Bioeconomy News

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock have developed a catalyst that can synthesise amines – which are important for the chemical industry – from used cooking oil in a single step.

Deposits of plastic particles in the soil can endanger the behaviour of bees and thus the function of agricultural landscapes and global food security. This is shown by an international study involving German researchers.

Max Planck researchers in Potsdam have worked with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to breed rice varieties with a high protein content. Among other things, the CRISPR-Cas gene scissors were used.

Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock have joined forces with adhesives specialist Henkel to develop new bio-based adhesives that can be removed again.

Using Raman spectroscopy, researchers in Jena have succeeded in analysing the interaction between the green alga Ulva and its bacterial community in real time without disturbing the sensitive interaction.

New wheat varieties utilise nitrogen better and can deliver higher yields under current climatic conditions. This is the conclusion of an international study conducted in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich.

The first projects with Queensland have been launched as part of the ‘Bioeconomy International’ research cooperation programme.

Thanks to increasingly sophisticated tools, bioengineers can now not only construct individual organisms, but even design complex microbial communities. A team of authors looks into the future of synthetic biology.

The ‘Future Lab Agriculture’ project presents initial results on the concept of spot farming, highlighting both the potential and current obstacles to its use.

Researchers at the University of Tübingen have used CO₂ and green electricity to produce valuable proteins and vitamins that can be used to make meat substitutes.

Good yields and product quality can also be achieved in plant cultivation without the use of synthetic chemical pesticides. This is shown by field trials conducted by the NOcsPS research consortium.

On the former site of Tegel Airport, researchers are testing which plant mix is best suited for so-called evaporation beds and thus for the realisation of sponge cities.

BASF is testing solutions for ‘climate-optimised’ agricultural production with practitioners in field trials around the world. The goal of reducing the carbon footprint by 30% has been achieved in some cases, the company reports.

A research consortium has succeeded in producing laboratory meat from stem cells obtained painlessly from the umbilical cord blood of piglets.

Together with the Thünen Institute, Fraunhofer researchers are developing AI-based software for the microscopic identification of wood species. The aim is to ensure that timber products originate from legal trade.

Retailer REWE is one of the new investors in Berlin start-up Formo: the company, which specializes in animal-free cheese alternatives, has raised fresh capital as part of a Series B financing round.

The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) are pooling their expertise in potato research in order to increase the genetic resources of this important food crop.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a solar module in which individual components are made from renewable raw materials and can be recycled at the end of their service life.

In the newly launched I-Robi project, researchers at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts want to develop new harvesting and utilization concepts for rushes and demonstrate the potential of this renewable raw material for industry.

The Munich-based power-to-gas company Electrochaea has successfully brought its technology for microbial biomethane production to industrial scale with EU funding from the EIC Accelerator.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research continues to support international cooperation in bioeconomy research. “Bioeconomy International 2025” focuses on alliances with São Paulo/Brazil, Queensland/Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.

German companies that produce meat and dairy alternatives based on plants, fermentation and cell cultures were able to raise a total of EUR 74 million in the first half of 2024, more than twice as much capital as in the whole of 2023.

Last year, Clariant announced the closure of its commercial biorefinery in Podari, Romania. The contract manufacturer Corden BioChem will now take over operations and convert the plant.

The newly developed HypoWave system for hydroponic vegetable cultivation with recycled wastewater is now being used in a large-scale trial on a farm in the district of Gifhorn.

Researchers at the University of Siegen have succeeded in producing a beam construction made of Miscanthus grass that is more resilient than conventional beams made of solid wood.

An international research team led by Heidelberg University has succeeded for the first time in obtaining biocompatible materials from microalgae for high-resolution 3D laser printing.

Researchers from Zittau provide proof that hemp fibers can be a real alternative to glass fibers in composite materials.

In a position paper, the industry association BIO Deutschland calls for measures to accelerate the implementation of bioeconomic activities in the industry. Market entry for bio-based products must also be made easier.

In the run-up to the meeting of the G20 countries in Brazil in September, the G20 science academies, including Lepoldina, defined measures for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals - also for the bioeconomy.

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have changed the sensitivity of bacterial systems for controlling gene activity to red light, opening up new possibilities in the biotechnological application of bacteria.

Jena-based natural product researcher Christian Hertweck has been awarded the ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research Council for his pioneering research into new active substances from anaerobic bacteria.

