BISC-E stands for "Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe". In the competition, which is coordinated in Denmark by Aarhus University's Centre for Circular Bioeconomy (CBIO), students compete in developing bio-based ideas for a process or product that is both sustainable and economically viable. Niels Mark Jacobsen and Asbjørn Madsen developed an idea for a non-toxic alternative to weed control using biochar for the competition. Biochar is biologically based coal, which is e.g. being used for soil improvement.

“Not only is biochar good for the soil, it has also traditionally been used to make paint and watercolour. So, we thought, why not combine the two things? We developed an idea where you can make a kind of paint for painting weeds black while still small. That way, they will not be able to absorb sunlight and they will disappear quietly,” says Niels Mark Jacobsen, who was finishing his master’s thesis in Agro-Environmental Management in the spring when the competition began.

Brilliant concepts

The jury was notably impressed by this year’s submissions, says Nelo Emerencia, Chairman of the BIC Education Team and Programming Director at the Bio-Based Industries Consortium (BIC).

“These ingenious concepts underline the importance of ensuring knowledge transfer, beyond the lab to the market. BIS-C is yet another example of how aligning educational systems with the future needs of industry is critical for the development of the bio-based sector in Europe,” he explains. 

BIC hosted the inaugural European BISC-E Final at its annual gathering of top bio-based industry experts in Berlin, Germany, where the winners of the five national contests competed. Their innovative projects were first assessed by a jury, mostly consisting of academia, who decided on the top three. The jurors included: Kees de Gooijer (TKI Agri & Food), Cody Mayoh (NovaUCD), George Sakellaris (BIOCON), Manfred Kircher (CLIB). Gerlinde van Vilsteren from Wageningen University is BISC-E coordinator.

Following a vote by BIC's industry members, it was the Sauveur team from Belgium which came out on top as winners with their innovative solution to reduce food waste. The Biosilence team from the Netherlands were runners-up with their bio-based solution to reduce noise pollution. Bark Union from Finland finished third with their project on innovative use of bark.

Although Denmark wasn’t in the top three this year, Niels Mark Jacobsen thought it was exciting to be a part of the BISC-E. He does not yet know if he will continue to work on the idea of ​​biochar as weed control.

“I have finished my studies and have a job that I would like to concentrate on now. But who knows maybe sometime in the future,” he concludes.

Facts about the BISC-E competition

“The Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E)” seeks to promote innovation in the bio-based sector with an annual competition between some of Europe's most promising university students (BSc & MSc). The competition was initiated in the Netherlands in 2017 with the aim of bridging the knowledge gap between students and bio-based materials by TKI-BBE, an entity to build, maintain and execute the national research and innovation agenda in the Netherlands. Based on the success of 2017, the competition is now held at national level in five European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal) and concludes at a joint European final, which this year took place in Berlin, Germany. In Denmark, CBIO (www.cbio.au.dk) is the coordinator of the national competition, which will be launched again in 2020.

For further information

Senior scientist Uffe Jørgensen, AU Centre for Circular Bioeconomy, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. Email: uffe.jorgensen@agro.au.dk. Tel. +45 2133 7831