The activities of Carnot 3BCAR in 2023 yielded an abundance of results. Given that we cannot be exhaustive, we have focused on presenting a variety of themes and key highlights to best illustrate the reach of our network in the domains of Bioenergies, Biomolecules and Biosourced Materials (our 3 B’s of Renewable Carbon !).
We work on topics that require several years of research and development. Alongside the general complexity of a context marked by multiple crises, we must constantly adapt, while maintaining a steady course to progress on solid foundations. It is important to bear in mind that, as has recently been highlighted*, it often takes more than 20 years from the first publication to the market launch of a related technology. In this context, additional Carnot funding enabled us to select nine resourcing projects, receiving an average of €220 k over 24 months. These cross-cutting projects each involve at least two components of Carnot 3BCAR and are designed to preserve our scientific lead, thereby generating foundational results for our upcoming collaborations. The anticipated medium-term impact will come from businesses exploiting these results to drive the bioeconomy. These nine projects are briefly presented in this report.
After several years of R&D, concrete solutions are entering the market, and we are particularly proud to have been awarded, for the second consecutive year, the Grand Prix Carnot for partnership research. This year, the prize went to a young researcher from our TBI component, now employed by the SME that commercialises the innovative technology. You can read about this success story on page 31.
Finally, scattered throughout the pages are links to accessible communications intended for the general public, and in particular, I hope, to inspire younger generations to pursue studies in Science.
I wish you an enlightening read of this activity report, starting with an appetiser: a reflection on Solid‑State Fermentation by Luc Fillaudeau.
Nathalie TURC
Director of Carnot 3BCAR
* Science, Research and Innovation performance of the EU, 2022
