For two straight hours at the International Conference on the Cell and Molecular Biology of Chlamydomonas(CHLAMY 2025), Jacob Kneip found himself in one conversation after another. Researchers kept stopping by his poster—not for quick exchanges, but for deep dives into SUN-PERFORM’s approach to engineering algae for solar fuel production.
There was always someone coming by. We had long conversations—sometimes half an hour—they were very, very interested.
CHLAMY 2025, held in Münster, Germany, from 24 – 29 August 2025, was one of the first major conferences where SUN-PERFORM was formally introduced to the algae research community. The project had previously been presented at the Joint EIC–SUNERGY Road mapping Event on Renewable Hydrogen, Fuels & Chemicals in Brussels and European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE), building momentum within the field. For this presentation, Jacob split his poster into two parts: the upper section laid out the project’s grand goals, consortium partners, and historical context—establishing the foundation for audiences new to SUN-PERFORM. The lower section showcased his preliminary results from two of the project’s work packages.
The Energy Battery That Captured Attention
What drew researchers in—particularly those working on photosynthesis engineering—was Work Package 1’s novel approach: building an energy buffering system within the algae’s chloroplasts. Think of it as a biological battery that temporarily stores solar energy during peak light conditions, preventing waste and improving overall productivity.
This has not been done before, so especially people who are trying to engineer photosynthesis were very interested.
The intense interest wasn’t just academic curiosity. Jacob and his team at the Algae Biotechnology & Bioenergy research group (Bielefeld University) are navigating real challenges in this rugged research landscape. “It’s like two steps forward, one step back,” he admits. “So, it’s quite challenging.” But the conference conversations proved valuable: “We got a lot of nice input and some new ideas that we are now trying to test out in the lab, so that was very helpful.”
Building a Solid Foundation for new Research
While the energy battery work drew the most attention, Jacob also presented early results from Work Package 3, which focuses on increasing lipid production in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii through metabolic engineering. This freshwater algae species has recently emerged as a promising “green cell factory” for producing both fine and bulk chemicals.
The Work Package 3 results attracted less buzz, but for good reason. “What we have done in Work Package 3 so far is quite similar to what has been done in the past,” Jacob explains. “So, we are building a base before we start testing very novel things.” This foundational work—establishing reliable protocols for lipid biosynthesis and integrating them with other synthetic pathways—is essential groundwork for the more innovative approaches to come. The goal is to demonstrate solar fuel production through an integrated biohybrid system under different light and reactor conditions.
As SUN-PERFORM continues to establish its presence at major conferences, the CHLAMY 2025 presentation demonstrated both the novelty of the project’s approach and the collaborative spirit driving it forward.
