Biotech innovations and sustainability: the green transformation of the chemical industry 

Elke presents opportunities and challenges of precision fermentation in producing food and feed ingredients, alternative proteins, enzymes, biologicals, and chemical compounds. Not only does the keynote cover regulatory requirements and political drivers, Elke also speaks about the necessary need of shifting mindsets to make it happen. You will understand the huge potential and impact of precision fermentation and biotechnology on our lives and on climate-change mitigation - now and in the future.  

You will be inspired to embrace biotechnology and its benefits, and to make a difference: creating new business, proving sustainable solutions, and shaping the future by technology. Elke is successfully pushing for innovation-friendly regulatory frameworks for putting biotech products onto the market globally. She will also help you to make the right choices regarding due diligence, R&D, upscaling, and marketing for developing and placing highly regulated biotech products timely and successfully on the market. And to have the support of a highly experienced and motivated network of exceptionally talented experts.

Dr. Elke Duwenig is an inspiring senior expert, skilled in biotechnology and innovation on agricultural and life science challenges, with a passion for sustainable solutions. She is currently active in Regulatory and Government Affairs for Human Nutrition, Animal Nutrition, Enzymes, Flavour, and Pharma products at Nutrition & Health, BASF SE. She was also an expert lead in the Corporate Renewable Raw Material Roadmap at BASF. Elke gives expert guidance for strategies and roadmaps as well as for R&D projects and sales products. She is strongly engaged in legislation and authority work to safeguard biotech products and opening markets together with EuropaBio, EU SFI, FEFANA, AMFEP, and other trade associations and think tanks like BIC, ILSI, and AFSI, both in the EU and globally.

Elke studied biology and chemistry at the University of Münster, Germany, and Stanford University, USA. She graduated and completed her doctorate in molecular plant physiology at the Institute for Gene-Biological Research (Institut für genbiologische Forschung) IGF, Berlin, and did two postdocs at the Max-Planck Institute in Golm and the University of Freiburg, Germany, before joining BASF.