Philipp Aerni is Professor at the School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR) and Director of the Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) in Switzerland. In addition, he is an affiliate at the Institute for Plant Microbial Biology (IPMB) at the University of Zurich and teaches courses on sustainability and agriculture at the University of Zurich as well as ETH Zurich.Ursula Jenal is the Founder and Executive Manager of Jenal & Partners Biosafety Consulting GmbH based in Switzerland, which advises industry, academia and authorities on all issues related to biosafety and biosecurity significant for the safe use of biotechnology. She is a visiting lecturer at the University of Zurich and the Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) and holds a PhD in Natural Sciences Microbial Ecology from ETH Zurich.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. A brief history of the bioeconomy from an anthropological perspective.- 3. A knowledge-based bioeconomy (KBBE) for the 21st century?.- 4. A Brief Assessment of International and National Bioeconomy Strategies.- 5. Understanding the philosophical underpinnings of dogmatic bioeconomy visions.- 6. Ensuring the safe use of biotechnology for a sustainable bioeconomy.- 7. Concluding remarks.

Philipp Aerni is Professor at the School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR) and Director of the Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) in Switzerland. In addition, he is an affiliate at the Institute for Plant Microbial Biology (IPMB) at the University of Zurich and teaches courses on sustainability and agriculture at the University of Zurich as well as ETH Zurich.Ursula Jenal is the Founder and Executive Manager of Jenal & Partners Biosafety Consulting GmbH based in Switzerland, which advises industry, academia and authorities on all issues related to biosafety and biosecurity significant for the safe use of biotechnology. She is a visiting lecturer at the University of Zurich and the Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) and holds a PhD in Natural Sciences Microbial Ecology from ETH Zurich.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. A brief history of the bioeconomy from an anthropological perspective.- 3. A knowledge-based bioeconomy (KBBE) for the 21st century?.- 4. A Brief Assessment of International and National Bioeconomy Strategies.- 5. Understanding the philosophical underpinnings of dogmatic bioeconomy visions.- 6. Ensuring the safe use of biotechnology for a sustainable bioeconomy.- 7. Concluding remarks.