Berlin is the meeting point for European process engineers and biotechnologists

From September 25th-29th, 2011, Berlin will be the focal point of European process engineering and biotechnology. More than 3,000 participants from Europe and beyond are expected for the 8th European Congress of Chemical Engineering and the 1st European Congress of Applied Biotechnology. About 800 lectures cover the complete range of current topics from simulation to plant design and safety technology and from systems biology to biorefineries. About 1,000 scientific posters, an accompanying industry exhibition and an attractive social program stimulate discussion and offer an opportunity for networking.

Federal Minister of Education and Research Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan will welcome the participants to this year’s most important European event for process engineering and biotechnology. The opening speech is held by Prof. Dr. Peter Seeberger, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces.

The choice of a common location and date for both events is not accidental. While renewable resources are gaining in importance for the chemical industry, biotechnologists are working to implement their findings in industrial processes. Cooperation is becoming ever more intensive, and there is a large overlap of contents: Biorefineries, biobased products from fine chemicals to bioplastics, the broad area of separation techniques and bio pocess technology are sessions that address both the chemical engineer and the biotechnologist. Of course, there is also a broad range of “traditional chemical” topics: Simulation and modelling, fluid dynamics, materials science or process intensification and all other aspects of process engineering are covered. The same applies to “purely biotechnological” issues such as bio process engineering, metabolic engineering or enzymatic catalysis that are discusses in depth.

Among the more than 800 lectures are also several overview and tandem lectures that give a comprehensive overview on the current state of research activities from science and industry. Four high-ranking plenary lectures open the respective daily agenda. Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, Member of the Board of BASF SE, Prof. Dr. Philippe A. Tanguy, Vice President of TOTAL S.A., and Dr. Konstantin B. Konstantinov, Vice President for Technology Development of Genzyme Corp. have confirmed their contributions, just as Prof. Dr. Rolf G. Werner, Senior Vice President of Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. The political framework for biobased economy and research is summarized in the term “Bio-Economy”. The exact meaning and the impact of the concept on practical activities will be the subject of a panel discussion on Tuesday afternoon.

The accompanying exhibition display practical applications, and the attendees have the chance to make new contacts to companies. This should be of special interest to the participants in the student and Ph.D. student programme: In workshops and lectures, they get first-hand information on job opportunities and career planning and have the opportunity to ask questions to professionals.

Applied engineering and biotechnology can be experienced at two students’ competitions on Tuesday: In the 5th ChemCar Competition organized by the “creative young process engineers” (kjVIs) vehicles no larger than a shoe box have to master a defined distance driven by a chemical reaction. The members of the brewing society “Campusperle” have issued an invitation for the 2nd International Brewery Contest where students will demonstrate what one can produce using biotechnology.

Additional information is available on www.ecce2011.de and www.ecab2011.eu. In June, the detailed lecture programme will be published there. By subscribing to the newsletter, one can be certain to receive all relevant information just on time.

DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) is a non-profit scientific society based in Frankfurt am Main. Today it has over 5,800 members representing scientists, engineers, companies, organisations and institutes. DECHEMA’s mission is to shape and promote technological progress in the fields of chemical engineering, biotechnology and environmental protection. Its varied tasks place DECHEMA at the intersection of science, industry and the public.