After welcoming the around 60 guests by Prof. Dr. Veronika Hellwig (CIB spokesperson), Prof. Dr. Karen Cabos (Vice President for Research and International Affairs, TH Lübeck) and Prof. Dr. Antje Labes (Chairwoman of the Nordverbund Marine Biotechnologie) followed four thematic blocks about current developments from business and science in the field of blue biotechnology.
Prof. Dr. Veronika Hellwig moderated the first thematic block and said about the event: The day was a complete success for us. We wanted to bring speakers from science and business together on the podium. The combination of experts from blue biotechnology and the (sustainable) food industry was exciting. The speakers came from start-ups, medium-sized companies and research institutions.
In the first block, “(Marine) Nutrition”, Stefan Drewes gave insights into FEMEG Production and Sales GmbH. He talked about the strategies for more sustainability and transparency in the company.
The second block “(Marine) Alternatives” was designed by Dr. Levent Piker (oceanBASIS GmbH) moderated. Charlotte Bramers (BLUU GmbH) and Rebecca Bohlmann (Planteneers GmbH) showed ways in which biotechnology can revolutionize aquatic food production and how the cell can ultimately end up on the plate – optionally without a net or hook. The closing speaker of the thematic block was Prof. Dr. Thomas Schweder (Uni Greifswald – Project Plat3) Insights into the biotechnology of marine polysaccharides.
Prof. Dr. Antje Labes moderated the third topic block. This was under the heading “(Marine) Supplement”. Dr. Inga Koopmann (Queisser Pharma GmbH & Co. KG) explained the extraction of vegan omega-3 fatty acids from the sea, which are an alternative to fish oil. Dr. Dr. reported what microalgae could contribute to structural change in Schleswig-Holstein. Stefan Hindersin (Sea & Sun Technology GmbH). Dr. Holger Kühnhold from the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research explained how indoor aquaculture of mangrove jellyfish works and how bioeconomically relevant ingredients are obtained from them.
In the last topic block, “(Marine) Aquaculture”, Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schulz (Christian Albrechts University of Kiel) guided the guests through the program. Rupert Baur (HanseGarnelen AG) showed a very good example of how energy optimization can lead to a sustainable recycling system. Dr. Tim Staufenberger (Kieler Meeresfarm GmbH & Co. KG) presented the Kieler Meeresfarm – a sustainable aquaculture in the Kiel Fjord. The conclusion was Dr. Isa Kolbe (Fraunhofer IMTE) with the exciting lecture “From the Petri dish to fish welfare”.
Following the series of lectures, the guests had the opportunity to exchange ideas and network at the 26th Kiel Algae Regulars’ Table. For those interested, there were tours of the CIB laboratories as well as the laboratories for pollution control and environmental process engineering, where technical as well as water ecological issues are addressed.
More information
The Center for Industrial Biotechnology (CIB) the TH Lübeck
The Nordverbund Marine Biotechnology