Group Photo

The 7^th International School and Conference on Biological Materials Science - BioINSP 2024 - took place from 18 to 20 March 2024 as a hybrid conference in Löwenstein (Germany). This format allowed participants from all over the world to take part in the discussions and presentations both on site and online. With 50 participants from 7 different countries, including 39 on-site and 11 online, the event offered a wide range of discussions and presentations.

In total, 3 keynote talks, one plenary talk, 21 talks, 8 poster pitch presentations and 4 poster presentations were held. The plenary lecture, held by Prof. Dr. Dr.hc Peter Fratzl from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, was dedicated to a memorial talk in honor of Prof. Helmut Cölfen. This moment was accompanied by a minute of silence dedicated to his irreplaceable contributions in the field of bioinspired materials, biomineralization, non-classical crystallization, polymers and colloid analysis.

The poster session, sponsored by Wiley, was another highlight of the conference. Here, outstanding work by young scientists was honored. Third place went to Quyang Liu from the National University of Singapore, followed by Junpyo Kwon from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in second place. Sophie Klemm from the Technical University of Berlin was awarded first place and thus the main prize, in recognition of her innovative contributions to the field.

A social get-together on both evenings, where activities such as bowling, billiards, table soccer, table tennis and darts were offered, provided participants with the opportunity for informal exchanges and networking.

Special thanks go to the conference chairs, Prof. Dr. Selhuber-Unkel from the University of Heidelberg and Prof. Dr. Fabritius from Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, whose commitment and passion for the field of bioinspired materials made BioINSP 2024 a complete success.

A picture gallery with impressions of the event is available online for anyone who was unable to attend or would like to review the highlights of the conference. The DGM looks forward to welcoming participants and all interested parties again at future events and thanks them for their continued support and commitment to the world of bioinspired materials.