WILMINGTON, N.C., Oct. 7, 2015 – BioMarine, the international investment platform dedicated to the development of marine bio-resources, has announced the final program of events for the 2015 BioMarine Business Convention to be held in Wilmington Oct. 12-14. The focus of this year’s sixth annual convention – held in the United States for the first time – is to discuss sustainable ocean harvesting and solutions to address the imminent shortage of protein. Today, vegetable protein from microalgae and seaweed extract feeds not only the aquaculture industry, but also the poultry, pork and cattle industries.

International business leaders and government officials are scheduled to attend the convention, held through a partnership with the NCBiotech Southeastern office and the Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation (MBCOI). International representation from 16 countries throughout the world – the United States, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Norway, Mozambique, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Mexico – are confirmed to attend.

On Monday, Oct. 12, the Business & Innovation Tour, presented through partnership with the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, will offer registered BioMarine delegates the opportunity to tour various research facilities at UNCW CREST Research Park, including the Marine Biotechnology in North Carolina (MARBIONC) Building, Center for Marine Science, Shellfish Research Hatchery and UNCW Aquaculture Facility.

Following the tour, delegates are invited to attend the BioMarine “Taste of North Carolina” welcome reception and dinner on the USS North Carolina Battleship. Organized by the Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation (MBCOI) and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the event will feature locally-produced seafood, along with welcome remarks from City of Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo; Cecilia Holden, North Carolina Department of Commerce Chief of staff; and Doug Edgeton, President and CEO of the North Carolina Biotech Center.

The following day, attendees will view a video message from HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco that welcomes them and expresses the importance of this convention in helping connect international biotechnology companies and leaders. Following the opening plenary, attendees will participate in live-streamed sessions, workshops, and extensive networking opportunities through one-to-one pre-scheduled business meetings and social events.

Two keynote addresses will be given during the convention. The first will be from Georges Farrah, associate general secretary of maritime affairs for the government of Quebec, Canada. His presentation will be, “Quebec’s Maritime Strategy: Marine Biotechnology as a Key Economic Development Tool.” Dr. Mark Lyons, global vice president and head of Greater China for Alltech, Inc., will deliver the second keynote presentation. Titled, “What We Should Learn From China,” this presentation will draw from his time living in Beijing and cover the country’s success in promoting its marine economy.

As part of the convention, investment track sessions will pair international industry leaders with smaller, enterprising companies for a panel discussion and pitch session. Fifteen companies in total will be given 15 minutes each to present their business models during these sessions, including five from North Carolina, four from the United States and six from other countries. The North Carolina firms scheduled to present, including EnSolve Biosystems, Kepley Biosystems Incorporated (KBI), Ocis Biotechnology, Sandbar Oyster Company, LLC and Shure Foods, Inc., represent the Triangle, Triad and coastal regions of the state.

In addition, a total of 12 live sessions, each conducted by a moderator and three industry-leading panelists are scheduled throughout the day on both Oct. 13 and 14 to encourage discussion and collaboration. These sessions span a wide range of topics related to marine bio-resources, including, “Tapping into the power of marine bacteria,” “Improving crustacean aquaculture,” “Drugs from the deep – Ocean bioprospecting,” and “Financing aquaculture development.”

Some of the government leaders, entrepreneurs and scientists from North Carolina participating in the convention include:

-John W. Hardin, Executive Director of the Office of Science, Technology & Innovation, North Carolina Department of Commerce

-Cecilia Holden, Chief of Staff, North Carolina Department of Commerce

-Bill Saffo, Mayor, City of Wilmington

-Chris Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina

-Doug Edgeton, President and CEO of the North Carolina Biotech Center

-Randall Johnson, Executive Director, North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s Southeastern Office

-Deborah Mosca, CEO of Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation (MBCOI), USA

-Jason Caplan, President and CEO of EnSolve Biosystems, USA

-Lisa Day, Vice President of Business Development, Ocis Biotechnology, USA

-Anthony Dellinger, CEO of Kepley BioSystems Inc., USA

-Gabe Dough, founder and CEO of Shure Foods, USA

-Niels Lindquist, CSO of Sandbar Oyster Company, USA

The strong representation of North Carolina companies at the convention is a credit to the state’s thriving marine biotechnology industry. With more than 300 miles of Atlantic coastline, 12,000 miles of estuarine shoreline and world-renowned universities, North Carolina’s coast, particularly Wilmington, has become an ideal place to commercialize technologies from the ocean. Entrepreneurs, scientists and educators statewide are developing marine biotech opportunities in aquaculture, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, natural products, fuel/energy, seafood preservation, fish feed, water-quality testing, waste remediation and byproducts derived from algae.

To view the complete program schedule, please visit http://www.biomarine.org/wilmington2015/program/.

Registration for the convention is still open. To register, please visit http://www.biomarine.org/wilmington2015/registration/.

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“The goal of this convention is to foster collaboration on the development of innovative solutions to harvest marine bio-resources in a sustainable fashion, and this program of scheduled events has been clearly designed to do precisely that,” said Randall Johnson, executive director of the southeastern office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. “It is very exciting to imagine all that can be accomplished over the course of these three days in one of our nation’s major hubs for marine biotechnology in order to responsibly utilize all that the world’s oceans have to offer.”

“The scheduled program of events for the 2015 BioMarine Business Convention in Wilmington has been specifically tailored to cater to the business and scientific endeavors of our wide range of attendees,” said Pierre Erwes, Chairman of BioMarine. “We at BioMarine greatly look forward to welcoming these esteemed individuals to Wilmington and engaging in meaningful discussions about the present and future state of the biotechnology industry as it directly relates to marine bio-resources.”

“BioMarine’s program offers an unparalleled opportunity to showcase marine-related assets to an international audience,” said Deborah Mosca, CEO of Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation. “MBCOI’s nexus model has already led to exciting partnerships among the industry and academia, and we look forward to signing additional agreements as part of the 2015 BioMarine Business Convention.”

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ABOUT BIOMARINE:

BioMarine is the only international investment platform dedicated to marine bio resources. The annual convention brings together 300 international firms, investors, entrepreneurs and executives committed to innovation and collaboration in this growing global sector. In addition to acting as a platform for meetings and exchanges between industry professionals, BioMarine is above all the strategic center of action and initiatives for key stakeholders in the marine bio resources industry. Finance, research and industry stakeholders have learned to use the platform to diversify their knowledge, strengthen their existing partnerships and build new opportunities. To learn more, visit http://www.biomarine.org/.

ABOUT THE MARINE BIO-TECHNOLOGIES CENTER OF INNOVATION (MBCOI)

The Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation’s (MBCOI) core mission is the translation of innovative marine-related discoveries into products and services to benefit North Carolina’s economy. As a powerhouse in both marine science and biotechnology research, North Carolina is poised to become a global hub for marine biotechnology in the 21st century. By combining a regional focus with a global perspective, we serve as the nexus for information, collaboration, and commercialization of marine biotechnologies among our stakeholders, both domestically and internationally. MBCOI’s nexus model will harvest economic value from NC marine biotech researchers’ creative and entrepreneurial spirit and commercialize prioritized technology platforms. To learn more, please visit http://www.mbcoi.net.

ABOUT NCBIOTECH SOUTHEASTERN

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center provides long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, business, education, and strategic policy statewide. Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, the Center has five regional offices, including the Southeastern Office in Wilmington, which focuses on marine biotech, industrial biotech, renewable bioproducts/energy, clinical research, and agricultural biotech. For more information, please visit www.ncbiotech.org.

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