From September 29 to October 1 2020, the Biofilms 9 was hosted at KIT as an online conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially regarding the situation during the pandemic, we were happy to chair a lively conference with 7 keynotes, 30 talks, 115 poster presentations, 2 live demonstrations of exhibitors and 280 participants from more than 30 countries.
The session on ‘Biofilm Control’ covered the presentation of established as well as novel approaches for the monitoring and controlling of biofilm development in a variety of technical applications (e.g. membrane-based processes). The presentations in the sessions ‘Biofilm Heterogeneity’ and ‘Biofilm Matrix’ focused on advancing the methods for elucidating biofilm structures. Furthermore, results on the influence of biofilm heterogeneity on the function of biofilms were reported. ‘Biofilm Lifecycle’ addressed scientists, who are interested in the relationships between genetics, signal molecules and regulatory mechanisms in biofilm formation and also biofilm dispersion. Besides these classical research topics of the biofilm community, the conference focused on ‘Productive Biofilms’, a topic that is currently rapidly gaining in importance. Several presentations showcased new breakthroughs in the field of microbial electrosynthesis processes using new aerobic biocatalysts. For further information please see the programme.
The Biofilms 10 will take place from 9 - 11 May 2022 in Leipzig, Germany.
