Knowledge Based Bio-Economy towards 2020
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
Mr. CARUS MICHAEL
Managing director - nova Institut
Biography
Michael Carus has studied physics at the University of Cologne. Following his studies he worked as a scientific staff member for nuclear energy and environment at the University of Tuebingen, as a scientific journalist for different professional magazines (environment and technology), at the KATALYSE-Umweltinstitut in Cologne (environment and resources), for the US company Tektronix GmbH in Cologne (IT system management) as well as for the company Flachglas Solartechnik GmbH in Cologne (solar power plants) until founding the nova-Institut GmbH with other scientists in 1994.
Since its foundation Michael Carus, together with Dirk Schubert, is the managing director of the nova-Institut and is head of the field „Renewable resources / market research“ with its two departments:
- Economy & resource management
- Bio-based materials
Today, Michael Carus is considered to be one of the leading experts and market researchers in Europe for agricultural resources, bioenergy and especially for the industrial material use of renewable resources. He is actively involved in building networks in the fields of agricultural and forestry resources, bio-based materials (bio-based plastics, natural fibre reinforced plastics, WPC and other innovative wooden materials) and industrial biotechnology/biorefinery. Mr. Carus is a member (partly in leading functions as managing director or advisor) in many societies, associations and international organisations. Carus is consultant on policy in different countries in Europe, Asia and America.
Date and Town of Birth 15. October 1956, Cologne, Germany
1975 - 1983
Studied physics and mathematics at the „University of Cologne“,
Degree: „Diplom Physiker“ (Grade: 2), Major: Nuclear physics, theory of relativity, alternative energy and programming
Manager of the Ecology Department at the student administration (AStA)
Professional Experience
1983 - 1990
University teacher at the tele-education program „Ecology“ at the Universität
Tübingen. Focus: Nuclear energy and radioactivity (part time)
Staff scientist at the KATALYSE-Umweltinstitut, Cologne. Focus: Energy and ecology (part time)
Science journalist (part time)
1985 - 1991
System manager of the computing center at Tektronix GmbH, Cologne
1989 - 1991
Public relations staff at Flachglas Solartechnik, Cologne. Focus: Solar-thermal
power plants (part time)
1991 - 1994
Staff scientist and department manager (after 1993) at KATALYSE Environmental
Institute, Cologne. Focus: Energy, renewable resources, electrosmog
since 1994
Founding partner and managing director of the nova-Institute for Ecology and
Innovation Ltd. (www.novainstitut.de) in Huerth/Germany. Responsible for the field
“renewable resources / market research and economy” with the departments
„economy and resource management“, „Bio-based products“ and „Communication“
since 2000
Coordinator and since 2005 managing director of the “European Industrial Hemp
Association (EIHA)”,
since 2001
Publisher of the news portal www.nachwachsende-rohstoffe.info and since 2008 of
the professional journal „Biowerkstoff-Report“ (Report on bio-based products) and
of the „Business Directory for Innovative Biomaterials (BIB09)“
since 2003
Member of the working group reinforced polymers (AVK-TV), sub-group “Natural
fibre reinforced polymers” (www.avk-natur.de); since 2006 member of the Steering
Committee
since 2004
Active network formation between all fields of the material use of renewable
resources: agricultural and wood resources, biomaterials (bioplastics, WPC,
natural fibre composites, innovative wooden materials) and industrial
biotechnology/biorefinery
since 2005
Member of the FAO hard fibre group, Rome, and of the Steering Committee of the
„International Year of Natural Fibre (IYNF) 2009“
2007
Founding member of the Cluster Industrial Biotechnology (CLIB2021) in
Northrhine-Westfalia (West-Germany)
since 2009
Member of the „Industrial Task Force on Bio-based Content of Materials and
Products“ (Brussels, european bioplastics) and CEN/BT/WG 209 "M/429 -
elaboration of a standardization programme for bio-based products"
(Brussels, CEN) (for the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA))
Programme
Panel member, Part III Working together to address the NEEDS – Session I: feedstocks for the KBBE