Fraunhofer researchers want to use biogenic carbon from biomass as a carbon sink for the production of sustainable concrete and bricks.

As part of a newly launched EU project, researchers at the University of Hanover want to tap into the benefits of pulses in order to promote the acceptance and cultivation of beans, lentils and the like in European agriculture.

An international research team involving the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research is calling for new sustainable cultivation practices to improve nitrogen uptake in wheat cultivation instead of applying more fertilizer.

With the help of a newly developed algorithm, Leipzig researchers can use data from the plant identification app Flora Incognita to determine the effects of climate change on the plant world.

Permaculture has the potential to combine agriculture, environmental protection and nature conservation. This is the conclusion of a study involving the Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau.

A research team from the Jena Cluster of Excellence ‘Balance of the Microverse’ has decoded the mechanism that enables some bacterial strains to reflect light and form colours in a similar way to butterfly wings.

The state capital of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, is the first city in Germany to present a municipal bioeconomy strategy with 22 specific measures to drive forward the transition to a bio-based future.

Using bacteria from bovine rumen, researchers led by the chemical company BASF want to produce the platform chemical fumaric acid from industrial emissions from chemical production.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed a flexible film material from the bioplastic PLA that does not require plasticisers and is recyclable.

An optimal redistribution of global nitrogen quantities in fertilisation would also ensure food security and sustainability in countries of the Global South. This is the conclusion of an international study involving researchers from Göttingen.

Researchers at Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences have developed a biological process in which worms and microbes help to break down microplastics in wastewater.

Researchers in Bonn have developed software that can be used to visualise the future growth of arable crops and predict important parameters such as yield.

As part of the European "Green ERA-Hub" initiative, the BMBF is funding innovative approaches for a sustainable bioeconomy. A new round of calls for proposals is focussing on the breeding of resistant crops.

Of the 20 innovation communities selected as part of DATIpilot, two are focussing on innovations in biotechnology and one on textile recycling. The consortia are being funded by the BMBF with up to 5 million euros.

Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have been able to clarify how the algal enzyme HydF is structured and what role a so-called cofactor plays in the production of hydrogen.

The German Research Foundation is funding a new Collaborative Research Centre at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. The focus is on mutations in the genetic material of plants and how these affect proteins.

The domestication of maize has greatly changed the root system of the food plant. This is the conclusion of a study involving researchers from Bonn. They also identified a gene that is crucial for the breeding of drought-resistant plants.

Experts from science and agricultural practice discussed the key results of the soil research funding programme at the BonaRes conference in Leipzig.

At the BioEconomy Centre Anklam, an alliance of research and business has been established under the name IG Helix, which aims to increase the focus on the use of plant-based raw materials from the region – especially for health products.

More fresh capital flowed into the German biotechnology sector in 2023 than in the previous year. There was also an increase in venture capital investments.

In the BMBF funding programme ‘Agricultural Systems of the Future’, eight large consortia are researching innovative approaches for the sustainable food production of tomorrow. A new brochure, which bioökonomie.de has produced in cooperation with the participants, provides information on their concepts, objectives and successes to date.

The development of new products from plant-based raw materials was the focus of an EU project in which Fraunhofer researchers from the ISC utilised their innovative coating called bioORMOCER for new fields of application – such as shoe soles and vehicles.

The Berlin start-up BettaF!sh will contribute its expertise in the development of new technologies for the production of healthy food from cultivated seaweed to the new EU research project FunSea.

The RhizoTraits joint project aims to investigate the extent to which different mixtures of maize varieties can guarantee higher yields despite climate change. The focus is on the plant's root zone – the rhizosphere.

The Berlin-based biotech start-up Cultimate Foods has raised €2.3 million from investors for the development of cultured fat ingredients to give plant-based meat substitutes an authentic flavour.

Under the leadership of the Rostock-based Alles Alge association, researchers and companies want to jointly develop a system for cultivating macroalgae in the Baltic Sea.

The Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) in Greifswald is receiving millions in funding from the federal and state governments to expand research in the fields of agriculture, bioeconomy and the environment.

Shell Deutschland recently commissioned Germany's largest bio-LNG plant at the Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Cologne. A liquefied fuel mixture of biomethane and fossil natural gas is produced here for heavy goods transport.

The start-up Insempra has raised 20 million US dollars in a financing round. The Munich-based company specialises in the biotechnological production of natural ingredients for the food, cosmetics and textile industries.