On September 25th, the TIB-RWTH Joint Centre of Biotechnology, National Center of Technology Innovation for Synthetic Biology (hereinafter referred to as the "Joint Center") held the Third Workshop on Protein Engineering and Biocatalysis for Sustainable Biomanufacturing also the 2024 Annual Meeting of Sino-Germany Synthetic Biology Joint Project of the Joint Center. through a combination of online and offline methods. Prof. TIAN Chaoguang, Deputy Director-General of Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "TIBCAS"), attended the meeting. Prof. Ulrich Schwaneberg, Director of the Joint Center from Institute of Biotechnology of RWTH Aachen University in Germany, and Prof. ZHU Leilei, Deputy Director of the Joint Center from TIBCAS, co-chaired the meeting.

On behalf of TIBCAS, Prof. TIAN welcomed Prof. Schwaneberg and his delegation as well as the other attending guests. He accredited the active progress made by the Joint Center in promoting joint research, talent cultivation, and academic exchanges since its establishment, and expressed TIBCAS’ continuous support on the Joint Center. He looked forward to the Joint Center playing a greater role in promoting extensive industry-university-research cooperation between China and Germany in the field of biotechnology in the future.

Prof. Schwaneberg elaborated on the importance of directed evolution technology in the development of enzyme catalysts in his presentation, with an emphasis on applying KnowVolution and CompassR algorithms developed by his team in enzyme-directed modification. More than 10 scientists from TIBCAS, RWTH Aachen University and Bielefeld University subsequently reported on their research works surrounding the conference theme, encompassing the latest progress in carbon dioxide biotransformation and utilization, research and development of bio-electrocatalysts and nanoporous materials, the design of novel enzyme catalytic reactions and so on. Executives from several German biotechnology companies such as AGIT and SeSaM Biotech gave an introduction on their businesses, and the role in promoting the development of Aachen’s regional bioeconomy through driving biotechnological innovations.

This conference is the third academic seminar on the protein engineering and biocatalysis organized by the Joint Center since its establishment in September 2021, contributing to the mutual understanding and in-depth cooperation between TIBCAS and Germany organizations besides RWTH Aachen University.

Opening speech by Prof. TIAN Chaoguang

Prof. ZHU Leilei presided the meeting

Prof. Ulrich Schwaneberg gave an opening presentation

The Group photo of the Meeting