Prof. Maria da Graça Carvalho is the Conference General Chair of the 27th EUBCE 2019 The European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) has appointed Maria da Graça Carvalho as the EUBCE 2019 Conference General Chair for its 27th edition, which will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 27-30 May 2019. Prof. Maria da Graça Carvalho is currently a member of the Scientific Advice Mechanism Unit of the Directorate-General Research and Innovation of the European Commission. © EUBCE “It is a great honour to welcome you to Lisbon! Lisbon is a city of science, innovation and culture. Lisbon is the cosmopolitan and modernist city of Fernando Pessoa and Almada Negreiros! The city where the first globalization movement started! The Portuguese gave “new worlds to the world” in the XV and XVI centuries and the Portuguese Discoveries have contributed in a decisive way to the development of modern science. What a fantastic location to have an open to the world Conference! We want to reach out to researchers, industrialists, policy makers and civil society from the rest of the world, with a special focus on Africa and Latin America, and exchange knowledge and experiences with them. Portugal is a pioneer country in renewable energy. In March 2018, Portugal generated more renewable energy than it needed. Portugal has committed itself to being carbon neutral by 2050 and is aiming for 35% renewable energy by 2030. What an inspiring location for the 27th edition of the EUBCE! EUBCE is the world leading event and the biggest conference in the Biomass area. Biomass is part of our low-carbon future. The use of biomass for production of power, heat, transportation fuels and materials is one of the most promising options to combat climate change. As of today, biomass is part of the only feasible scenario for delivering carbon-neutral solutions for aviation (long-haul flights), shipping and heavy road transport. Biomass is also part of this fantastic transformation that the EU is leading, combating climate change and building an Energy Union that ensures that energy supply is safe, viable and accessible to all. New rules on renewables, energy efficiency and the governance of the Energy Union have been agreed by the European Parliament on 13th November 2018. This package will help Europe to sustain its world leadership in renewable energy. We will reach affordable, clean energy for all through strong investment in research, science and innovation, and deployment on industrial scale. That is why our EU Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020 devotes 60% of its 77 billion Euro to sustainable development and that climate-related expenditure should exceed 35% of the budget. And that is why the European Commission has proposed 100 billion Euro for the new (2021-2027) EU Research and Innovation Programme, Horizon Europe. The upcoming conference will be a meeting place to discuss all these new developments. EUBCE 2019 is about promoting research and innovation in biomass, bioenergy and biomaterials from frontier research to assessing the challenges and successes of industrial applications. EUBCE 2019 is about research and innovation but it is also about science and scientific evidence in policy making in the field of biomass, bioenergy and biomaterials. The present edition of the EUBCE will pay particular attention to the issue of science-based policy making, discussing the best ways to use the most up-to-date scientific results in the policy making cycle and will assess the successes of industrial processes using biomass for energy and materials applications toward reaching the EU 2030 and Paris targets. Let us also not forget the special focus on Africa and Latin America in 2019. For all these reasons, I am happy to invite you to the EUBCE 2019. I look forward to meeting you in Lisbon at the 27th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition from 27 – 30 May 2019. Let us move science, innovation and science-based policy making in the area of biomass and bioenergy for a bright and de-fossilized future!” www.eubce.com Countries Portugal
