne.

The impacts of welcoming such a diversity of excellent students in Reims were underlined. Indeed, welcoming international students is a priority of Reims, and the anchoring of Bioceb in the region contributes to its reputation as territory of innovation in the field of Bioeconomy. A special thank was given to Pr. Stéphanie Baumberger, Bioceb coordinator, for her ambition and her dedication in the Bioceb project, which materialised with the launching of the first intake in September 2020 despite the covid-19 crisis.

The successive project managers, Chiara Penon, Adam Garnell and Jeanne Beyrand were also thanked for the implementation and follow-up of the project.

After the speeches, the graduate students were called on stage by study-tracks:
– Track 1: Bioproducts, green chemistry, biomass engineering (URCA, TalTech, AgroParisTech)
– Track 2: Bioproducts, green chemistry, bioprocesses (URCA, TalTech, ULiège)
– Track 3: Bioproducts, green chemistry, materials, polymers (URCA, TalTech, Aalto)
– Track 4: Agro-resources, value-chain assessment, bioprocesses (URCA, AgroParisTech, ULiège)
– Track 5: Agro-resources, value-chain assessment, materials, polymers (URCA, AgroParisTech, Aalto)

The study-tracks are major structuring elements of Bioceb which ensure the pedagogical consistency of the students' curricula and contribute to the jointness of the consortium. The students choose their study track when they apply to the Bioceb programme and spend all the three first semesters with the classmates of the same track, which settles strong links between them.

Jaan Kers, Yevgen Karpichev for TalTech, Anja Hänninen for Aalto and Aurore Richel for ULiège delivered short speeches while welcoming the students on stage.

For each track, a speech was made by the students, who shared with the audience their experience of the past 2 years.

– Track 1: Maria AGATHI, Amanda AMADOR-PRACHE, Ivan CITAKOVIC, Elena LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ, Esteban LÓPEZ TAVERA, Felipe MEJIA Otalvaro, Tommaso TAGLIANI, Berihu Gebretsadkan TEKLU

– Track 2: Khaled AL-SHWAFY, Mearg Alem AREGAWI, Muhammad Siddiq TARIQ, Adithya Raveendran THOTTATHIL, Veshal VENKAT

– Track 3: Mohammadhossein HAVAEI, Hadiqa JAVAID, Yasmini PORTES ABRAHAM SILVA, Jialin SHE

– Track 4: Pranita Shankar Rao DASI, Diana Maria GARCIA VALENCIA, Tommaso GRASSI

– Track 5: Juan Diego CARVAJALINO OLAVE, Amna GUL

The students received their diplomas and/or official documents from the consortium.

Each successful Bioceb student obtain a triple degree composed of the National Master Degree certificate of each university of his/her track:
– Master in Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), study track Biomass Engineering for Bioeconomy (BEB), delivered by the Université Paris-Saclay (UPSaclay), operated by AgroParisTech;
– Master of Science (Technology), delivered by the Aalto University;
– Master of Science in Engineering, delivered by Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia;
– Master: Bioingénieur en chimie et bioindustries, à finalité (Master in Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries), delivered by the University of Liège (ULiège);
– Master in Biology AgroSciences (BAS), delivered by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA).

After this solemn and emotional sequence, everyone could enjoy a cocktail, while attending a musical entertainment played by the local band “Les vieux des boules”. It was a festive moment during which guests from all over the world, students, and teachers, enjoyed themselves, danced and tasted local drinks together! All the participants were happy and moved by the beautiful ceremony.

Video of the Graduation Ceremony:

Saturday 3rd September: Green Line Project pitch session, science popularization - Châlons-en-Champagne Fair

On September 3rd, the students from intake 1 and intake 3 had the opportunity to visit the Châlons-en-Champagne Agricultural Fair, and especially the Bioeconomy village.

The Châlons-en-Champagne Agriculture Fair is the second largest agriculture event in France and a strategic event for URCA and the Champagne-Ardenne Region. Furthermore, this year for the first time, a Bioeconomy village was held within the Fair, co-organised by URCA, the Grand Est Region and the Wallonia Region (Belgium).

All along the first 3 semesters of their track, the students carry-out in groups a joint transversal project in the framework of the “Green Line project” (GLP) module. Each group's project corresponds to a research and innovation topic proposed by the Consortium and in some case by associated partners.

The jury was composed of:
– Caroline Rémond: Professor in Biotechnology, Bioceb local coordinator, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne;
– Franck Mode: Bioeconomy and research project manager, Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims, Representative of Bioceconomy For Change;
– Stéphanie Clément: Head of Communication, Bioeconomy For Change;
– Sandra Domenek: Professor, AgroParisTech ;
– Yevgen Karpichev: Senior Researcher, TalTech University.

The students had the chance to count in the audience several guests of honors:
– Mrs. Hélène Lacroix, Head of development AEBB Center (Center of research in agrosciences, environement, biotechnology and bioeconomy);
– Mr. Christophe Clément, Reasearch Vice-Président in URCA;
– Mr. Essaid Ait-Barka, Deputy Vice President of international relations in URCA;
– Mr. Laurent Buisson, Dean and Executive Director of AgroParisTech;
– Mr. Florent Allais, Director of URD ABI, AgroParisTech.

The presented projects were:

– GLP1 - Interaction between biomass selection and pretreatment for the production of value-added substances or energy;
Co-supervised by AgroParisTech, URCA, TalTech, and ULiège;
Presented Ivan CITAKOVIC.

– GLP2 - From lignin originating (poly-)phenols extracted by bio-based solvents towards eco-friendly solutions for plant health;
Co-supervised by AgroParisTech and TalTech;
Presented by Amanda AMADOR-PRACHE and Elena LÓPEZ RODRÍGUEZ

– GLP3 - Valuation of lignin through green processes towards active ingredients of kerosene;
Co-supervised by ULiège, URCA and TalTech;
Presented by Adithya Raveendran THOTTATHIL.

– GLP 4 - Reactive extrusion for transesterification of cellulose in ionic liquids
Co-supervised by AgroParisTech, TalTech and Aalto;
Presented by Yasmini PORTES ABRAHAM SILVA.

The first prize was awarded to GLP 2 with the jury's comment “We appreciated the very original idea of using phenolic extracts for plant health and the very lively presentation of the pitch showing enthusiasm of the graduates and technological understanding.”

GLP 3 and 4 were both awarded the second prize with the jury's comment “We appreciated the originality of the uses of lignin in energetic applications and the high technical level of the presentation.”

GLP 1 received the third prize with the jury's comment “We appreciated the high scientific quality of the project and the detailed presentation.”

The pitch session was also the opportunity for the students to meet actors of the Bioeconomy industry, and for the Bioceb programme to be better known in the Reims region and in the Bioeconomy sector.
Many thanks to all the persons involved in the first Graduation Days!

More pictures of the Graduation Days here (pictures of the Graduation Ceremony by Feng Shang Hatat).