What Is Biomimicry?

Biomimicry is the practice of learning from nature and emulating its forms, processes and systems to solve human problems and drive innovation. People started doing this a long time ago: Leonardo da Vinci observed nature, which was reflected in his design drawings, and the Wright brothers studied bird wings to create flight.

Throughout the world and across industries, people are drawing from nature’s genius once again. A product inspired by sharkskin actually repels bacteria by design, not chemicals – perfect for use in medical settings. Japan’s bullet train was redesigned thanks to a birdwatcher and engineer who was inspired by the kingfisher’s seamless entry into water and the owl’s near silent flight. (The train is now quieter, 10% faster and uses 15% less electricity.) Velcro was inspired by burdock burrs, which easily stick to your clothes through a hook-and-loop design.

The beauty of biomimicry is that by mimicking nature, we can create life-friendly products, buildings and cities. Teams can work together more intelligently when operating as a living system. Educators can better engage students in STEM and connect their communities to nature. When we closely align to nature's principles, our world can flourish.

Worldwide Impact

In the next decade, biomimicry is expected to:

Contribute $425 billion annually to U.S. GDP

Provide $500 billion mitigating natural resource depletion/reducing CO2 pollution

Represent about $1.6 trillion of global GDP

Account for 2 million U.S. jobs (by 2030)

Data provided by Fermanian Business and Economic Institute, Nazarene University

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great lakes biomimicry

We help organizations learn from nature to accelerate innovation.

Mission

Great Lakes Biomimicry (GLBio) is an entrepreneurial 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to create the conditions for innovation inspired by nature. We are focused on helping organizations explore new opportunities, solve problems and drive sustainability by harnessing the intelligence found in nature’s 3.8 billion years of R&D.

Our team:

Provides Innovation Services to businesses and organizations through the Great Lakes Biomimicry Innovation Playbook™ -- helping businesses explore new opportunities, solve problems and drive sustainability
Works closely with The University of Akron to recruit sponsors for the Biomimicry Ph.D. Fellowship Program
Runs the Corporate Innovation Council, composed of Biomimicry Fellows and Sponsors. Quarterly meetings allow for peer learning, idea sharing, networking, and trust building between corporate, industry and non-profit organizations. Innovation Sessions provide a unique opportunity for the Sponsors to work on a common challenge, resulting in a joint discovery and learning across organizations.
Delivers Professional Education to help organizations accelerate the adoption, integration and application of biomimicry
Offers Educator Academies and Programs for PK-12 teachers and informal education institutions to access the knowledge and tools needed for their classrooms and programs
Leads Community Programs for general audiences to spark interest in the emerging field of biomimicry

History

GLBio was born in July 2010 when serial entrepreneur Tom Tyrrell partnered with Don Knechtges, the founder of GLIDE (Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise), and Dr. Peter Niewiarowski, evolutionary biologist at The University of Akron (UA). GLBio was created as a collaborative, educationally-driven solution to Northeast Ohio’s economic development effort.

GLBio and UA developed a proposal that funded a Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center at UA and created the world's only Biomimicry Ph.D. Fellowship Program. The first Fellows were recruited from Taiwan, Belgium, Germany and Australia in 2012. The program has since grown to include more students and sponsors, and in May 2017, the first two students in the program graduated.

Biomimicry education efforts focused on STEAM – integrating biology, chemistry, engineering, social studies, language arts, creative arts and other subjects. The first set of educational partnerships were developed with schools in Akron, Cleveland and Lorain, including National Inventors Hall of Fame, Elyria High School, Lake Ridge Academy and MC2 STEM High School. We joined the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to help deliver a biomimicry-based science curriculum to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Our Education Consortium was created for local educators and the first Teacher Professional Development was offered in summer 2015. Collaborations were formed with regional institutions of higher learning, biomimicry clubs, environmental programs, parks and museums.

Professional Education Workshops and Innovation Services were developed, which embed biomimicry practices into a company’s culture and R&D processes. We were invited to form a consortium with Ohio Aerospace Institute and NASA, and the Great Lakes Biomimicry Technology Center at Lorain County Community College was developed.

To date, we have attracted Biomimicry Ph.D. Fellows from across the globe, raised over $2 million in Fellow stipends, received $425,000 of in-kind support from service partners, partnered with over 30 agencies, businesses and schools, and invested more than 33,000 volunteer hours into the organization. Of nearly 40 global biomimicry networks, GLBio is the first Affiliate Partner of the international organization Biomimicry 3.8.

Looking Ahead

Since 2010, we have been single-minded about spreading the seeds of biomimicry thinking and opening up the space for elegant solutions based on the genius found in nature.

As Great Lakes Biomimicry moves into its next phase, we will use nature as our mentor and model so we can adapt, grow, and evolve, enabling us to build the resiliency that will enable us to thrive. We will be our own case study of how an organization can structure itself and operate with a conscious acceptance that we are part of the natural system, subject to the laws of nature.