https://www.cas.cn/cm/202610/t20261027_5122929.shtml

The 2nd International Conference on Carbon Dioxide Fixation and Bioconversion was recently held in Tianjin. During the event, the International Alliance for Carbon Dioxide Fixation and Bioconversion was officially established. More than 300 experts and scholars from nearly 30 countries gathered to explore cutting-edge issues and future developments in the field, aiming to elevate international cooperation and exchange toward a more normalized, institutionalized, and collaborative framework.

The Alliance was co-initiated by over 20 experts and scholars from 9 countries, along with 5 representative institutions, and is open to research organizations and scientists worldwide. It will focus on frontier topics such as natural carbon-fixation mechanisms and the application of artificial intelligence in low-carbon biosynthesis, striving to become an influential international platform for cooperation and exchange in the field of carbon dioxide bioconversion.

The Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, serves as the lead initiator and the host for the Alliance’s secretariat. The Institute operates an automated and intelligent “bio-foundry” infrastructure, featuring robust capabilities for high-throughput testing and large-scale data generation. It will provide a world-class research platform to support joint studies conducted by the Alliance’s global members.

European Participation and Research Contributions

European research institutions were prominently represented at CO₂FIX 2026 in Tianjin. Two German scientists served as conference co-chairs alongside Xiang Hua (Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, CAS) and Sang Yup Lee (KAIST, South Korea).

Ulrich Schwaneberg, RWTH Aachen University, Germany, presented research on “Protein engineering of CO₂ pathway enzymes and the NRW-CO₂ initiative active carbon capture for sustainable synthesis (ACCeSS)”. His contribution highlighted enzyme engineering as a tool for developing improved biological CO₂ conversion processes.

Ivan Berg, University of Münster, Germany, discussed “Natural autotrophic CO₂ fixation pathways and their energetic efficiency”, focusing on the metabolic mechanisms and energy requirements of biological carbon fixation.

Additional European contributions included:

• Kevin Verstrepen, VIB–KU Leuven, Belgium: Engineering carbon and redox metabolism to establish CO₂-dependent growth in yeast.
• Pablo I. Nikel, Technical University of Denmark: Expanding the range of natural and synthetic one-carbon substrates utilized by Pseudomonas putida.
• Lin Su, Queen Mary University of London, UK: Light-driven biohybrid systems for green biomanufacturing.
• Yonghua Li-Beisson, Aix-Marseille University, France: Microalgae for CO₂ utilization and carbon storage.
• Fernando Pérez-García, Norwegian University of Science and Technology: Carbon-efficient utilization of seaweed sugars in microbial bioprocesses.
• Sammy Pontrelli, KU Leuven/VIB, Belgium: High-flux enzyme reactions in the marine carbon cycle.
• Johannes G. Rebelein, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany: Engineering nitrogenases for CO₂ valorization.

These contributions illustrate the broad European expertise in synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, biocatalysis and biological carbon fixation. They also highlight opportunities for international research cooperation within the newly established CO₂FIX Alliance.

While European scientists played prominent roles at the conference, their formal membership in the alliance has not yet been confirmed by the published information.

Sources:

1. Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, CAS (26 October 2026): CO₂FIX 2026 Opens in Tianjin, with International CO₂ Fixation and Bioconversion Alliance Officially Launched
2. Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, CAS: CO₂ Fixation and Bioconversion International Symposium 2026 – Scientific Programme