GENERATION B(ioeconomy) - Research and knowledge for a sustainable bioeconomy

Promotion of young scientists through joint research and mentoring projects

- Funded by the Marga and Walter Boll Foundation -

The networking of young scientists with experienced experts from different stakeholder areas is an essential prerequisite for the implementation of a sustainable, system-oriented bioeconomy. Young scientists often lack access to experiential knowledge and to networks that senior experts from science, industry and civil society have collected and built up in the course of their professional careers. On the other hand, valuable knowledge, experience and professional networks are lost after senior experts retire from active professional life.

In the framework of the "Generation B(ioeconomy)" project, an innovative model for closing this gap is being explored. Young scientists from the BioSC Core Groups can apply for three-year research projects in a bioeconomy-relevant topic area, coupled with mentoring by a senior expert from another stakeholder area of the bioeconomy. The goal is to initiate and foster the long-term development of generational knowledge communities in the bioeconomy.

The first call for proposals was issued at the end of 2022. Further calls will follow. From July 2023, two young scientist-mentor tandems are being funded for three years.

ASHtoCASH – Utilizing wasste streams from locally produced biomaterials for controlling relevant diseases of sugar beet as a key crop of national bioeconomy
Dr. Patrick Schwinges, Institute for Plant Physiology, RWTH Aachen University
Dr. Rüdiger Hauschild, APIS Applied Insect Science GmbH, Stade

IN-FIBRE – Integrated multistep approaches for efficient cellulose fibre extraction from alternative sources
Moritz Doeker, IBG-2 Plant Science, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Axel Wizemann, Dipl.-Holzwirt, Wizemann Beratung