An agreement focused on biofuel research was signed on September 11, 2008 between the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shell, one of the world leading energy and petrochemical companies.

Today, as oil prices continue to soar, the world's fossil energy is depleting. Countries around the world are competing to find new sustainable energy, with a view to the gradual replacement of traditional energy resources. The agreement was announced during a press release organized by Shell on September 16, 2008 and attracted great attention from media. Bioenergy research is a traditionally strong field of IMCAS. Collaboration with Shell is an important step towards the institute’s further internationalization. Both IMCAS and Shell expect this agreement to be a good start for future long-term collaboration.