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Biopolimérica is more than just an event—it’s a convergence of ideas, disciplines, and territories focused on the future of materials. It brings together designers, researchers, collectives, and communities to explore the potential of biomaterials: materials born at the intersection of design, science, technology, and, most importantly, nature.
Led by the Biomaterials Laboratory of Valdivia (LABVA) and the Manifiesto collective, Biopolimérica rejects one-size-fits-all approaches. Instead, it emphasizes local solutions rooted in the cultural, environmental, and social specificities of each region. As the organizers from Chile state, “we are moving away from the global and generic in search of new situated biomaterial experiences.”
Photo: Biopolimérica 2024
From Valdivia to Colombia: A Growing Network
Following its successful 2023 edition in Valdivia, Chile—culminating in the release of a publicly accessible digital catalog—Biopolimérica expands to Colombia in 2025, growing its collaborative network across Latin America.
This new chapter in Colombia includes strategic partners such as:
- Mauro Vásquez Rendón, professor at the University of Medellín’s School of Design
- Manuela Montoya, bioeconomy expert at the Humboldt Institute
- Laura Calderón and Juliana Hémbuz, co-founders of Balance Bio, key voices in Colombia’s biodesign and sustainability movement
According to María José Besoain, Biopolimérica director and LABVA co-founder, the initiative seeks to build a living map of biodesign in Latin America by connecting projects, institutions, and regions, fostering meaningful exchanges across scientific, ancestral, and creative knowledge systems.
Bioeconomy, Biodiversity, and Design: A Powerful Convergence
With one of the world’s richest biodiversities and a growing interest in bioeconomy, Colombia is an ideal setting for exploring new, sustainable approaches to material development. As Manuela Montoya explains, bioeconomy strategies enable the creation of innovative materials based on the responsible and regenerative use of biological resources, combining science, technology, and cultural awareness.
This vision doesn’t just result in better materials—it can also reduce environmental harm and contribute to ecosystem restoration. As Balance Bio puts it: “Biomaterials can become active tools for healing and regenerating our environment.”
Photo: Biopolimérica 2024
An Open Call to the Latin American Biodesign Ecosystem
Biopolimérica 2025 is now open for submissions from individuals and groups exploring or developing new biomaterials. The call is directed at:
- Universities and research centers
- Startups and companies
- Independent designers and creative collectives
- Scientific labs and artists working with material innovation
As Mauro Vásquez Rendón says, “the development of biomaterials is also a way to preserve culture and reconnect with our identity through matter.”
This initiative seeks to elevate often-overlooked projects, facilitate exchanges across regions, and build a Latin American network that reimagines design through the lens of place-based knowledge, challenges, and potential.
A Living Catalog and Expanding Community
The Biopolimérica digital catalog is already an invaluable reference for educators, researchers, and design professionals interested in sustainability and material innovation. It features real-world examples of how biomaterials are being explored across Latin America to chart new paths toward a more ecological design future.
As Manifiesto reflects, this catalog helps “reveal the Latin American (bio)diversity that emerges through creative and scientific development and the preservation of ancestral knowledge.”
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