Bioeconomy News

More than 250,000 Europeans voiced their support for a change in the agriculture industry towards sustainable farming policies across Europe.

Industry 4.0 via digitalization spanning robots and bio-based economy – that is the main message of the Hannover Messe 2017.  

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding 17 new Priority Programmes with a total of €100 million. Three of the Life Science projects are focused on bio-based economy.

Global climate change is costing the wine industry billions of dollars each year. An international team of researchers established a “Global Risk Index for Wine Regions”.

Berlin-based researcher establish new analysis of origin for frog legs. The specific pattern of isotopes within each animal can tell, whether they indeed stem from sustainable farms.

A global event for the freedom of science taking place on April 22. In Germany demonstrations are planned at 20 sites - from Berlin to Heligoland.

Emmanuelle Charpentier discovered the revolutionary genome editing tool CRISPR-Cas. Now she will head her own Max-Planck research unit in Berlin.

Extreme weather occurrences are endangering harvest yields worldwide. To enable more precise weather forecasts a new Land-Atmosphere Feedback Observatory (LAFO) will be established.

A pan-German collaboration of Audi, BASF, and Covestro developed a new bio-based car coating. Thus reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions during production.

Dortmund-based biochemists are able to draw patterns in cells. All that is needed to paint with “molecular ink” is a laser and light sensitive molecules.

Tropical forests are being more and more fragmented. Leipzig-based scientists assessed that this increases carbon dioxide emissions by an additional third.

BASF acquired the licence for the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas from Boston’s Broad Institute. Now the company can utilize the tool for its global enterprises.

The synthetic silk biopolymer produced by Amsilk found its way into nail polish: Together with Ocean Pharma the new product will be unveiled at in-cosmetics Global in London.

Aquacultures are polluting Chile's rivers with a cocktail of dissolved organic substances. An international team of researchers establishes new safety limits.

The DNA molecule offers countless structural possibilities. Dresden-based scientists developed a synthetic envelope to protect the sensitive building blocks.

International experts from politics and industry gathered in Berlin to discuss the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

New addition: A branch of the European Forest Institute has just opened in Bonn. The institute conducts research on forests at a pan-European level and advises policy makers.

Venture capital firm Sofinnova has raised €106 million for its Industrial Biotech I fund, which aims to invest in bio-based industry start-ups.

The start-up InnoCow is presenting a new diagnostic tool for dairy cows at the CeBIT. It provides farmers with information about the health and impending heat of their cows.

Pneumococci can cause severe pulmonary and inflammatory infections. Max Planck researchers identified a successful vaccine consisting of only three adjoined sugars.

Removing micro pollutants from sewage is commonly done via activated charcoal, which consists of fossil mineral coal. Fraunhofer researchers aim to replace coal with renewable resources.

The companies DSM and Evonik founded new joint venture "Veramaris" to produce omega-3 fatty acids from marine algae. Salmon farms will benefit from the new source of essential fatty acids.

Digital tools are gaining momentum among farmers. With its smart feeding software for dairy cows the start-up "fodjan" has attracted new investors.

So far the processing of copper ores requires the application of toxic chemicals. A new Chilean-German research project aims at an eco-friendly product from marine bacteria.

The German University of Hohenheim and the Ethiopian university Hawassa received 2 million euros in funding to start their SDG graduate school program investigating food security.

Mussels could serve as a blueprint for the environmentally friendly production of complex polymers. Max-Planck researchers in Potsdam deciphered the intricate process.

The muli-million-dollar global XPRIZE competition to explore and map the ocean floors has reached its semi-finals. Still on board is the German team "Arggonauts".

An international study finds the rates of alien species introduction worldwide are higher than ever. A third of all first introductions were recorded between 1970 and 2014.

According to a market analysis from nova-institute, last year's production capacity for bio-based polymers grew by 4% to 6.6 million tonnes.

GLS, a bank specialising in sustainable investments, has set up a crowd-investing platform for businesses and projects.

