Dr. Vera D. Jäger was awarded the Excellence Prize of Forschungszentrum Jülich, together with two other young scientists. The prize is awarded for outstanding dissertations which have been largely conducted at Jülich, and is endowed with 5,000 Euro each. The dissertation dealt with the simple and cost-effective production of enzymes and with the sustainable production of hydrocarbons in archeae. Vera Jäger did her doctorate at the Institute for Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU Düsseldorf), which is a member of the BioSC.

On 30 July, the MS Wissenschaft, which has been travelling for many years as an exhibition ship as part of the Science Years, took off in Münster. In the Science Year Bioeconomy, a joint exhibit of the Bioeconomy Science Center and IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich, is on board. It illustrates how algae can be used to purify wastewater and recover valuable nutrients.

On the basis of the BioSC project HySyn, which ended in 2019, the Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology (HHU Düsseldorf) and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have acquired a follow-up project from the BMBF. HySyn started to characterize a recently discovered enzyme family of algae that produces alkanes and alkenes. This work is being continued in the BMBF project FAPBiotech. The results of the project should help to pave the way for sustainable hydrocarbon production.

Laura Helleckes received the prize of the DECHEMA Future Forum Biotechnology for her master's thesis. The prize is endowed with 3,000 euros and is supported by Sartorius Stedim Biotech. Helleckes works in the group of Prof. Dr. Marco Oldiges, BIOSC Core Group Wiechert.

A BioSC workshop on the recycling of plastic waste was held in Aachen on 10th February. 45 scientists and entrepreneurs discussed different aspects of the topic ranging from depolymerisation to biotechnological and chemical conversion as well as the quantification of microplastics.

The 7th BioSC Spotlight took place at RWTH Aachen University on 5th February. Scientists from different disciplines discussed challenges and new developments for the production of materials and chemicals from the heterogeneous raw materials of a circular economy.