Recap: 2023 Recent Advances in Fermentation Technology (RAFT 15)
RAFT 15 Recap
It was a privilege to work with so many industry experts to create the program for RAFT 15, and I am thrilled that the conference went so well. Devastatingly, during my journey to Florida, I contracted a very mild case of COVID despite faithfully masking and was consequently asked not to attend. I am still heartbroken to have missed the conference. Sessions conveners, exhibitors, and attendees alike have relayed their positive impressions of RAFT 15.
Over 300 registrants from industry, academia, and government gathered in Naples, FL for RAFT 15, a great showing only one year after the delayed (and hurricane-plagued!) RAFT 14. Nearly one third of the attendees travelled internationally, making RAFT 15 a truly global conference.
Dr. Christopher Guske of D2 Biotech Consulting kicked off RAFT 15 with the keynote address. He shared lessons learned, insights gained, and even a bit of prognostication from over three decades of experience in industrial fermentation and biotechnology.
The program consisted of six scientific sessions: “Next generation strain design: Looking beyond the lab;” “PAT for process insight, improvement, and automation;” “Process modelling for fermentation understanding and control;” “Scaling: Up and down and back again;” “Sustainability in fermentation;” and “The interplay between upstream and downstream processing.” In addition, two poster sessions gave attendees the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with presenters and one another. Our round table discussion on “Net Zero: How the Fermentation Industry Gets There” was expertly convened and moderated. The topic was timely, after a year of record-breaking heat across the globe.
The RAFT 15 exhibition hall was sold out, with over 40 vendors and service providers on hand to discuss their products and services with attendees. Six exhibitor showcases highlighted new technologies through focused presentations.
RAFT 15 was possible only because of the support and work of so many organizations and people. I am very thankful to our sponsors for their support of RAFT 15: Ohly, Corteva Agrisciences, the Bioexpression and Fermentation Facility at the University of Georgia, Kuhner Shaker, and BioP2P Network. I give deep thanks to the SIMB team – particularly Tina Hockaday, Haley Cox, and Jennifer Johnson – who worked so diligently to make RAFT a success. I could not have asked for a better team of session conveners, who leveraged their collective experience to bring together highly informative speakers from across the fermentation space. And finally, I am truly grateful to Daniel Dong, RAFT 15 Program Co-Chair, for his support developing and running RAFT 15.
Fermentation is a field that will keep growing in importance and complexity, and I have no doubt that the RAFT conference series will continue to serve a vital role in our industry. Keep an eye out for information about RAFT 16, which will be held in 2025 and for which Daniel Dong will serve as Program Chair.
With my appreciation and best regards,
Kat Allikian
