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The "PlanB - Biobasiert.Business.Bayern" start-up competition, launched in 2015, focuses on biobased business ideas that contribute to the sustainable development of society. The competition initiated by BioCampus Straubing on innovations for the bioeconomy was once again held in the presence of representatives from industry, politics, investors and industry experts. Thirty green start-ups fought their way through the stages of the competition launched in August, optimised their ideas and finally qualified for the finals with their PlanB deck.

Bogs have a reputation for emitting methane and thus warming the climate. Methane is mainly formed by a particularly old group of microorganisms, the archaea. Eight years ago, however, Dutch researchers reported that the moors contribute less to climate change than previously feared: Certain bacteria directly recycle methane and process it into metabolic products, which mosses then absorb and incorporate into their biomass.

How sustainable are German companies? How seriously do they take ecological and social issues and how openly do they deal with them?

Some authors are able to craft stories that come to life in the imagination of their readers. In fact, most books are literally alive, because their pages contain microorganisms. Researchers from the Leipzig University Library, the TU Braunschweig and the German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ) now want to look at and study these microbes as "genuine components of the culture material".

“Anam­mox, a glob­ally im­port­ant mi­cro­bial pro­cess of the ni­tro­gen cycle rel­ev­ant for the earth’s cli­mate, does not work the way we as­sumed it did.” With these words, Boran Kartal from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen sums up a surprising discovery by the microbiologists: Together with colleagues, the Bremen researchers have for the first time discovered an anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (short: "Anammox") bacterium that uses nitric oxide ("NO") to grow.

Hormones from the contraceptive pill turn male frogs into females, antibiotic residues promote the development of resistant bacteria: Numerous chemical compounds, in particular residues from pharmaceuticals, industry and agriculture, cause ecological problems when they enter the environment by way of water. This can can also have health consequences for humans. A new approach aims to make it easier to remove these so-called xenobiotics from wastewater in sewage treatment plants.

As part of its internationalization strategy, the Max Planck Society has established a new Max Planck Center in Great Britain: At the Max Planck-Bristol Center for Minimal Biology, researchers will construct artificial cytoskeletons, develop nano-scale molecular machines and thus study the necessary building blocks for life

A great start to 2021: After the launch of bioökonomie.de as an online portal in 2016, the information platform has now undergone a comprehensive relaunch. The implementation of a contemporary design, an optimized navigation structure and new functionalities for the diverse content were the main focus.

German Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek opened conference event with a welcome address together with the GBS2020 organizing International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy (IACGB), which published a summit communiqué, making it available for a broad audience to discuss. Addressing the Summit today, the German Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Julia Klöckner emphasized the key role of agriculture and the food system in the sustainable bioeconomy.