Bioeconomy News

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.

An international research team with the participation of the University of Bayreuth sees mycoheterotrophic plants as the key to the previously controversial existence of the underground mycorrhizal network in forests.

Can soils be protected from heat, drought and heavy rainfall through reduced cultivation and permanent planting? A research team from Hesse has produced some promising initial results.

A global study led by the Universities of Hohenheim and Copenhagen shows that diversified agriculture not only benefits biodiversity, but also contributes to food security.

Together with industrial partners, Fraunhofer researchers have developed a new biocomposite material for the production of vehicle underbodies, thereby significantly improving the carbon footprint of the entire production cycle.

The Bioeconomy Showcase is presenting bio-based innovations in high density in Hall 2 of the Hannover Messe: 18 federally funded projects are providing information about their research and development.

As part of the European research project Aquacombine, partners from six countries are demonstrating the potential that halophytes such as samphire have for the bioeconomy.

An international research team involving the University of Leipzig and the food company Nestlé has developed a database to better identify and breed climate-resistant coffee plants.

Smart models, sophisticated measurement technology and automated workflows: At the BioProScale conference in Berlin, stakeholders from science and industry exchanged views on the most important trends in industrial biotech production.

The world's largest industrial trade fair starts in Hanover on 22 April. The focus will be on technologies for sustainable production. The "Bioeconomy Showcase" in the Future Hub in Hall 2 offers a platform for bio-based innovations.

A BMBF-funded research team has trained a language model with web texts from 680,000 German companies and has identified and localised those with bioeconomy activities.

Researchers from Jena have investigated a community of bacteria and microalgae and discovered how they jointly contribute to climate protection.

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.