Annual Assembly 2024: Delivering impact through collaboration

5-6 November 2024, Kenwood Hall Hotel, Sheffield

Join the Supergen Bioenergy Hub for our Annual Assembly on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 November in Sheffield. Within the beautiful setting of the Kenwood Hall Hotel, we’ll be running two days of interactive workshops, research presentations and panel discussions, as well as site visits, public engagement training and a meeting of our Industry Forum.

Agenda

Day 1 – Tuesday 5 November
12pm Registration and lunch (for site visit participants)
1pm Site visits (with return coach travel from Kenwood Hall Hotel)
Translational Energy Research Centre
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Factory 2025
Please note, the site visits are only for those who secured a place at registration.
3pm Refreshments and afternoon registration
3.20pm Storytelling for impact training session – Paul Slater, Big Bang Partnership
5.20pm Global Bioenergy Stories – Czaneil Gomez, Aston University
6pm Break and room check-in
7pm Drinks reception
7.30pm Dinner
Day 2 – Wednesday 6 November
9.30am Registration and refreshments
10am Welcome and scene setting – Patricia Thornley, Supergen Bioenergy Hub
10.10am Public perceptions of biomass and bioenergy – interactive session – Rob Holland, University of Southampton
10.30am Diffusion session 1
–        Land use and biomass potential in Europe – Jalil Yesufu, Aston University
–  Ionic liquids as tools to obtain platform chemicals from plant waste – Pedro Nakasu, Imperial College
11.10am Break
11.30am Diffusion session 2
–  Increasing uptake of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in the bioenergy industry – interactive session – Michael Short and Benaissa Dekhici, University of Surrey
–  Navigating net zero: Designing biomass policy for tackling the climate, ecological, and energy emergencies – Dan Taylor, Aston University
12.20pm Policy priorities – Freya Horsfield and Patricia Thornley, Supergen Bioenergy Hub
12.30pm Roundtables on how your work aligns with government priorities
12.50pm Morning session wrap-up and introduction to lunchtime activities
1pm Lunch (first sitting) for Industry Forum members
1pm Super(gen) marketplace
–        Funded projects
–        Member directory and stakeholder forums
–        SHARE Network for early career researchers
–        Digitalisation of the bioenergy industry
–        Equality, diversity and inclusion
1.30pm Industry Forum – Chaired by Karl Smyth, Enfinium
BECCUS: Biomass to Energy with Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage – what about the U?
1.30pm Lunch (second sitting)
2.30pm Funded project opportunity – Patricia Thornley, Supergen Bioenergy Hub
2.40pm Incubation session 1
– Incubation and commercialisation keynote: Experiences from Swindon oxy-steam gasification plant – Andy Cornell, Advanced Biofuel Solutions
– Gasification for negative emissions – Fabian Ejim, Aston University
3.20pm Break
3.35pm Incubation session 2

– Incubation and commercialisation keynote: Innovative approaches to biomass multiplication – Experiences and achievements from the Taeda Tech Project – Zoe Harris, University of Surrey

– Hydrogen production via mediated electrolysis of biomass- Jun Li, University of Strathcylde
4.10pm Closing reflections and next steps
–        Impact postcards from our future
–        Dates and venue of Annual Assembly 2025
4.30pm Close

Venue and arrival information

Information on how to get to Kenwood Hall Hotel is here: www.kenwoodhall.co.uk/contact. There’s plenty of free parking on site. You don’t need to pre-book, but you’ll just need to register your vehicle at the hotel via a QR code.

Registrations for day 1 will open at 12noon. If you arrive early, there is a space where you will be able to work. Please ask at reception for more details.

Registration on day 2 is from 9.30am.

If you’re staying at the hotel, check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 12noon. Please visit the hotel reception to get your room key. Rooms can be booked at the special rate of £89 for bed and breakfast by contacting the hotel on 0114 258 3811, quoting Supergen Bioenergy Hub Annual Assembly.

5 November – day 1

Day 1 will start with registration at Kenwood Hall Hotel from 12pm before taking coaches to site visits of the University of Sheffield’s Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) and Factory 2050 at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). Places are limited on the site visits and only confirmed registrants will be able to join.

If you have booked a place on a site visit, please take note of the information below:

TERC site visit:

• Sensible flat shoes are required; no sandals, open toes, or high heels.
• High visibility vests and hard hats will be provided.
• Facilities include both indoor and outdoor areas, so please bring a coat/jacket depending on the weather. Umbrellas are available if it rains.
• Photography is allowed and encouraged on-site.

AMRC site visit:
It is recommended you wear sensible shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather. Please visit their website for more details: amrc.co.uk

Day 1 afternoon sessions
The afternoon sessions back at the hotel will focus on public engagement, with storytelling training delivered by a professional facilitator and a chance to learn more about the Global Bioenergy Stories project by playing a new boardgame.

Storytelling for impact training session
This session will equip you with the tools to be able to communicate your work and its impact through stories. You will have the opportunity to record your story as part of the workshop. In advance of the session, we invite you to video a very short summary of your work, so that you can compare it with the output you produce on the day using the lessons you’ve learned.

The day will close with a drinks reception and dinner.

Conference dinner
If you’re attending the conference dinner on Tuesday night, please ensure you’ve selected your menu choices here.

6 November – day 2

Day 2 will be our showcase day, featuring core research projects, interactive workshops, panel discussions, keynote presentations and the first formal meeting of a new Industry Forum. The sessions are themed around our core objectives of incubating and diffusing UK research while fostering an enabling environment that supports sustainable bioenergy deployment.

Industry Forum
The Industry Forum is for representatives from the industrial biomass, bioenergy and bio-based chemicals and materials community to discuss key technical and engineering challenges with academics and each other. The first forum meeting will focus on the ‘U’ of BECCUS (biomass to energy with carbon capture, utilisation and storage), looking at the different forms of carbon utilisation.

Lunch sittings
To allow Industry Forum members to get lunch before the forum starts at 1.30pm, we’ve split lunch sittings into two groups:
– First sitting, 1-1.30pm – for Industry Forum members
– Second sitting, 1.30-2.30pm – for those not attending the Industry Forum

Those not attending the Industry Forum will be able to take a look round the Super(gen)market – with stalls covering EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) strategy, funded research projects, stakeholder forums and our new member directory.

Registration

Please note, registration is now closed. You can edit your registration details via Eventbrite.

Contact

Please get in touch at supergen-bioenergy@aston.ac.uk for any further information.

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