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".
Maize is a versatile crop. In the food sector, its cobs are on the grill and oil can be pressed from the kernels. A large proportion of the harvest is also used as animal feed and the pharmaceutical industry uses maize dextrin, a carbohydrate obtained from the plant, as a carrier and binding agent.
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.
The EFI consists of six scientists who have special knowledge and experience in the field of innovation research and are internationally recognized in the scientific field. Once a year, they submit a report to the Federal Government on research, innovation and Germany's technological performance. In addition to recommendations for action for national research and innovation policy, the report focuses on several key topics.
Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) means nothing less than a technological and social transformation.
With the National Bioeconomy Strategy, the German government has defined the guidelines and goals of its bioeconomy policy and at the same time set out measures for the transition from an economy based largely on fossil raw materials to a more resource-efficient and circular economy based more strongly on renewable raw materials. The guidelines and objectives of the bioeconomy strategy are based in particular on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
Birte Höcker conducts research at the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Bayreuth. The professor and her research group are developing digital tools for protein design. For Höcker, artificial intelligence (AI) opens up fascinating and promising avenues for using language processing methods to produce customized proteins. Generative AI technologies can create proteins that do not occur in the wild - or have never existed in evolution.
Microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi can be found everywhere. These microscopic creatures do not only live on human skin or on plants and animals. They can also be found in soil and water. As masters of substance conversion, they are not only indispensable helpers in the production of foods such as cheese, beer or wine. With their special metabolism, they can also produce new substances from organic compounds and are therefore important tools for bioeconomic change.
The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to further strengthen its already extensive activities in the bio-based economy by establishing a Bioeconomy Council. "In North Rhine-Westphalia, we have long recognized the enormous potential of the bioeconomy for competitive, sustainable companies and start-ups and are ambitiously driving forward the expansion of a bio-based economy. By appointing the Bioeconomy Council, the state government is implementing an important project from the coalition agreement.