BBC StoryWorks to produce series for the ICBA
The BBC StoryWorks webseries will explore the biotechnology industry’s efforts to feed, heal and fuel the world.
London, May 2020 –
The International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA) is pleased to announce a series of mini-documentary style films to be produced by BBC StoryWorks, the creative arm of BBC Global News.
The series will examine the role of biotechnology in solving some the world’s greatest environmental and health challenges. Carbon emissions, disease, more sustainable and efficient farming and manufacturing practices; biotechnology is playing a central role in solving complex problems, improving the health of humankind and the planet.
The series will showcase projects from across the globe, highlighting the innovative ways in which organisations are leveraging advances in biotechnology to making manage disease and curing people who were once thought to be untreatable. It will examine biotech’s role in food production; its focus on sustainability, reducing emissions and chemical use.
The aim is to tell the stories of the passionate people driving these products and technologies forward and those who are benefiting from the innovation. We want to show the commitment and dedication of the individuals and businesses at the heart of the industry.
Steve Bates, Chair of ICBA and CEO of the Bioindustry Association (BIA), said: “Advances in the global biotech sector are providing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. And the success of this industry is largely based on global cooperation, exemplified by the number of cross-border projects to develop treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.” Joe Damond, Executive Director of ICBA and EVP for International Affairs at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), added: “From the biopharmaceutical researcher to biotech crop scientists to companies advancing the use of biofuels, we are very excited to partner with the BBC Storyworks to showcase the pioneering work of biotech scientists and companies from around the globe.”
Simon Shelley, Global Director of Programme Partnerships at BBC Global News said: “We’re fascinated by the solutions to the pressing needs of society, and the committed people driving that innovation. By telling those stories to a global audience a new appreciation and understanding may form for Biotechnology and the passionate people behind the science.”
The series will launch in Autumn 2020 as part of multi-channel campaign including BBC.com audiences across the globe and social amplification to targeted groups. A wide network of
professionals, investors, industry leaders and more will also be targeted to garner greater exposure whilst also ensuring there is measurable change in the comprehension of biotechnology. BBC StoryWorks will be using proprietary neuroscience techniques, along with other traditional measurement tools to ensure this series has a significant impact for the sector.
The ICBA will kick off the work with BBC StoryWorks, the commercial creative arm of BBC Global News, by bringing to screen work being carried out across the continent in selected stories. The ICBA network will be approached with specific information on how to become involved in the project.
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information, please contact:
Hilary Stiss
Senior Manager, International Affairs, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Program Director, International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA)
E: hstiss@bio.org
Elan Shuker
Research Manager, BBC Global News
E: elan.shuker@bbc.com
About the ICBA
The International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA) is a coalition of non-profit, national biotechnology trade associations formed to promote public understanding of, and to advocate for, public policies that support the growth of the innovative biotechnology industries. The ICBA represents the global voice of the industry in international fora with the goal of promoting continued innovation in the human health, agriculture, and industrial and environmental sectors.
About the BBC:
The BBC is now reaching a record weekly audience of 465 million people around the world. BBC Global News operates the BBC’s commercially-funded 24-hour international news platforms: BBC World News, which has 101 million viewers per week, and BBC.com, which counts 146 million unique browsers per month.
BBC StoryWorks brings together the qualities of a creative studio with the agility and efficiency of a newsroom, drawing on the BBC’s own editorial and production values, with teams in seven cities including London, New York and Singapore.