CommBeBiz, an EC-funded project coordinated by Minerva, hosted its first annual event in Dublin, Ireland last month.

Bioeconomy Impact 2016 was attended by over 80 researchers and stakeholders across two days, providing opportunities for attendees to think critically about their work and consider how they can best engage with the public and stakeholders to create impact.

The programme included expert speakers and workshops, designed to build and enhance the capability and skill of researchers. The Networking Wall, run by members of FTWK Berlin, was well received as both an icebreaker and a way to connect with other researchers. Jeremy Hayes and Paidi O’Reilly hosted a workshop on research impact statements, where attendees were encouraged to think about the long-term impact of their work, developing it to connect effectively with the public.

CommBeBiz supports bioeconomy researchers across Europe to speed up transfer of their knowledge to relevant stakeholders, and the event reflected this with contributions on how to communicate effectively, as a central part of the conference.

Rhonda Smith, Director of Minerva and coordinator of the project, said, “We are delighted with how well the conference was received. Our keynote speakers were fantastic, the workshops were informative and engaging, and we know attendees found the whole event useful in learning how best to communicate their research. Creating impact is a vital part of getting your voice heard and we want to make that happen for bioeconomy researchers all over Europe.”

Announced at the event was the winner of the project’s Photography Competition: Matthew Wilkinson, researcher at Forest Research UK, who entered an image of the forest below, taken from the top of an 85 feet tower, usually used to track changes in the forest due to climate change.

Frank O’Mara, Director of Research at Teagasc and Competition Judge explained why Matthew’s picture was chosen:  “The winning image captured our attention, with the circular view first creating an impression of the globe, and then creating the sensation of looking at a forest through a telescope. After drawing in the viewer, the scientific measurements become obvious and impressive.”

The photo competition finalists, including the winning image, can be found on the CommBeBiz website.