Astin is a herbal agent to which healing powers are attributed - not least in the fight against cancer. One source of this medicinal substance is Aster tataricus, also known as Tatarinow's aster. This medicinal plant, which is native to the higher altitudes of Asia, is used primarily in traditional Chinese medicine. A research team from the University of Tübingen and the Technical University of Dresden has now succeeded in isolating astins from the plant, cultivating them and producing them in larger quantities using biotechnology.
Red, pink, pink or white: the poinsettia is the most popular indoor plant in Germany second only to the orchid, even though Euphorbia pulcherrima is mainly used for Christmas decorations in this country. According to the marketing initiative of the European poinsettia breeders, Stars for Europe, around 32 million specimens are sold in Germany every year. More than 700 plant nurseries produce poinsettias in this country.
The world of fossil plastics is slowly shrinking. More and more new alternative plastic products based on renewable raw materials or residual materials are conquering the market. Even if not all new bioplastics are also biodegradable, the production of environmentally friendly materials will continue to increase.
You can search for keywords and you can specify your search by using the matrix in the margin. Specifications include the respective public funding institution, the applicants and the topics funded. The results are displayed as a list of public funding initiatives. Links refer to websites with further information on the calls.
The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment were responsible for moving the strategy forward. Developed by a multidisciplinary working group, the strategy is primarily aimed at food production. Priority is given to agriculture, forestry and fisheries (including aquaculture), but also to the chemical and bioenergy industries.
In 2012, the Swedish Science Council for Environment, Agriculture and Spatial Planning (Formas) commissioned the government and, in collaboration with the Swedish Energy Agency and the Academy of Innovation, published a national bioeconomy strategy, the "Swedish Research and Innovation Strategy for a Biobased Economy".
The government in Portugal has not yet developed a specific bioeconomy strategy. But bioeconomy plays an important role in “The National Ocean Strategy” (2013–2020) and the associated action plan, published by the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea. The strategy paper aims to make Portugal one of the world's leading maritime nations. The strategic focus will be on aquaculture, blue biotechnology and energy production on the basis of maritime resources, in particular fuel from algae.
Forestry is also an important sector. Harvesters and agricultural machines are of economic importance, as is bioenergy production in biogas plants. In 2014, a national bioeconomy body was set up in Poland. A strategy remains to be seen.
Today the sectors of the bioeconomy already earn almost eight percent of the Austrian gross domestic product and employ more than 230,000 people. In Austria, the development of a bioeconomy is formulated by the "Research, Technology and Innovation Strategy (RTI Strategy) for Biobased Industries" published in 2014. The Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology is responsible for that.