Bioeconomy News

Two newly founded research groups at the Max Planck Society are developing more efficient methods of photosynthesis to break down and bind CO₂ with the help of sunlight.

German forestry and timber research is strategically realigning itself with forest living labs in the Harz Mountains and Lower Bavaria. The SURVEY joint project combines scientific expertise and practical experience in an interdisciplinary approach.

At the 13th International Bioeconomy Conference in Halle, the spotlight was on the role of the bioeconomy in a world shaped by overlapping crises and evolving geopolitical priorities. In a global economy that is increasingly fragile, companies are under pressure to future-proof their operations - while also confronting the complexities of transitioning away from fossil-based systems.

Researchers show how digitalisation can also make small farms ready to compete.

With the opening of a new technology centre in the US state of Wisconsin, Düsseldorf-based plant manufacturer GEA is taking a further step towards advancing food innovations based on alternative proteins.

Using the Augsburg region as an example, a research consortium is showing how plastics can be recycled and replaced by bio-based plastics.

Magdeburg chemists are working with partners to research solvents made from renewable raw materials in order to replace petroleum-based substances and make chemical processes recyclable. The work is supported by the German Research Foundation.

A study by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture shows that regenerative farming can achieve yields that are comparable to or even higher than those of conventional agriculture. It is considered to be the world's largest study of regenerative farming systems carried out by farmers to date.

The fungal disease yellow rust jeopardises wheat cultivation worldwide. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now discovered genes with natural resistance in Asian wheat varieties. These could help to breed robust wheat in the future and thus strengthen global food security.

With funding totalling 11 million euros from the British innovation agency ARIA, the Potsdam MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology is launching the SyncSol project: a universal plant genome is to make crops more efficient, climate-resilient and pharmaceutically usable.

A long-term study by the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart shows that agroforestry makes agricultural systems in temperate climate zones more resilient to climate risks. It therefore represents a resilient and sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture in Europe.

An international research team involving Graz University of Technology is working on integrating microorganisms into facade paints. The aim is to protect the exterior walls of buildings, bind CO₂ and break down air pollutants.

Photovoltaics on agricultural land is more accepted by the population than solar installations on unused open land. This is the result of a survey conducted by the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

The Leibniz Research Network ‘Green Nutrition - Healthy Society’ provides recommendations for the reorganisation of food and agricultural systems, taking sustainability and resilience into account.

The Cologne-based start-up SenseUP has concluded seed financing totalling 2.4 million euros. It will use the capital to drive forward its research activities in order to bring new biopesticides to market maturity.

How can the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii be reliably cultivated in the laboratory? - A handbook by researchers from Bayreuth and Göttingen provides answers.

Researchers were able to clarify how the oil-eating marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis synthesises a natural detergent to destroy the alkanes contained in crude oil.

Investment in the production of alternative proteins reached a new high in Germany last year. This is confirmed by the State of the Industry Reports of the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe.

The University of Geisenheim is participating in the European HydroSoilWise project to find solutions for climate-resilient soils in horticulture and agriculture.

The European Space Agency ESA has launched its BIOMASS earth observation satellite to measure forests.

The European environmental and climate protection programme LIFE has launched a new funding round. Bioeconomy projects can now apply to the ‘Circular Economy and Quality of Life’ sub-programme.

Together with a Ukrainian partner, the Cologne-based company PAPACKS has established the first scalable supply chain for certified industrial hemp.

The discovery of the PHL7 enzyme was the starting point for the founding of the Leipzig-based start-up ESTER Biotech.

Researchers at the University of Hohenheim have developed two tools for the use of agricultural side streams in order to recognize and optimally exploit their potential.

In the SHAPE project, researchers want to specifically enrich humus with microorganisms in order to strengthen plants and make soils more fertile.

The second REWE Green Farming centre in Germany will be built in Berlin-Lankwitz by spring 2026. In future, salad mixes will be harvested all year round in the glass roof farm.

Researchers at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences are investigating how the protein content in oats can be optimized and thus used as an alternative protein source.

In the interdisciplinary BioSHIP project, industry and science are working together to prevent the fouling of ship parts with biodegradable antifouling coatings.

Researchers at the August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute want to make the breeding of insects more efficient, resource-saving and comprehensible by expanding the InsectAI technology platform.

The Volkswagen Foundation is supporting nine projects that address closed raw material-product cycles with a total of 11.6 million euros - including innovations for the bioeconomy.

Not only legumes, but also crops such as sunflowers are suitable as catch crops to remove pollutants from agricultural soils. This is shown in a study by the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research.

An international research team has deciphered how legumes control the symbiotic relationship with bacteria in their root nodules via signaling pathways.

Growing biomass on rewetted moors and generating electricity at the same time: the feasibility of this innovative concept is currently being investigated in the MoorPower project.

On March 24, the first demonstration plant that converts biogas from wastewater into climate-neutral methanol was put into operation on the site of the Mannheim sewage treatment plant.

Würzburg researchers have synthesized four dye molecules from photosynthesis in plant cells and thus artificially recreated one of the first steps of the natural metabolic pathway.

Max Planck researchers have functionalized microalgae with chitosan and magnetic nanoparticles in such a way that the movement of the unicellular organisms can be controlled - even through human tissue.

As part of an EU project, researchers at Trier University are developing digital solutions to advise winegrowers on soil protection.

A team led by Max Planck researcher Caroline Gutjahr from Potsdam has been able to clarify how plants control the symbiosis with fungi under stress conditions.

The Joachim Herz Stiftung is supporting three research teams with its new innovate! Fund with up to 1 million euros each. They are looking for innovative approaches that make biogenic resources usable.

For the first time, an international research team has been able to optimize synthetic carbon fixation to such an extent that it works more efficiently than natural metabolic pathways.