Andrea Muñoz Garcia
is a Senior Consultant at the NNFCC, working on a number of European
funded projects. She plays a key role in the Pilots4U project which focuses on
creating a European-wide network for the scaling up of bioeconomy innovations.
Andrea also works on the ShikiFactory100 project, which aims towards the
production of 100 compounds of high-added value using state-of-the-art
synthetic biology techniques; Andrea’s main roles in this project are the performance
of sustainability appraisals and the development of business models for some of
the new compounds.
Andrea completed a PhD at the Green Chemistry Centre of
Excellence, in York. Her work focused on the recovery of precious metals such
as gold and palladium from water waste sources using bio-based adsorbents. She
also studied the preparation and utilisation of bio-based materials for the
construction of energy storage devices. During her PhD, she also worked for
WasteValor, a project partially funded by the European Regional Development
Fund, which offered free, short-term advice about waste valorisation to SMEs
based in the region of Yorkshire.
Previously, Andrea completed the MSc in Green
Chemistry & Sustainable Industrial Technology at the University of York as
part of an international exchange programme during the final year of her BSc in
Chemistry, which she coursed at the Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain.
Recent projects
Pilots4U
Andrea is key contributor to the 2-year project Pilot4U,
funded by BBI JU, which has created an accessible network and database of
open-access pilot and demonstration facilities for the European bioeconomy.
As part of this project, NNFCC led the design and
implementation of an online survey to understand the needs of bio-based
industries regarding pilot and demonstration equipment. NNFCC also performed a
gap analysis exercise to identify gaps in provision in the current landscape of
open-access pilot and demonstration infrastructure and led the development of
business cases to address these gaps in provision.
ShikiFactory100
Andrea is NNFCC’s contact point for the ShikiFactory100
project. This 4-year project is funded by H2020 and intends to produce 100
high-added value compounds for applications in cosmetics, food and pharma utilising
the latest synthetic biology developments.
NNFCC will use its expertise on bio-based products, its extensive
network and comprehensive market knowledge to perform a sustainability
appraisal for the 10 most promising compounds, which will include an overview
of political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors.
The outcomes of these analysis will be used for the development of business
models for these compounds, which will cover all key business criteria, from
key partners and resources to value proposition, cost structure and revenue
stream.
Andrea is also in charge of the project communication
and dissemination activities, playing a key role in the design, development and
maintenance of the project’s communication channels.