Scientific programming

The world is facing enormous challenges, the most urgent being to reduce the impact of human activities on the climate, the environment, and natural resources while adapting to the already significant consequences of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on climate change. The continuation of economic development as usual is no longer possible if we are to stay below a 2°C increase in average temperature by 2050.

A more frugal society must be encouraged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and the use of fossil carbon must be avoided as much as possible. The transition from a petrochemical economy to bio-based products and services is a true paradigm shift and will only occur if the solutions it brings are more competitive in all respects: in terms of costs, prices, attributes, and functionalities.

Europe has committed to increasing its climate ambition, in line with the Paris Agreement (COP 21). The EU is at the forefront with a binding target of a net domestic reduction of at least 55% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (Fit for 55). Fully involved in European initiatives, France enacts laws and deploys specific targeted strategies, including the Multiannual Energy Program (PPE) and the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC), which are part of this European framework.

The transition from a petrochemical economy to bio-based products and services is considered a major focus of this global transition but is also a true paradigm shift that will only be operational if the solutions it brings are more competitive in all respects: in terms of costs, prices, attributes, and functionalities.

In this context, the Bioproductions program aims to support fundamental research, but also characterized by a low level of technological maturity, with the objective of developing innovations that promote the development of a competitive French industrial base in the fields of bio-based products and sustainable fuels.

To meet the challenges of transitioning to an economy centered on bio-based products and services, the Bioproductions program will support research in five key areas:

• A better understanding of the structures and properties of biomass;
• Advances in understanding and engineering biological systems;
• The design and prototyping of efficient biomass conversion processes, combining different technologies, including classical chemistry and biotechnology, to build effective processes;
• The development of advanced research tools, including digital technologies, to support research;
• The study and evaluation of transitions and the guarantee of providing responsible research solutions.