Within the bioeconomy concept, in addition to technologies for renewable energies, plant sciences and biotechnology are key technologies in order to meet the challenges of a future bioeconomy. For the industrial use of materials an integrated biorefinery approach has to be found, which satisfies the needs of the region without polluting the environment.
Plants must be produced as sustainable as possible and consume as little water, nutrients and land as necessary. In addition, they need to be adapted to climate change, for healthier foods, and adapted to alternative uses. The diversity of microbial systems is to be used for the development of microbes and processes for innovative cell factories that generate valuable compounds from renewable energies. This requires an analysis and technique of metabolism, its regulation and signal transduction based on the systemic understanding of microbial cells.
In addition to technologies for the material utilisation from biomass, the use of energy is also a strong focus in order to ensure the energy transition. Additionally to the generation of sustainable energy, its grid integration is another major factor. Grid integration is the combination of generation and consumption, taking into account energy storage-, load-, storage- and generation-management. This leaves the intraregional task of safe grid operation, it is essential to ensure a stable and reliable grid or a continuous supply of electrical energy already at the place of production.