According to Yvonne Nyg\u00e5rd, the focus of biotechnology research must be shifted even more towards production processes<\/p>\n
Rapid changes in society mean that the production of materials will look very different in the future than it does today. Solutions developed in biotechnology research must be put into practice, such as in the production of plastics and industrial chemicals. The circular economy is a vital factor in steering development: Materials can no longer be used only linearly – recycling must be taken into account in development from the outset.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to the production of materials and chemicals, biotechnology also offers new, more sustainable solutions, such as for food production. Cellular agriculture is definitely on the rise, and there is an enormous amount of interest in the production of proteins and fats. The question is how to produce as much as possible with as little as possible,\u201d explains Nyg\u00e5rd. <\/p>\n
With regard to biotechnical production, research has thus far placed an emphasis on how chemicals and materials needed in industry can be replaced with more sustainable alternatives. Industrial production has restricted development, when new solutions have been introduced as part of processes that have evolved for decades in, for example, the petroleum sector. <\/p>\n
Nyg\u00e5rd is now calling for a broader perspective when it comes to biotechnology development. Raw materials and substrates, which can be used to build a more sustainable process as a whole, must be found. The process itself must be optimised so that it is efficient and does not consume too much water or energy. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the processes in use right now might be functional, but they\u2019re not sustainable. That\u2019s why they have to be updated, even though this is anything but a simple task,\u201d says Nyg\u00e5rd.
<\/p>\n
According to Nyg\u00e5rd, artificial intelligence will revolutionise biotechnology. The structure and function of microbes are extremely complex, and massive amounts of data on their properties are already being collected. Artificial intelligence solutions are playing an increasingly important role in the processing and interpretation of this data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith artificial intelligence, knowledge can be put to more effective use, and microbes and processes can be developed in even better ways,\u201d explains Nyg\u00e5rd.<\/p>\n
There is also a greater emphasis on cooperation with other scientific and research fields. \u201cBiotechnology, chemistry and process technology all go hand in hand. You can\u2019t solve problems on your own – we have been working very closely with other fields on what kinds of solutions we want to put forward in society together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nyg\u00e5rd is joining VTT from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she serves as an Associate Professor. Prior to this, Nyg\u00e5rd did her post doctoral research at the University of Groningen and DSM in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
In her research, Nyg\u00e5rd has focused on how more efficient biotechnical production organisms and processes can be developed and, for example, how materials and chemicals made from fossil raw materials can be replaced with biomass, thus enabling the manufacture of more environmentally-friendly and sustainable products. VTT is already a familiar working environment for Nyg\u00e5rd, as she did her doctoral research here upon graduating from Aalto University in 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cVTT is an outstanding place to do your doctoral work: it is a leading institution in the field and conducts top-flight research, for which there is a real need. At VTT, I can influence how biotechnology is applied in different sectors. What is most compelling for me is the way that academic and applied research are combined in my work,\u201d says Nyg\u00e5rd.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndustrial biotechnology is one of VTT’s growth areas. The applications in this field play a significant role, for example, in the production of new sustainable materials, food solutions, and drug development. Nyg\u00e5rd brings a fresh perspective and strong experience, especially in the development of production processes and the application of solutions.\u201d says Tua Huomo<\/strong>, Executive Vice President of Sustainable Products and Materials at VTT.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" According to Yvonne Nyg\u00e5rd, the focus of biotechnology research must be shifted even more towards production processes Rapid changes in society mean that the production of materials will look very different in the future than it does today. Solutions developed in biotechnology research must be put into practice, such as in the production of plastics\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16371,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_scj_primary_category_id":128,"_scj_featured":false,"_scj_featured_from":"","_scj_featured_until":"","_scj_featured_order":0,"_scj_visibility_class":"current","_scj_layout_family":"standard","_scj_article_style":"","_scj_display_overrides":[],"_scj_intro_image_id":16371,"_scj_intro_alt":"New Research Professor for Biotechnology at VTT: Not only materials need updating - processes do, as well","_scj_intro_caption":"","_scj_intro_class":"","_scj_intro_float":"","_scj_full_image_id":16371,"_scj_full_alt":"New Research Professor for Biotechnology at VTT: Not only materials need updating - processes do, as well","_scj_full_caption":"","_scj_full_class":"","_scj_full_float":"","_scj_media_type":"","_scj_media_provider":"","_scj_media_external_id":"","_scj_media_url":"","_scj_media_poster_id":0,"_scj_media_width":0,"_scj_media_height":0,"_scj_media_aspect_ratio":"","_scj_media_description":"","_scj_gallery_items":[],"_scj_related_post_ids":[],"_scj_additional_authors":[],"scj_layout_family":"standard","scj_media_provider":"","scj_media_url":"","scj_full_caption":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\n