Bioeconomy and Sustainable Development Group

dr Ewa Woźniak-Gientka

Team Leader

ewozniak@ibch.poznan.pl
ext. 1137

Research Projects

Research area

The research tasks carried out by the Team concern social, economic and legal factors in the development of bioeconomy and biotechnology in Poland, the EU and in the world. The aim of the research is:

analysis of public acceptance and public opinion in relation to genetically modified plants (GMOs), agrobiotechnology and new genetic engineering techniques in the context of the legal status and development of biotechnology and bioeconomy (at the global and European level);
analysis of factors for the development of bioeconomy in Poland and the EU; -
defining the role of education of the society and youth in thinking and acting for the benefit of the circular economy, shaping pro-ecological market behaviour (at the European and national level);
educating youth on the bioeconomy and its bio-based sectors, increase awareness and interest of the environmental, social and economic benefits of sustainable and circular bioeconomy (at regional and local level).

Keywords

bioeconomy,
biotechnology,
education, gene editing,
GMO,
circular economy,
sustainable development

Research activity

2023 – 2027 – involvement of the Team Leader in the Cost Action CA22124 - EU Circular Economy Network for All: Consumer Protection through reducing, reusing, repairing (ECO4ALL). The Action Chair is Olesea Plotnic (Moldova). The main aim of the ECO4ALL Action is to contribute to the information, reflection and dissemination activities for youth at large, academics, young researchers, staff of the public administration, business environment and for civil society as a whole regarding the circular economy that works for consumers; therefore ECO4ALL aims at promoting the understanding of sustainable consumption, the conservation of resources and the prevention of waste, as well as the responsibility of manufacturers in the design and marketing phases, as one of the most important prerequisites towards consumer protection through reducing, reusing, repairing. Dr. Ewa Woźniak-Gientka is involved in the WG3 responsible for comparative country analysis and best practices identification in circular economy.
Link: https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA22124/#tabs+Name:Description
2023 – 2027 – involvement of the Team Leader in the Cost Action CA22122 - Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-Ecological Impacts and Opportunities (RethinkBlue). The Action Chair is Dr. Drazen Cepic (Croatia). The purpose of this Action is to rethink the Blue Economy, in two ways. First, by assessing its impact on coastal societies, and second, by exploring opportunities deriving from innovations and potential synergies between established and emergent marine activities. The guiding research questions are:

1. What are the impacts, positive or negative, of Blue Economy developments on human well-being, social equity and the economic and environmental sustainability of coastal societies?

2. What are potential opportunities for innovations and synergies between sectors?

Scientific interactions focus on five themes: (1) maritime occupations, (2) food security & sustainable blue consumption, (3) port cities & coastal communities, (4) fisheries governance & emergent activities, (5) climate change & natural hazards. Knowledge exchange and capacity building among researchers and stakeholders of the Blue Economy will be facilitated through meetings, research workshops, an online seminar series, training schools, and conferences. Dr. Ewa Woźniak-Gientka is involved in the WG2 and WG5 responsible for the actions related to food security & sustainable blue consumption, as well as climate change & natural hazards in blue economy.
Link: https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA22122/#tabs+Name:Description
Conditions for the development of bioeconomy from a regional perspective. NCN – MINIATURA (2023/07/X/HS4/00406).
Project manager: dr Ewa Woźniak-Gientka
2019 – 2023: Team involvement in COST Action PlantEd (CA 18111) entitled "Genome editing in plants - a technology with transformative potential". The implementing entity is the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Action Chair: Dr D. Eriksson). Working Group 4 (WG4) will collect and analyse surveys performed among various stakeholder groups as well as the public in many European countries and beyond, in order to assess the perceived potential, risks, knowledge about, and attitudes toward the application of genome editing in plant breeding. Through outreach activities, the Action will also promote a widely improved understanding of genome editing and its use in plant research and breeding, taking advantage of the wide international coverage of the network of participants

prof. dr hab. Tomasz Twardowski: WG4 leader
dr Ewa Woźniak-Gientka: WG4 vice leader
Link: https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18111/#tabs|Name:overview
2017-2020: Team involvement in the international project CORNET (CORNET/22/2/2017) ‘Innovative processing technology of rapeseed products for poultry nutrition’ (ProRapeSeed). The team implemented the task WP3 ‘Commercial potential of new products in a competitive market’. The leader of the international consortium was Gemeinschaft zur Förderung von Pflanzeninnovation e. V. (Project manager: Dr. J. Jacobi). The participating association was the Grain and Feed Chamber from Poland. Consortium: IBCH PAS, Freie Universität Berlin, Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin (VLB) e.V., University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, The Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute (IHAR) - National Research Institute (PIB).
The aim of the WP3 was (i) identification of stakeholders in Poland and Germany and the benefits that new products can bring to them, (ii) analysis of legal aspects and intellectual property rights, in particular regarding new breeding techniques and plant varieties, (iii) opinion research and social attitudes in participating countries in the European context.

The leader of the WP3 was prof. dr hab. Tomasz Twardowski.
Contractor: dr. Ewa Woźniak

Selected publications

A. Tyczewska, T. Twardowski, E. Woźniak-Gientka. Agricultural biotechnology for sustainable food security. Trends in Biotechnology 2023, 41(3):331-341. Special issue: 40th anniversary. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.12.013
E. Woźniak- Gientka, A. Tyczewska. Genome editing in plants as a key technology in sustainable bioeconomy. EFB Bioeconomy Journal 2023, 3:100057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioeco.2023.100057
E. Woźniak-Gientka, A. Tyczewska, T. Twardowski. Public opinion on biotechnology and genetic engineering in the European Union: Polish consumer study. Biotechnologia 2022, 103 (2) C pp. 185–201 C 2022. http://doi.org/10.5114/bta.2022.116212
E. Woźniak-Gientka, A. Tyczewska, M. Perisic, A. Beniermann, D. Eriksson, N. Vangheluwe, G. Gheysen, S. Cetiner, N. Abiri and T. Twardowski. Public perception of plant gene technologies worldwide in the light of food security. GM Crops & Food 2022, 13:1, 218-241. DOI:10.1080/21645698.2022.2111946
A. Tyczewska, T. Twardowski, E. Woźniak-Gientka. Agricultural biotechnology for sustainable food security.
Opinion. Trends in Biotechnology 2023, 41(3):331-341. Special issue: 40th anniversary. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.12.01
E. Woźniak, A. Tyczewska, T. Twardowski. A shift towards biotechnology: Social opinion in the EU. Trends in Biotechnology 2021, 39(3):214-218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.08.001.
E. Woźniak, A Tyczewska, T. Twardowski. Bioeconomy development factors in the European Union and Poland. New Biotechnology 2021, 60:2-8. DOI:10.1016/j.nbt.2020.07.004.
S. Sowa, T. Twardowski, E. Woźniak, T. Zimny. Legal and practical challenges to authorization of gene edited plants in the EU. New Biotechnology 2021, 60:183-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2020.10.008.
E. Woźniak, A. Tyczewska. Bioeconomy during the COVID-19 and perspectives for the post-pandemic world: Example from EU. EFB Bioeconomy Journal 2021, vol. 1, 100013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioeco.2021.100013

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Selected publications

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