Dr. Thomas SCHWARZ, Chairman of CLIB²⁰²¹ (Cluster for Industrial Biotechnology), was invited to visit Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences on Jan 30. 

Dr. SCHWARZ visited the CLIB China Representation office, and learned about the status quo of the office as an industrial biotechnology bridge between CLIB and China. He then visited eight research groups related to biology and biotechnology, and highly recognized the progress made at QIBEBT. Meanwhile, he proposed some potential connections between CLIB members and QIBEBT in certain fields. He emphasized that CLIB is now considering to provide an interactive platform for all the CLIB members, through which more links and collaboration can be explored efficiently. 

The meeting was hosted by Dr. XIN Hongchuan, Deputy Director of Science and Technology Department of QIBEBT. Dr. XIN exchanged views with Dr. SCHWARZ on how CLIB China Representation can become a meaningful connection between CLIB members and the biotechnology-related organizations in China. 

QIBEBT joined CLIB as a member in Nov of 2014, and the CLIB China Representation was established within QIBEBT in Oct of 2015. QIBEBT has organized several international symposiums or workshops, including the Biotechnology Workshop on Nov 10, 2014 and the CLIB-Qingdao Biotechnology Workshop on Apr 22, 2015, to promote the international collaboration and technology transfer in the areas of industrial biotechnology.  

The visit is expected to facilitate further collaboration between CLIB and China.