Industrial biotechnology utilises microorganisms or individual biomolecules such as enzymes in bioprocesses as the basis for the industrial production of chemicals, biopharmaceuticals or food additives. The key players are cells as living factories that can produce a desired product in large quantities in closed bioreactors. Developing bioprocesses in such a way that the biotechnological production of a product is optimised is very time-consuming and complex.

"Energising a Sustainable Industry" is the guiding theme of this year's Hannover Messe, which opens its doors to visitors next week. From 22 to 26 April, more than 4,000 companies from the mechanical engineering, electrical and digital industries as well as the energy sector will be presenting their solutions for a sustainable industry of tomorrow - including global tech companies and research institutions as well as more than 300 start-ups.

Plants mediate their interactions with the environment via chemical signals. One example of this is the alkaloid gramine, which is produced by barley, one of the world's most widely cultivated cereals. Gramine provides protection against herbivorous insects and grazing animals and inhibits the growth of other plants. The toxin is particularly present in the green parts of the plant, such as leaves and stalks, but hardly ever in the grains, which can be safely used for food production.

In the TRABBI junior research group, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), economic geographers Lukas Kriesch and Sebastian Losacker from the University of Giessen have obtained regionalised data on bioeconomy companies in Germany. They report on their analysis in the scientific journal "REGION - the Journal of ERSA".

Soil is home to countless microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae. These invisible microorganisms form communities in a wide variety of ways, ensuring a smooth nutrient cycle and thus fertile soil and plant growth. How these microorganisms work together and which factors promote or inhibit growth has been the subject of research at Friedrich Schiller University Jena for many years.

According to Deutsche Umwelthilfe, the construction sector is responsible for 40 % of total raw material consumption and 12 % of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany. The joint project DACCUS-Pre pursued a promising approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector.

There are many fungi and bacteria that live in symbiosis with plant roots and enrich each other. Plants can only grow because they are supplied with nutrients and water from the soil via the roots with the help of microorganisms. This diverse community of microorganisms, also known as the microbiome, also protects the host plant from harmful organisms and is therefore a guarantee for plant health.

Climate change is also increasingly causing crop losses in viticulture. In particular, the rapid alternation between drought and heavy rainfall damages the grapes and promotes the spread of fungal diseases such as vine peronospora (Plasmopara viticola) and grey mould rot (Botrytis cinerea). Winegrowers therefore use plant protection products to protect the grape varieties. In order to meet the climate-related challenges in viticulture in an environmentally friendly way, experts are focussing on fungus-resistant grape varieties, known as PIWIs.

For the sixth time, the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability and the German Startups Association have analysed the contribution of green startups to the transformation of the economy and identified their specific needs and challenges. This year, the Green Startup Monitor 2024 (GSM) shows a rather mixed picture: at 29%, the proportion of startups whose business model is based on sustainability is almost a third.