DECHEMA Industrial Bioprocess Award
Are you developing innovative approaches that bring bioprocess engineering closer to industrial application? The DECHEMA Industrial Bioprocess Award honors outstanding young scientists whose PhD research has made a significant contribution to bridging fundamental science and industrial practice in bioprocess engineering.
Applications for the 2026 award are open until February 15th, 2026.
First established to strengthen the connection between academic research and industrial innovation, the award recognizes pioneering doctoral work with clear industrial relevance and scientific excellence. Candidates are encouraged to demonstrate how their research contributes to solving real-world challenges — from sustainable production technologies to process optimization or novel biotechnological methods.
The award, offered for the ninth time, includes prize money of up to €5,000. It is supported by the industrial members of the DECHEMA working party on “Bioprocess Engineering”.
The award ceremony will take place during the Himmelfahrtstagung 2026 in Mainz, one of the most prominent annual gatherings of the bioprocess engineering community. The laureate will have the opportunity to present their research to leading experts from academia and industry.
Eligible candidates are those who have completed their PhD thesis between December 2024 and December 2025 (based on the date of the thesis defense). Please include a comprehensive summary (up to 4 pages, covering key topic, motivation, scientific approach and results), the full version of your PhD thesis, and a Curriculum Vitae to your application.
You can submit your documents between 1 June and 15 February here
We are looking forward to your contributions covering the entire spectrum of modern bioprocess engineering: from genes to products, from µL to production scale and from upstream to downstream.
Previous winners of the DECHEMA Industrial Bioprocess Award:
| 2025 | Sven Göbel, Max Planck Institut Magdeburg, Magdeburg/D |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Florian Mayer, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna/AT |
| 2023 | Martin Ziegler, University of Stuttgart/D |
| 2022 | Marcel Mann, RWTH Aachen/D |
| 2021 |
Maike Kuschel, University of Stuttgart/D |
| 2020 |
Hans-Jürgen Heidebrecht, Technical University of Munich/D |
| 2019 |
Theo Peschke, Novartis AG, Basel/CH |
| 2018 |
Cees Haringa, Delft University of Technology/NL |