Bioeconomy News

Many varieties of barley produce a substance called gramine, which is toxic to livestock. Researchers from Hanover and Gatersleben have discovered how the alkaloid is produced in the plant.

As an alternative to reinforced concrete, researchers at the German Institute of Textile and Fibre Research have developed a combined building material made of natural stone, carbon fibres and biochar that has a particularly good carbon footprint.

Not only the properties of the soil, but also the genetic make-up of a plant influence which microbes colonise its roots. This is shown by an international study in which researchers from Bonn and Gatersleben were involved.

Under the leadership of the Julius Kühn Institute, a European research team wants to analyse fungus-resistant grapevines and identify molecular markers for grapevine breeding. The cuticle on the berry skin could play a key role.

Although the proportion of green start-ups remains high, it is declining slightly due to the current difficult market and financing conditions. This is shown by the latest Green Startup Monitor.

In a new EU project, researchers led by the Julius Kühn Institute want to investigate how innovative technologies can be used to reduce the use of plant protection products in arable farming.

Researchers and students at TH Köln and the University of Cologne have developed an experimental platform that illustrates how climate change affects plant growth.

The bioeconomy start-up traceless materials will launch the first large-scale production of its biomaterials in the former Wedemann bakery in Hamburg-Harburg.

As part of the European partnership AGROECOLOGY, the call for proposals for actors from Germany has now started. Submit your ideas by April 26!

In its annual report, the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI) focused on new technologies for sustainable agriculture, among other things. The most important points at a glance.

The biotech companies AMSilk and BRAIN Biotech are announcing their first successes as part of their research and development alliance, which has only been running for a year: the optimization of a structural protein using computer-aided design and the patent application for the process.

An 18-member panel of experts forms the new Senate Commission of the German Research Foundation for the transformation of agricultural and food systems.

As part of the ReMatBuilt project, Fraunhofer researchers and partners from China have developed sustainable building materials made from recycled concrete and plant residues.

The Berlin and Leipzig-based start-up Pacifico Biolabs has raised 3.3 million US dollars in a financing round for the development of alternative fish and seafood.

The German Federal Environmental Foundation has launched a new funding initiative to support innovative projects in which stakeholders work together on concrete change processes for sustainable development. Submit project ideas by May 15.

A research team at TU Braunschweig has combined various methods to make a scanning tunneling microscope usable for the surface analysis of peptides.

Researchers at Cologne University of Applied Sciences have commissioned a pilot plant to test the cultivation of microalgae in a biofilm to purify landfill leachate.

With the new "BioKreativ" funding initiative, the BMBF is enabling young researchers from the natural, IT and engineering sciences to set up a junior research group for bioeconomy research. Apply by April 15.

An international research team led by Munich agricultural scientist Senthold Asseng has modeled for the first time how the fungal disease wheat blast affects wheat production as a result of climate change.

According to a study, the combined cultivation of maize and runner beans is characterized by lower yields, but lower nutrient losses and greater biodiversity compared to a maize monoculture.

The EU Commission's amended proposal to relax genetic engineering legislation for certain genome-edited plants was adopted by the European Parliament by a narrow majority.

A global report involving researchers from Potsdam shows how the global economy would benefit from an agricultural and food transition and underlines the urgent need to revise the political framework.

The Berlin start-up Vyld has raised millions from investors as part of an early-stage financing round, thereby securing the further development of its seaweed products.

The Hamburg-based biotech company Infinite Roots - formerly Mushlabs - has secured 58 million US dollars in a Series B financing round for the development and production of new meat substitutes based on mushroom mycelium.

Under the leadership of the University of Magdeburg, a European research consortium wants to combine two medical imaging techniques for the first time and make them usable for agriculture.

A new EU project involving researchers from Ruhr University Bochum is focusing on the development of unused biomass resources in Europe.

A new English-language Master's degree course that combines agricultural science, economics and politics will start at the Technical University of Munich in the winter semester 2024/2025 and is the only one of its kind in Europe.

Regional hop harvest residues are the raw material used by a founding team at the Technical University of Munich to develop sustainable building materials. Acoustic panels made from hops are to be launched on the market this year.

A Franco-German research team has used genome editing to produce rice plants that are resistant to the Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV).

The resource database of the German Biomass Research Center now provides a complete overview of all biogenic residual and waste materials available in Germany and the EU.

Soils are a key resource for the bioeconomy. However, climate change and industrial agriculture have damaged around 60% of soils in Europe, as the recently published Soil Atlas 2024 reveals.

Paludiculture in rewetted fens not only promotes biodiversity, but also provides a new habitat for endangered animal and plant species. This is shown by a study by the University of Greifswald.

The microbe Electronema is a current-conducting bacteria. They promote the breakdown of pollutants and reduce the formation of greenhouse gases in seas and lakes.

Researchers have elucidated the structure of the enzyme complex iron nitrogenase in order to better utilize its function.

For the development of resource-saving sodium-ion batteries based on lignin and hemicellulose, researchers at Aalen University are receiving around one million euros from the Carl Zeiss Foundation.

Max Planck researcher Caroline Gutjahr from Potsdam has been awarded one of the coveted Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) for her research into the coexistence of plants and symbiotic fungi in soil.

The state government has decided to set up a Bioeconomy Council to drive forward the expansion of a bio-based and sustainable economy in North Rhine-Westphalia. The 15-member advisory body will begin its work in January 2024.

Molecular biologist Tobias Erb receives the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation, endowed with 2.5 million euros, for his pioneering work in the field of synthetic biology.

Researchers at Munich University of Applied Sciences have developed a process that for the first time enables the efficient cultivation of lime-producing bacteria and thus the commercial use of "self-healing concrete".

The Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant is discontinuing the loss-making production of cellulosic ethanol from straw at its plant in Romania, which was only opened in 2022. Corresponding activities in Straubing, Munich and Planegg will also be shut down.