Bringing more good ideas into application and thus to companies and people: As a new component of its transfer and innovation promotion programme, the Federal Government intends to promote social and technological innovations in the future by setting up the German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (DATI). As an innovation agency, DATI will be based in Erfurt.

The cultivation of maize has a long tradition. 9,000 years ago in southern Mexico, the tastiest and highest-yielding maize plants were selected from the descendants of the original teosinte variety and used for breeding. Over the centuries, the plant has adapted to a wide variety of locations and gradually changed more than just the appearance of the cobs. The modern maize plant also produces higher yields. Until now, it was unclear how the domestication of today's most important food crop has affected the root system.

The abbreviation "BonaRes" stands for "soil as a sustainable resource for the bioeconomy". This funding initiative launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2015 focuses on the sustainable use of soil as a scarce resource.

Taking stock of the German biotechnology sector: this week, two industry analysts have presented the key economic figures.

Hemp, reeds, algae and Rügen healing clay are among the biogenic resources that are intended to pave the way for a sustainable and bio-based economy in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV). The BioEconomy Centre (BÖZ) Anklam is committed to making optimum use of these local raw materials and reusing them as many times as possible. Under the leadership of Beatrice Großjohann, the team brings together partners from research and industry in order to make the region's potential visible and utilise it for new products for the bioeconomy.

Climate change, global population growth and urbanisation: our food and agricultural systems are facing a multitude of complex challenges. New solutions are needed for sustainable, resource-efficient and adaptable agricultural production. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) wants to play an active role in shaping the transformation towards a sustainable, future-proof agricultural and food industry.

For several years, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC) have been working on compostable barrier layers that could help biopolymers achieve a breakthrough in their use as sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging materials. With bioORMOCER, the team has come up with a material that can be used in a variety of ways. It is a bio-based coating that can be applied to improve the barrier performance of conventional bio-packaging and replace so-called eternity chemicals from the PFAS spectrum.

Its high protein and carbohydrate content has earned the algae a reputation as a healthy food. The marine vegetable is not only popular on its own in the form of salad. Algae are also becoming increasingly important as biomass for the production of new foods. The Berlin start-up BettaF!sh, for example, produces salmon and tuna alternatives from cultivated seaweed and pulses such as field beans and peas.