In 2025, the 7th ESSIB on "Enzymes and polymers in the context of biocircular economy" is hosted by the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute and will focus on polymer-active enzymes involved in synthesis, functionalization and degradation of biopolymers and synthetic polymers. The program will cover structure and mechanistic aspects, sequence- and function-based exploration of diversity, microbial consortia, computer-aided modelling and engineering, multi-scale throughput screening, and challenges of enzyme-based technologies for polymer transformation.
The European Summer School on Industrial Biotechnology (ESSIB) is an annual advanced training course for PhD students and postdocs, preferably (but not exclusively) from European countries with research projects in the fields of biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biochemical engineering, and bioinformatics. ESSIB brings together students from different fields of life sciences and introduces them into the field of industrial biotechnology. Lectures and practical courses present the current challenges in biotech industry, up-to-date methods, and strategies, and discuss about the scientific perspectives of industrial biotechnology and its contribution to sustainable growth. Thus, ESSIB is a complete educational program based on lectures, practical laboratory experience, and contacts with companies active in the field.
Since 2014, the ESSIB is organized by two academic partners, the University of Milano-Bicocca and the University of Stuttgart. Each year, the summer school will be hosted by a different partner and has a different focus.