FROM: Daesung Group

Daesung Group Hosts Microbe-Focused Global Energy Conference to Celebrate its 70th Anniversary

- Company’s centennial vision towards Integrated Solutions for FEW Nexus announced
- Hosted Bio-Energy Academic Conference with Domestic and Foreign Scholars
- Proved the Potential of Commercialization of Microbe Energy Though IICE Forum

Daesung Group (Chairman Younghoon David Kim) held a global energy forum on Thursday June 22, 2017 entitled, ‘Mighty Microbes for the Energy Revolution: FEW NEXUS Conference & IICE Forum’ which included the company’s centennial vision celebrating the 70th anniversary of its foundation.

A total of 200 people including scholars, inventors and investors as well as the company’s executives and employees attended the conference. The event began with the unveiling of the 100-year vision of Daesung Group: the commitment to become a total FEW Nexus solution provider. (FEW Nexus refers to the organic relationships between food, energy and water.)

The conference was divided into two sessions. The first was an international academic conference featuring discussions among domestic and foreign scholars.  The second was an IICE (Inventor-Investor Close Encounter) Forum which provide the opportunity for inventors and investors to meet in person.

At the academic conference, experts in the field of microbiology discussed the latest research trends through individual presentations and in a panel session. Professor Lee Choul-Gyun from Inha University opened the session with his presentation entitled ‘Critical Criteria for Successful Biofuels from FEW Point of View’. Next, Professor Mario R. Tredici from University of Florence talked about ‘Marine Microalgae for Bioenergy and Food’.

He was followed by Professor Lee Yuan Kun from the National University of Singapore and Chair of IUMS (International Union of Microbiological Societies) and Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos from the University of West England.

The conference was highly acclaimed due to importance of the topics discussed. These included ▲the latest technological advancements utilizing marine microorganisms as food and energy sources in terms of energy conversion ▲ A study on the bottlenecks in microbial energy technology and their solutions ▲ A study on the efficiency enhancement of cell chemical production ▲ An investment model for ventures to break through the “Death Valley” to commercial level.

Lee Sang-yeop, professor of Bioengineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) discussed how microbial bioengineering technology could produce natural chemicals and enhance productivity.

During the discussion session, all speakers debated the potential of the Mighty Microbes for the Energy Revolution. Professor Cho Byung-kwan, (KAIST) served as a moderator.

The second session was the ‘IICE (Inventor-Investor Close Encounter)’ Forum, which connected inventors and investors. This is test model of Chairman Kim’s vision as World Energy Council chair.

A total of six venture firms with microorganism and ESS technology and 30 venture capital firms participated in the final session. Representative companies were Ecube Labs, which developed a solar-powered trash compactor bin and waste management solution, and Doosan EcoBizNet, which developed a microbial environmental purification product self-cultivation system. In addition, Professor Kim Ji-hwan from MIT and Professor Cho Jae-won of UNIST introduced their technological innovations.

Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos from Bristol Robotics Laboratory attended the conference as a result of a meeting with Chairman Kim at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He participated in both the academic conference and the IICE Forum. Professor Ieropoulos held an investment briefing session on the development of the microbiology fuel-cell and robots.

The IICE Forum helped the promotion and commercialization of the relevant fields of technological development and helped venture companies to establish global networks.

Chairman Kim commented, “We have long been concerned about various energy sources as an alternative to fossil fuels. Due to the growing interest in the highly viable field of microbiology, we organized this meaningful event to celebrate our 70th anniversary. Through this conference, we reaffirmed the potential of microbes as alternative energy source and as a way to resolve issues related to water and food. At the same time, it was also very interesting to engage in serious discussions on addressing the technical and environmental barriers to commercializing these technologies."

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