Symposium 2023 - Recap

We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone involved in the 2023 symposium, which took place at Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg. The combination of project meetings, conferences, competitions, poster exhibitions and mini-fairs provided the conference with a wide range of networking opportunities, and in the evenings, the cosy patio created an almost family-like atmosphere.

Day 0 was Monday, when internal project meetings took place, some open and some closed to the public. The university offered a variety of retreats, for example to hold workshops.

The programme was opened on both main days by the BaMS board, Prof. Carsten Schulz, Institute of Animal Breeding (CAU) and Prof. Rüdiger Schulz, Botanical Institute (CAU), as well as the representative of the host institution, Prof. Christiane Thiel, Biological Psychology and Vice-President for Research and Transfer at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.

From left to right: 1. Carsten Schulz at the opening of the first official day of the symposium. 2. Rüdiger Schulz reported on his experiences in his welcome speech at the start of the second day of the symposium.

On the first day, the focus was on BaMS projects that had already reached at least the halfway point in their duration or were already able to report results. There was particularly lively discussion following the keynote speech by Prof. Helmut Hillebrand, who, together with his network at the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, is tackling the difficult question of what species extinction would mean for the world in various scenarios. Compiling data from all regions of the globe is an impressive, if somewhat daunting, task. That is why the methodology of the innovation space is also crucial – diversification is needed at all levels.

Chemical giant BASF has also expressed its interest in the blue bioeconomy. Represented by Dr Ulrike Hees, Senior Manager for Technology Scouting, she demonstrated a clear need for sustainable resources in the form of an entertaining pitch about the company.

From left to right: 1. Marlene Müller from the University of Greifswald at the RüBio project meeting in a double conference via Zoom + Albert Beyer from the Alfred Wegener Institute during his presentation to the plenary session 3. Sascha Hermus from the 3N Competence Network Lower Saxony reports on the almost completed ÖkoPro project 4. Juliane Köller-Gontermann from AQUATOR as moderator of the Blue.Awards

The Online-Programme

Supplemented by the abstracts of the speakers.

Pictures from left to right: 1. View of the poster exhibition in the foyer of the lecture hall. 2. The start-up 4DimBlick brought its virtual reality glasses and successfully placed itself in the Blue.Awards competition. 3. + 4. Impressions of the poster exhibition.

For the second time, the Blue.Awards were presented at a ceremony during the symposium. Six companies operating in various areas of the blue bioeconomy competed in the StartUp category, while the extended advisory board selected the winners in the ‘Student Award’ and ‘Transfer Award’ categories. The start-up competition took place on Tuesday afternoon in the form of 10-minute PowerPoint presentations summarising the most important aspects of each company. The audience then voted immediately afterwards, and the votes were counted and the winners announced the following day. Here are the winners.

1st place: VYLD

Ocean saving. Period. That is the slogan of Berlin-based start-up VYLD, which is causing a stir in the industry with its ‘TangPon’. The idea is to produce tampons made from algae material instead of cellulose, while still meeting the highest comfort standards. The corresponding BaMS project will start shortly. Congratulations on winning €1,000!

Second place and €500 went to the team led by Ben Schwedhelm from Kiel (third from left in the photo): MySpirulina is a consumer-friendly microalgae cultivation device. Spirulina algae have recently become increasingly popular as a superfood, but the dried powder is not exactly cheap and has lost some of its nutrients during the drying process. The idea is a small cultivation device for the windowsill, which, thanks to solar power and integrated timer-controlled circulation, makes it very easy to grow your own algae at home. ‘You grow it – you know it’ is the motto, and the aim is to contribute significantly to the social acceptance of microalgae as a dietary supplement. Well done!

Third place went to Hendrik Monsees and Stefan Johnigk from 4DimBlick. The young company has developed modern educational strategies, namely virtual reality for further training, special insights into closed productions, preparation for emergency situations or other types of location-independent training. The Kiel-based company offers a comprehensive service including content creation and equipment provision. A convincing presentation!

That's why guest speaker Angela Schultz-Zehden invited the VR team and the TangPon winners to the first Blue Mission BANOS Arena Conference in Gothenburg. (There are still a few places left! Link to the event).

This year's student prize goes to Louisa Rau from the Botanical Institute in Kiel. The biologist has carried out an extensive screening of microalgae cultures from surface waters of biogas plants. As part of the BaMS project ÖkoPro, she has done excellent work, which she was able to present with confidence. We also congratulate her on a recently approved doctoral scholarship from the Federal Foundation for the Environment!

The Transfer Prize for 2023 goes to Mar Fernández Méndez. Her goal is to cultivate a macroalgae called Sargassum in open sea farms. This fast-growing algae forms dense carpets and binds large amounts of CO2 as it grows. When harvested, it can be used to produce raw materials for the chemical industry. Her company is called MacroCarbon, and it aims to bind 100 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by 2040 and convert the carbon into raw materials. To put this into perspective, Germany's total CO2 emissions in 2022 amounted to around 660 million tonnes. Unfortunately, she was not physically present to receive the award, but she sent us a video message of thanks.