Postgraduate Course: Foundations of the Bioeconomy (PGSP11333)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The sectors of the economy that are based on bioscience and biotechnology innovation comprise the bio-based economy or bioeconomy. The bioeconomy can be defined in terms of its scientific and technological base, and can include industrial production of goods and provision of various services. In these terms, the bioeconomy includes agriculture, health and environmental bioscience, biotechnology applications in the same fields and all of the related science like informatics in research or GIS supported remote sensing in precision agriculture.
Bioeconomy also refers to a set of concepts, and sometimes aspirations, about the way that the economy should be organized. In this respect, the bioeconomy links to various systems perspectives about innovation, but ones that have overtones of ecosystems thinking. Bioeconomy in this respect looks at the entire framework of using natural resources more wisely and efficiently, working with rather than against natural systems to achieve social goals, understanding human biology through genomics and genetics and drawing implications for health prevention and treatment of disease, and other aspirations with respect to the creation of products and services and the management of externalities including the potential for zero-waste society. As a result, the bioeconomy often makes use of lifecycle approaches to systems of innovation as well as how economies are developed and directed.
Generally the bioeconomy is considered a growth economy, subject to what is included in the calculation. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) attributes nearly 6% of the EU GDP to the bioeconomy, and in 2009 the European Commission reported the European bioeconomy was worth in excess of ¿2 trillion and accounted for 20 million jobs. High-value eco-innovations account for roughly half of the bioeconomy¿s contribution to GDP, and contribute approximately a quarter of the bioeconomy labour force. Growth in eco-innovation, particularly in value-added primary production, biofuels and marine resource blue-biotechnologies, are expected to continue an impressive 10 percent per annum growth.
The aim of this course is to familiarize students to different facets of the bioeconomy. These include the origins of the bioeconomy the different scientific and technological determinants of the contemporary bioeconomy, the status of the sometimes lauded, sometimes decried biotechnology revolution, the sustainability paradigms that are associated with the bioeconomy, the growth of biobusiness, and the economic impact on countries and regions. The foundations of the bioeconomy will also include the role of citizens as co-creators of social innovation, and the geography of innovation and human resources. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | Seminar Room 6, Chrystal Macmillan Building | 1-11 | | | | 16:10 - 18:00 | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Thursday, 16:10 - 18:00, Zone: Central. Seminar Room 6, Chrystal Macmillan Building |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course students will have:
Knowledge and understanding of key definitions and theories about what the bioeconomy means, and where it came from in terms of its being viewed as the sixth wave of innovation.
An extensive, detailed and critical knowledge and understanding of the major segments of bioscience and biotechnology innovation that make up the bioeconomy.
A critical awareness of the conceptual underpinnings of the bioeconomy with respect to other areas of theory and knowledge including systems thinking, innovations systems and ecology.
The ability to use their knowledge and understanding to identify and major socio-economic trends including greening of the economy, green washing, skills shortages, brain recirculation.
The skills to identify and analyse the size and contribution of the bioeconomy to the European Economic Area, and an awareness of competitor regions and countries. |
Assessment Information
| Assessment will consist of a shorter written assignment of 1,000 words (counting 30% of total assessment) and a final essay of 3,000 words (counting 70%) on a topic to be agreed between the student and the course convener. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Week 1 Origins of the bioeconomy; scientific, technological and innovation precedents
Week 2 Bioscience and biotechnological innovation
Week 3 Emergence of the global bioeconomy
Week 4 The European bioeconomy and the United Kingdom
Week 5 Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the bioeconomy
Week 6 Government to governance, and back to government
Week 7 Eco-innovation and the greening of policy and business
Week 8 New industrial organisation and strategy
Week 9 Large scale science and human flourishing ¿ genomics, genetics and health
Week 10 Skills, competencies, brain recirculation |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Albrecht, J. et.al. 2010. The Knowledge Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) in Europe: Achievements and Challenges.
BECOTEPS. (2011). The European Bioeconomy in 2030: Delivering Sustainable Growth by Addressing the Grand Societal Challenges.
Carlson, R. 2007. Laying the foundations for a bio-economy. Systems and Synthetic Biology.
Gaskell, G. et al. 2011. The 2010 Eurobarometer on the life sciences. Nature Biotechnology. 29:113-114
Enriquez-Cabot, J. 1998. Genomics and the World's Economy. Science 281:925-6.
European Commission Joint Research Centre. 2007. Consequences, opportunities and Challenges of Modern Biotechnology for Europe.
European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry. 2007. Competitiveness of the European Biotechnology Industry.
Lynd, L.R. et al. 2011. A global conversation about energy from biomass: the continental conventions of the global sustainable bioenergy project. Interface Focus 10:1-9.
OECD. 2009. The bioeconomy to 2030: designing a policy agenda. International Futures Project. Paris: OECD Publishing. Available at http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/the-bioeconomy-to-2030_9789264056886-en.
Phillips, W.B. 2007. Governing Transformative Technological Innovation: Who's in Charge? Oxford: Edward Elgar.
Rubin, E.M: 2008. Genomics of cellulosic biofuels. Nature. 454:841-845.
Sheppard, A.W., I. Gillespie, M. Hirsch and C. Begley. 2011. Biosecurity and sustainability within the growing global bioeconomy. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 3:4-10
Tilman D., R. Socolow, J.A. Foley, J. Hill, E. Larson E, L. Lynd , S. Pacala, J. Reilly, T. Searchinger, C. Somerville, and R. Williams. 2009. Beneficial biofuels - the food energy, and environment trilemma. 325:270-271. |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
This 20 credit course will be delivered through a 10 week lecture and seminar discussion format. The weekly two-hour sessions will typically consist of a short lecture (introducing the key themes of the week¿s topic and the core readings provided), followed by an hour and a quarter of classroom discussion, student-led presentations, and case study work.
Each week's class will typically cover conceptual, theoretical and empirical material related to the topic, and substantive use will be made of case-study material emerging from recent research findings of the teaching staff. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof David Castle
Tel: (0131 6)50 2449
Email: David.Castle@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lindsay Hunter
Tel: (0131 6)51 1659
Email: L.Hunter@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2012 The University of Edinburgh - 31 August 2012 4:31 am
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