Commissie BioBIVE

Ons team

Commisie

De BioBIVE Stuurgroep (SC) bestaat uit een vertegenwoordiger van elke begunstigde en is verantwoordelijk voor de coördinatie van de onderzoeksactiviteiten van alle partners die betrokken zijn bij de werkpakketten.
Het SC regelt de tijdige uitvoering en voorbereiding van de deliverables om ervoor te zorgen dat de doelstellingen worden bereikt. Zo maakt het Comité van Toezicht een gerichte en uitgebreide monitoring mogelijk van de status van het werkpakket, gemeten aan de hand van de planning van de op te leveren prestaties en mijlpalen, controle op de tijdigheid en kwaliteit van de op te leveren prestaties om een tijdige en nauwkeurige follow-up van het werkplan te garanderen, een vroegtijdige identificatie van mogelijke technische en organisatorische problemen en het oplossen van problemen.
Indien nodig kan het comité een ander lid van het consortium vragen om lid te worden van het comité om een bepaald werkgebied of een bepaalde expertise te vertegenwoordigen. Het Comité houdt de coördinator regelmatig op de hoogte van de ontwikkeling en voortgang.

Dr. Carlos Barreiro

BioBIVE Coördinator

ULE - Dr. CARLOS BARREIRO

Dr. Barreiro is universitair hoofddocent Biochemie en Moleculaire Biologie aan de Universiteit van León (persoonlijke website). His scientific career (ORCID: 0000-0001-7328-1630) heeft zich voornamelijk gericht op: i) de productie van hoogwaardige verbindingen zoals immunosuppressiva (Streptomyces tsukubaensis), steroïden (Mycobacterium), antibiotica (Penicillium chrysogenum) en aminozuren of dicarbonzuren (Corynebacterium glutamicum); ii) controle over materiaaldegradatie (metaalvervuiling, houtrot, recycling van kunststoffen); iii) extremofielen cultuur (Acidithiobacillus); en iv) omica analyses (Genomica en Proteomica). Dit is het resultaat van zijn betrokkenheid bij 28 door de overheid gefinancierde projecten: i) tien internationale (Horizon Europe, H2020, ERA-IB, FP7, FP5, FP4); ii) achttien nationale, regionale of lokale (Spaanse ministeries, regionale regering van Castilla y León en lokale), evenals iii) negen door particuliere ondernemingen gefinancierde projecten. Tegenwoordig is hij Europese coördinator van het Horizon Europe project BioBIVE (https://biobive.eu/) en was coördinator van twee ERA-IB-projecten: ProWood (link) en MySterI (link). Bovendien is hij Hoofdonderzoeker in drie Europese projecten [ESTELLA (https://estellaproject.eu/), BioProChemBB, SCILS].

c.barreiro@unileon.es

Dr. Simone Balzer Le

Hoofdonderzoeker

SINTEF- SIMONE BALZER LE

Simone Balzer Le, PhD, is a research scientist working on interdisciplinary projects within molecular and sustainable biotechnology, and bioprospecting. She participated in 21 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, 2 book chapters, 1 patent, and several confidential technical reports. BioBIVE is her 4th project with a PI role.

Simone.balzer.le@sintef.no

Mr. Sander van Loon

Hoofdonderzoeker

VLCI - SANDER VAN LOON

Sander van Loon has an organic chemistry masters degree and started his career at PPG, where he worked for 7 years at the protective coatings laboratory. In 2008, he founded Van Loon Chemical Innovations (VLCI) and always had the vision to boosting your chemistry. Therefore, VLCI provides R&D services to the formulation industry via the practical implementation of predictive formulation sciences HSP and HLD combined with High Throughput (HT) screening. Since 2021, VLCI has launched the world’s largest predictive ingredient shared dataset with HSP and HLD, linked to formulation web-apps, to further boost science-based formulation R&D.

s.vanloon@vlci.biz

Mr. Javier González

Hoofdonderzoeker

EITFOOD - JAVIER GONZALEZ

Javier González, an environmental scientist, contributes to innovation and technological development in European agrifood ecosystems at EIT Food. His career includes supporting startups and scaleups, fostering SME–corporate collaborations, and delivering RTD consultancy to multinationals and research centres. With extensive expertise in EU funding strategies, he has held roles in public administration, private companies, and academia. His professional experience, combined with research across European universities, equips him with a strong grasp of environmental and business development.

javier.gonzalez@eitfood.eu

Dr. Gabriella Santagata

Hoofdonderzoeker

NR - GABRIELA SANTAGATA

Senior Researcher at the Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials – National Research Council (IPCB-CNR), with extensive experience as scientific coordinator and responsible for multiple EU and national projects (BioBIVE, BIOPLASTICS EUROPE, BIOATTICOBIO, TERRE, FOE, ReLEAF, SEAREFINERY). Her research focuses on biopolymers, biodegradable composites, biomass valorization, and advanced characterization techniques. Author of 81 JCR publications, books, and chapters, with an H-index of 31 and over 3,300 citations. Awarded Leonardo’s iBAT Challenge in 2022.

santagata@ipcb.cnr.it

Dhr. Hartmut Welck

Hoofdonderzoeker

FRAUNHOFER - HARTMUT WELCK

Hartmut Welck studied agricultural sciences with a focus on economics and social sciences at the University of Hohenheim (Germany) and got trained as a sustainability manager. He has more than 15- years of experience in the area of Bioeconomy on regional, national and EU level. He is a re-search associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Department of New Technologies, Business Unit Bioeconomy and Life Sciences since 2024.

