Learning Lounge: More than just bigger - The art of bioprocess scale-up

From shake flask to production plant: the transfer of biotechnological processes to industrial scale is the lever for establishing and accelerating industrial biotechnology. In this Learning Lounge, we show why scale-up is much more than simply enlarging reactors: it is about time, cost and resource efficiency - and about controlling complex interactions such as oxygen supply, heat dissipation and mechanical loads in a targeted manner. Based on fields of application such as chemicals, enzymes or feed additives, we show how the cultivation of microorganisms can be efficiently developed and scaled up. The focus is on time, cost and resource efficiency as well as gradual scale-up from small reactors to production plants. We derive specific strategies for reactor design from the existing challenges. Using real case studies, you will gain an insight into typical challenges, tried-and-tested approaches and current developments in research and industry.

The speakers:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Zavrel (TUM)

Michael Zavrel is Professor of Bioprocess Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Straubing Campus. In research and teaching, he focuses on the development and scaling of sustainable bioprocesses that utilise biogenic residual and side streams and lead to bio-based, biodegradable products; his spectrum includes fermentation, reprocessing and process design. After more than 13 years in industry at Süd-Chemie and Clariant, he has held the professorship at TUM since 2022.

Prof. Dr Alexander Grünberger (KIT)

Alexander Grünberger is Professor of "Microsystems in Bioprocess Engineering" at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and researches and teaches at the interface of microfluidics and bioprocess development. His group conducts research on new microfluidic cultivation methods, investigates population heterogeneity and scaling from micro to laboratory scale. After holding positions at Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and Bielefeld University, among others, he has held the professorship at KIT since 2022.

Directly afterwards: Meet & Match Workshop

20.10.2025, 14:10 – 15:30 Uhr (online)

You want more than just information
Then the TransBIB Meet & Match is just right for you! It's not about listening, it's about taking part:

• Discuss live with experts and other participants

• Contribute your ideas and develop them further

• Make contacts with like-minded people and potential partners

In an interactive setting with digital tools (Miro-Board), you actively shape the exchange.

Would you like to pitch a specific project idea? Get in touch with us and we'll clarify the details!

Note: Participation in the workshop is possible regardless of attendance at the previous Learning Lounge.