Competition for the best €99 bioreactor 2026

For the eleventh time, on July 9 and 10, 2026, student teams will compete in the laboratories of the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering at TU Dresden to find out which team has built the best bioreactor for a maximum of €99. The competition is organized by the Chair together with the Netzwerk Bioverfahrenstechnik Dresden e.V..

This year's task is to design the processes and bioreactors so that the largest possible quantity of single cell proteins (SCP) is produced using the yeast Cyberlindnera jadinii. SCP is the protein content of the microbial biomass that can subsequently be used as a protein source. C. jadinii, which is approved as a foodstuff in the EU, is to be cultivated on ethanol as a substrate for the competition. Ethanol is highly soluble and can be produced biologically from various industrial side streams or via power-to-X processes. The competition thus addresses a climate-friendly and circular value chain in an exemplary manner.

© Netzwerk Bioverfahresntechnik Dresden e.V.

Further information and the complete call for entries for the competition can be found at: https://netzwerk-bioverfahrenstechnik.de/

Before the award ceremony, the student teams are invited to present their reactor concepts at the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering's summer party on July 10. Current, former and interested students and staff are cordially invited to attend.