Hartmut.Welck@isi.fraunhofer.de

David Muñoz Pascual

Hoofdonderzoeker

IDEAAL FRUIT - DAVID MUÑOZ PASCUAL

David Muñoz Pascual holds a degree in Economics and Business from the Faculty of Commerce at the University of Valladolid. His early career in the field of strawberry variety development, testing, and patenting led him, more than 25 years ago, to establish his own company dedicated to the cultivation and commercialization of berries in central Spain. A specialist in the agronomic knowledge of strawberry cultivation—acquired through various courses and collaborations with leading international companies in strawberry varietal development—he currently leads a highly specialized technical team that develops hydroponic strawberry cultivation within his company. They also manage the development of other berry crops in different geographical locations worldwide. Recently, his work in the agri-industrial sector was recognized by the Faculty of Commerce where he studied, which named him Entrepreneur of the Year 2024.

david@idealfruits.es

Dr. Jerson Garita-Cambronero

Hoofdonderzoeker

ITACYL - JERSON GARITA

Jerson Garita-Cambronero, PhD in Microbial Biotechnology. Experienced in molecular microbiology and genomics/metagenomics, with a focus on microbe-host interactions, particularly the pathogenomics of phytopathogenic bacteria. Since 2024, he has been a researcher and head of the Molecular Microbiology Laboratory at the Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León.

garcamje@itacyl.es

Dr. Evelia Schettini

Hoofdonderzoeker

UNIBA - EVELIA SCHETTINI

Evelia Schettini, Civil Engineer with a PhD in Structural Engineering, is Associate Professor at the University of Bari (Italy) since 2015. Her research focuses on greenhouse materials and equipment, biodegradable materials for agriculture, protected cultivation structures, microclimate analysis, plastic waste management, and green technologies. She is scientific responsible for the University of Bari in Horizon projects BioBIVE and PAPILLONS, and author of ~170 publications in international and national refereed journals and proceedings.

evelia.schettini@uniba.it

Dr. Antje Birkholz

Hoofdonderzoeker

FKUR - ANTJE BIRKHOLZ

Dr.-Ing. Antje Birkholz has been working at FKuR since 2020. She began her professional career after receiving her Ph.D. in 2018, taking on a role as a Project Engineer. At the beginning of 2024, she was promoted to Head of R & D at FKuR, where she is responsible for overseeing innovation projects, leading the R & D team, and driving the development of sustainable polymer solutions.

antje.birkholz@fkur.com

Mr. Walter Aker

Hoofdonderzoeker

SBA - WALTER AKER

Experienced executive with over two decades of leadership in industrial and technology sectors. Proven track record in corporate management, strategic development, and technical innovation, with extensive experience in project leadership and international business operations.

Walter.aker@standard.bio

Dr. Mona Sabo

Hoofdonderzoeker

USN - MONA SABO

Experienced academic leader with a PhD in molecular biology and significant involvement in project acquisition. Has worked on soil and biochar projects in Norway. Proven ability in programme coordination (MSc Ecology and Environmental Management) and as part of a PhD supervisory team. Served as a board member at university level for several years. Documented experience in supervising and mentoring a significant number of MSc and PhD students.

Mona.sabo@usn.no

Dr. Maurizio Avella

Hoofdonderzoeker

AGROBION - MAURIZIO AVELLA

Maurizio Avella is a chemist and he has worked for more than 35 years on research dealing with material science at the Italian Research Council (CNR) . He has coordinated 5 EU projects and he was scientific responsible of many Italian and international projects. Dr. Avella has published over 150 papers and 10 patents. His H index is 53.

maurizioavella54@gmail.com

Dr. Agate Meabe Pinedo

Hoofdonderzoeker

CTME - AGAAT MEABE

Doctor degree in Materials Science and Technology from the University of the Basque Country. Masters in Applied Chemistry and Polymeric Materials and New Materials. 5 years of experience as a researcher at the GAIKER-IK4 Technology Center, carrying out the Doctoral Thesis and participating in research projects. Researcher at the Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA) during 2014. Currently Senior Researcher in the Materials Area of CTME.

agatemeabe@ctme.es

Dr. Estelle Court

Hoofdonderzoeker

GUP - ESTELLE COURT

R&D Manager at GUERIN PACKAGING since 2019, with expertise in polymer materials, manufacturing processes, and product development. Skilled in project management and advanced characterization methods, I lead a team of engineers while coordinating European projects on circular economy, recycling, and industrial scalability. My background includes hands-on blow-extrusion experience and an engineering degree in materials science from INSA Lyon. I am committed to innovation, sustainability, and fostering effective industry–research collaboration.

e.court@guerinpackaging.com

Mrs. M. Soraya Alvarez Casado

Hoofdonderzoeker

HORCAOL - M. SORAYA ALVAREZ

Agricultural Engineering. Extensive training in risk prevention, environmental management, negotiation, topography. Over 20 years managing agricultural fieldwork, crop inspection, and safety coordination. Most recent positions include Field Technician at HORCAOL S. COOP and AB Azucarera Iberia . Experience in education as a trainer in animal welfare and phytosanitary handling courses.

tcampo@horcaol.es