Circular Bioeconomy Symposium : 20 Years of Offenburg/Olsztyn Collaboration : Joint Master Programmes in Process Engineering and Biotechnology

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the Circular Bioeconomy Symposium at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences. As we gather in Offenburg on October 13 and 14, 2026, we celebrate a remarkable milestone: twenty years of academic partnership between Offenburg University of Applied Sciences and the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The joint Master's program in Process Engineering was established in 2006 as a flagship of German and Polish cooperation in higher education. Students spend part of their studies in both countries, gaining not only technical expertise but also a genuinely international perspective. In 2018/19, the partnership was expanded to include the joint Master's program in Biotechnology. Throughout these two decades, the Georg and Maria Dietrich Foundation has supported the collaboration with outstanding and lasting commitment, for which we are deeply grateful. We believe that this partnership has shaped the careers of countless engineers and scientists and has grown into a strong binational network in environmental technology and biotechnology. This symposium is both a reunion and a look ahead. The scientific program reflects the breadth of research carried out across our institutions, ranging from biocatalytic routes to sustainable nutrition and advanced biogas and power to gas technologies, to thermochemical pathways for resource recovery and strategies for monitoring and mitigating environmental pollution. Over two days, the program features 16 oral presentations in four scientific sessions and 28 poster contributions from both universities and their partners. Alongside the scientific sessions, alumni will share their career journeys, a matchmaking workshop will open doors for future joint projects between Olsztyn and Offenburg, and lab tours will offer a look behind the scenes of our current research. This Book of Abstracts provides an overview of all contributions and offers insight into current research trends and future directions in the circular bioeconomy. We thank our team members and the administration at Offenburg University of Applied Sciences and the University of Warmia and Mazury, whose dedication made this event possible. We also thank all speakers and poster presenters: your contributions are what make this symposium a lively forum for exchange between academia, industry and the next generation of researchers. We look forward to inspiring presentations, engaging discussions and many reunions with old friends and new colleagues. Welcome to Offenburg, and here's to the next twenty years! The Symposium Chairs Institute for Circular Bioeconomy (ICB), Offenburg University of Applied Sciences