Whether it's cosmetics or washing detergents — surfactants are used extensively in industry. Bio-based rhamnolipids are one of the biggest current trends.

Europe's largest field laboratory for biodiversity research celebrates anniversary: 15 years of the "Jena Experiment".

A satellite carrying tomato seeds is expected to be launched into space before the end of the year. German researchers will test the growth under conditions found on Mars or the moon.

Researchers from Karlsruhe have investigated the effects of land-use change on the balance of carbon dioxide. Land restructuring causes more CO₂ than anticipated.

So it exists after all: the microbe that eats both rust and methane. After a long search, Max-Planck researchers in Bremen have found such a multi-talent.

A European study says that the ban of a certain class of insecticides to protect bees causes a lot of ecologic and economic burden.

Tetra Pak's aseptic carton packaging, the first of its kind worldwide, are manufactured from 80% bio-based material.

The German Federal Government has approved a "German Strategy for Sustainability". It outlines how the sustainable development goals are to be achieved.

Ants are social insects with many talents. Biologists from Munich found a species of ants on the Fijian Islands that cultivate coffee plants with the aim of later inhabiting them.

An extract made from special lactic acid bacteria treats dry, itching and stinging skin in a targeted way. This was revealed by a clinical study carried out by the Organobalance GmbH company from Berlin.

Researchers from Karlsruhe have developed a system that observes and measures rice while it grows. The measurement technique is designed to accelerate the breeding of resistant plants.

Within the framework of the EU-supported 'Sweedhart' project, Fraunhofer researchers are looking for ways of exploiting field weeds.

In a first, chemists in Karlsruhe have developed a biodegradable surface coating for implants.

EU consumers have minor knowledge on bioplastics but unrealistically high expectations that can not be fulfilled, researchers said at 11th European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin.

Researchers in Bochum have developed a new 'bio-supercapacitor' that, with the aid of enzymes, not only generates energy, but can also store it.

Certain aspects of the Federal Genetic Engineering Act are to be supplemented to include a ban on cultivating genetically engineered crops. Today the German parliament focused on the draft amendment.

According to official statistics, nearly 2.5 million tonnes of cheese were produced in Germany in 2015, of which over half were exports. This makes Germany one of the leading cheese exporters within the European Union.

Adidas has presented the world’s first lightweight racing shoe made by recombinantly produced silk fibers.

How can sustainable economic activity in Germany be encouraged? A German government advisory committee presented recommendations at the Green Economy Conference in Berlin.

Geneticists from Potsdam have cracked a century-old puzzle: They have discovered a gene in primroses that controls the length of its female reproductive organs.

While DG Research has delayed its update on the European Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan until next June, the Central and Eastern Bioregions presented a blueprint that proposes key actions aimed at integrating the goals of the European Commission’s circular economy and the bioeconomy strategies.

Carnosic acid is a widely sought-after substance that is used to enhance the flavour of foods and make them keep longer. To date, the substance must laboriously be extracted from herbs such as rosemary.

The time is finally upon us: Bayer AG has purchased Monsanto for 66 billion US dollars. The largest agrochemical corporation in the world will be created from this mega-deal.

The largest big-data analysis to date on global biodiversity in forests has confirmed how closely species diversity and productivity are interrelated.

The new joint venture Synvina is positioned in the market for drop-in bioplastics with advanced product characteristics.

The fate of the bioeconomy in Europe remains undecided. The evaluation of the European Commission’s bioeconomy strategy plus action plan has been delayed.

The increasing global demand for palm oil and expansion in cultivation are damaging the environment. A study by environmental protection organisation WWF has concluded, however, that no credible alternative to the product exists.

Using high-tech to make tomorrow's environmentally friendly car. That is the goal of the brand new LeichtbauCampus Open Hybrid LabFactory in Wolfsburg. Central government is supplying 30 million euros.

Symbiosis between plants and fungi is common. The organisms supply each other with important, growth-promoting nutrients. They give each other a helping hand even under extreme conditions.