Bioeconomy

Article - 18/09/2009

Patents promote creativity and motivation

The protection of innovations and patents is an important issue for Stockach- based Sensovation AG in terms of the companys proprietary developments. According to Paul Hing Chief Technology Officer of the company which develops and manufactures intelligent detection systems Sensovation has already filed three patents and further ideas for potential patents are currently being evaluated. But how does a medium-sized medical device company such as…

Dossier - 18/09/2009

From plants to plastics

In these times of changing climate sustainable thinking and the growing desire to become less dependent on crude oil the interest in biobased plastics is growing. Biobased plastics can be either entirely or partially produced from renewable resources using biotechnological methods.

Press release - 18/09/2009

How a water plant can save its skin

Biologist Dr. Elisabeth Groß is investigating the complicated defence mechanisms of a water plant water milfoil. The plant uses these defence mechanisms to save its skin from herbivore attacks and to make life difficult for competing algae.

Article - 10/09/2009

Chaperone research using bakers yeast and bacteria

Protein misfolding and aggregation can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. Prof. Elke Deuerling at the University of Constance is investigating the molecular helpers the chaperones and the key role that they have in protein folding. Deuerling uses the bakers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the bacterium Eschericia coli for her studies. Her studies involving E. coli have now shown that ribosome-associated chaperones are…

Press release - 09/09/2009

Road trip to the Lake Constance

American scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute JCVI have recently visited the Institute of Limnology at the University of Constance at Lake Constance. The visit was part of the Sorcerer II Expedition which is a unique global mission to sample and discover the diversity of microorganisms and their role in global substance flows.

Press release - 04/09/2009

Motivation impetus for researcher on bacteria

Dirk Linke 37 has been awarded the Advancement Award of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie DGHM. The award includes prize money of 2500 Euro and will be presented on September 20th 2009 during the 61st Annual Meeting of the DGHM in Göttingen.

Article - 17/08/2009

The source of biomass young people experience this agricultural energy source

A biomass action day was recently organised at the Unterer Lindenhof experimental station in order to show schoolchildren a number of features of different agricultural products that fuel that is made from rape seed is capable of taking them from Egypt to South Africa that the use of wood for heating houses is very ecological and that various plant oils can taste very differently. This action day was made possible thanks to the Hohenheim…

Dossier - 16/07/2009

Patents the exploitations of inventions in the life sciences

According to statistics from the European Patent Office a total of 1065 biotechnological patents were filed in 2007 by inventors based in Germany. This puts Germany second behind the USA. In the coming years experts expect that a much larger number of biotech patents will be filed. For life sciences inventors the registration of patents quite often represents a real challenge. People entering the world of patents and licences are faced with a…

Article - 15/07/2009

The gap in the value creation chain

On a national level the University of Freiburg comes out reasonably well in comparison with other universities regarding the number of patents filed and licensed. But is it enough to protect an intellectual property and sell it to a company? No says Prof. Dr. Bernhard Arnolds from the Central Office of Research Funding and Technology Transfer at the University of Freiburg.

Article - 01/07/2009

KIT - Competence in bioprocess engineering

The purification of microbially produced substances such as proteins and polysaccharides and their separation from or release from within the cell are complex tasks in the field of biotechnology. The Bioprocess Engineering department of the Institute of Process Engineering in the Life Sciences TH deals with the development of integrated bioprocesses and is also involved in the separation of biopolymers.

Article - 19/06/2009

Bacteria with a chromium envelope

Heavy metals have become a huge problem for mankind. The construction of factories and the varnishing of cars leads to the contamination of soils and waters and therefore also to the poisoning of many organisms including people. Scientists are trying to use natural means to remove inorganic chemicals from the cycle or at least make them harmless. Dr. Johannes Gescher and his team at the Department of Microbiology at the University of Freiburg…

Article - 29/05/2009

ITV Denkendorf Hi-tech think tank for textiles

The Institute of Textile Technology and Process Engineering Denkendorf ITV Denkendorf is Germanys largest and oldest textile research centre. Research is carried out in specialised laboratories and technical centres covering the entire range of textiles from raw materials to the final product both in basic as well as applied research.

Dossier - 25/05/2009

The different phases of company foundation

Founding a company is a very complex process especially in knowledge-intensive sectors such as biotechnology. Turning a vague business idea into a successful company is characterised by different phases that place great demands on the qualifications and learning aptitudes of the company founders. Financing and economic organisation often means that company founders have to enter completely unknown new territory.

Article - 18/05/2009

Less chemistry and fresher fruits and vegetables

At Lake Constance fruit growers have bigger problems to face than ideological discussions on biotechnology and genetic engineering. They need methodological solutions for devastating plant diseases that would help them reduce the use of chemicals.

Article - 16/05/2009

Mykotown Greentech AG uses mycorrhiza to keep plants going

Mykotown Greentech AG offer mycorrhizal preparations that protect the plants against dehydration and bacteria. The fungi also enhance plant growth. The plants provide the natural soil fungi with carbon while the fungi help the plant to capture nutrients and liquids from the soil.