On September 19, the 4th Universities for SDG13 Award, jointly initiated by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN) and Siemens Energy, concluded. The contest featured eight global regions, The Institute for Sustainable Development Goals at Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SDG Institute) served as the host of the Greater China Finals for this edition (4th) and as the SDSN China Hub. Throughout the event organization and team mentorship process, it fully leveraged its academic resources and international network advantages to provide participating teams with comprehensive support and professional guidance, contributing youth power to addressing global climate change. Ultimately, the Tsinghua University team "C-N Biotechnology" won the inaugural Honorable Mention established for this edition of the contest with its mature project and technology.

The C-N Biotechnology team is composed of master's and doctoral students from Tsinghua University, including Liao Yang, a doctoral student from the School of Environment; Tang Leyan, a master's student from the School of Journalism and Communication; Assad, a doctoral student from the Department of Electrical Engineering; Niu Lishan, a doctoral student from the School of Environment; and Gu Yi, a master's student from the School of Software. Addressing the challenges associated with carbon dioxide and bio-based carbon capture and utilization, the team developed carbon-capturing microbial consortia and photobioreactors with AI-enabled precise analysis and regulation. They convert CO₂ into biofuels and microbial proteins, providing a climate-friendly and economically viable solution at scale for wastewater treatment.

With this, the 4th Universities for SDG13 Award has successfully concluded. Meanwhile, the 5th Universities for SDG13 - the Greater China Finals, hosted by Tsinghua SDG Institute and strongly supported by Pernod Ricard China, has already been launched. We look forward to working with more youth to contribute to addressing climate change together.

Source: C-N Biotechnology