Dr. Carlos Barreiro
c.barreiro@unileon.esCoördinator
Dr. Evelia Schettini
evelia.schettini@uniba.itHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Agate Meabe Pinedo
agatemeabe@ctme.esHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Antje Birkholz
antje.birkholz@fkur.comHoofdonderzoeker
Inés Calderón Muñoz
tcampo@horcaol.esHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Simone Balzer Le
Simone.balzer.le@sintef.noHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Mona Sabo
Mona.sabo@usn.noHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Gabriella Santagata
santagata@ipcb.cnr.itHoofdonderzoeker
Dhr. Hartmut Welck
Hartmut.Welck@isi.fraunhofer.deHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Mauricio Avella
maurizioavella54@gmail.comHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Estelle Court
Estelle.COURT@guerin-plastiques.comHoofdonderzoeker
Mr. Sander van Loon
s.vanloon@vlci.bizHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Jerson Garita-Cambronero
garcamje@itacyl.es Hoofdonderzoeker
David Muñoz Pascual
david@idealfruits.esHoofdonderzoeker
Mr. Javier González
javier.gonzalez@eitfood.euHoofdonderzoeker
Mr. Walter Aker
Walter.aker@standard.bioHoofdonderzoeker
Dr. Carlos Barreiro
BioBIVE Coördinator
ULE - Dr. CARLOS BARREIRO
Dr. Barreiro is Associate Professor in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Area
of the Universidad de León (personal website). His scientific carrer (ORCID: 0000-
0001-7328-1630) has mainly focused on: i) the production of high value compounds
such as immunosuppressants (Streptomyces tsukubaensis), steroids (Mycobacterium),
antibiotics (Penicillium chrysogenum) and amino acids or dicarboxylic acids
(Corynebacterium glutamicum); ii) control of material degradation (metal fouling,
wood decay, plastics recycling); iii) extremophiles culture (Acidithiobacillus); and iv)
omics analyses (Genomics and Proteomics). This is the result of his involvement in 28
public funded projects: i) ten international (Horizon Europe, H2020, ERA-IB, FP7, FP5,
FP4); ii) eighteen national, regional o local (Spanish Ministries, Regional Government
of Castilla y León and Local), as well as iii) nine private enterprises funded projects.
Nowadays, he is European Coordinator of the Horizon Europe project BioBIVE
(https://biobive.eu/), and has been coordinator of two ERA-IB projects: ProWood (link)
and MySterI (link). Besides, he has been Principal Investigator in three European
projects [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@idealfruits.esDr. 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 Mr. 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. Mauricio 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 Inés Calderón Muñoz
Hoofdonderzoeker
HORCAOL - INES CALDERON
Inés Calderón Muñoz, Agricultural Technical Engineer, has over 15 years of experience in crop advisory and field monitoring. Graduate at the University of Valladolid with specialized training in occupational safety, she works at HORCAOL Coop., providing phytosanitary advice, crop monitoring, and ensuring compliance with Global GAP, GRASP, and Integrated Production standards. Her career includes roles at Azucarera Ebro in sugar beet management and at RMD Kwikform Ibérica in occupational risk prevention.
tcampo@horcaol.es 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 PLASTIQUES 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.
Estelle.COURT@guerin-plastiques.com 