From August 25 to 29, 2024, Hamburg University of Technology welcomed scientists and industry experts to the 11th International Biocatalysis Congress (“biocat2024” for short) on the Schwarzenberg Campus.
This year's “biocat” brought together 365 experts from over 40 nations to discuss new findings in biocatalysis - a technology that contributes significantly to the development of a sustainable future and the industrial production of our everyday products. A wide range of goals are being pursued in this field of research: For example, high-quality products are to be manufactured from renewable raw materials. These products are used in chemistry, medicine and food technology. But it is also about low-cost chemicals that are used in everyday products. The supply of clean and environmentally friendly energy is also a key topic: new biotechnological processes that integrate electricity or light as energy sources are presented and discussed scientifically. “The use of sustainable resources in particular can set biotechnological processes apart from traditional petrochemical processes,” said Professor Johannes Gescher, Co-Chair of the conference.
This year's conference focused on topics such as “AI and Computational Methods”, “Bioprocess Engineering, Design of Smart Reactors” and “Facing Climate Change: Sustainability and Circular Bioeconomy”. The “biocat award” will also be presented at the conference to three participants for excellent research achievements in the areas of “Academic Research”, “Industrial Research” and “Lifetime Achievement”. “Over the past two decades, the biocat conference at TU Hamburg has developed into one of the most important international meeting places for biocatalysts and offers both established and young scientists the ideal platform for interdisciplinary scientific exchange in an international environment,” said Professor Andreas Liese, conference director of "biocat".
The winners of the “biocat2024” award
- Academic Research: Prof. Dr. Rebecca Buller-Blomberg (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland)
- Industrial Research: PhD. Carlos Martínez (Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, USA)
- Lifetime Achievement: Prof. Dr. Roland Wohlgemuth (Lodz University of Technology, Poland)
Background
TU Hamburg has hosted the biennial “biocat” from the very beginning, thus supporting its declared goal of “Engineering to Face Climate Change”: to meet the urgent challenges of climate change with innovative and interdisciplinary solutions. Biocatalysis is the central research field of the knowledge-based bioeconomy and one of the most urgent technologies for actively combating climate change. As a recognized UNU Hub of the United Nations University, TU Hamburg is making a decisive contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) with the “biocat” congress.
