News

• 21-06-2023

• 

  BIOCIVIS at “Bioeconomy Policies, Actors, and Transformations: Achievements, Challenges, and Recommendations” in Berlin on 22 and 23 February

  The project results were presented to an international audience and then discussed in a lively and critical manner. Among other things, the aspect of the actual influence of participation formats on political processes, as well as the possibilities and limits of including rudimentary "everyday knowledge" of citizens in the technically complex bioeconomy were addressed.

• Announcement: Participation of the Biocivis team in international bioeconomy conference

  From 22-23 February, the BIOCIVIS team will be guests at the international bioeconomy conference "Bioeconomy Policies, Actors, and Transformations: Achievements, Challenges, and Recommendations" in Berlin. The organiser is the "PolDeRBio" project of Humboldt University Berlin, which is also funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In this context, the results from the BIOCIVIS project will be presented to a primarily scientific audience.
   

• 

  Report Final Conference BIOCIVIS

  On 17 January, the final conference "Bioeconomy needs citizens - but how?" of the ZIN research project BIOCIVIS took place, organised by the project team together with the Akademie Franz Hitze Haus. A mixed audience of citizens, scientists and practitioners made their way to Münster to discuss participation in the bioeconomy. The focus of the conference was on the presentation and discussion of the project results: On the one hand, recommendations for action on the design of participation processes in the bioeconomy were presented, which emerged from the evaluation of the participation formats tested within the project (the so-called biodialogues). On the other hand, the participating citizens developed criteria for a sustainable bioeconomy during the biodialogues, which were intensively discussed at the conference.
  
  At the beginning of the day, Christian Müller from the Akademie Franz Hitze Haus and the BIOCIVIS project leaders Prof'in Doris Fuchs and Prof. Bodo Philipp welcomed the conference participants to the Franz Hitze Haus. As an introduction to a day full of exciting discussions, the project staff members Victoria Hasenkamp and Wiebke Walleck then presented the work of the research project and the results that have been developed over the last three years.
  The joint exchange was finally introduced with a panel discussion in which the bioeconomy in the context of sustainability was discussed with the inclusion of citizens' criteria for a good bioeconomy. With Dennis Herzberg from the Industrial Biotechnology Cluster, Jun. Prof. Franziska Schünemann from the University of Hohenheim and Dr. Tobias Lehberg, mayor of the climate community Saerbeck, different perspectives from industry, science and practice came together. Among other things, there was consensus that education as well as practical, regional projects play a central role in bringing the bioeconomy into society. Global and economic aspects were also discussed. In the subsequent plenary discussion, the other participants also participated intensively, for example on questions of sufficiency. The thesis that the ecological and economic crises would have to intensify even more in order to actually implement the change to a bioeconomy across the board and to understand it as a possible approach to a solution was thought-provoking.
  
  During the breaks, the project team had prepared a small exhibition that gave an impression of how the biodialogues took place. A vivid example of the recruitment approach of the first two events was provided by the posters and flyers used. With exhibits and posters on the bioplastic PLA and the flavouring vanillin, both of which can be produced biotechnologically, a small part of an exhibition of bioeconomic everyday products designed for the Biodialogues moved into the conference hall. Together with a memory game, in which the participants of the Biodialogues had learned about bio-based chemicals through play, it offered insights into the transfer of knowledge during the Dialogues. A screen showed photos of all three biodialogues to give a feeling for the atmosphere and the process of the participation formats; the results from one dialogue were presented in a graphic recording. Other activities of the project, such as a comic on the topic of biogas production in cooperation with the waste management company Münster as well as the BMBF project "Frag Sophie" were also presented.
  
  The second focus of the conference was an interactive World Café. Engaging discussions were held in two rounds on the topics of biogas production from organic waste, bioplastics and biological wastewater treatment. Again, the discussions were oriented towards the citizens' criteria for a sustainable bioeconomy, which were now concretely related to the biotechnological processes. The debates were continued in the plenary. In terms of content, the role and responsibility of each individual with regard to the implementation of bioeconomy in everyday life crystallised. The responsibility of politics for the provision of regulatory framework conditions with regard to incentives, prohibitions or bans in order to support the realisation of a sustainable bioeconomy was critically debated.
  
  After many exciting and constructive discussions, Doris Fuchs and Bodo Philipp bid farewell to the participants with the appeal to continue to promote citizen participation in the bioeconomy despite all the challenges. In a subsequent get-together, there were further active discussions and networks were expanded and established, so that the conference came to a pleasant end. The project team was also very satisfied with the positive response to the event, which marks the conclusion of the BIOCIVIS project. In the further course, policy briefs, a practical brochure and publications on the project results are planned.

• 

  Invitation to Final Conference „Bioökonomie braucht Bürger*innen - Aber wie?“ on 17 January 2023

  On Monday, 17 January 2023, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN) of the University of Münster and the Akademie Franz Hitze Haus will hold a conference entitled "Bioeconomy needs citizens - but how? The conference will take place on the occasion of the conclusion of the BIOCIVIS research project, which is led by ZIN spokesperson Prof'in Doris Fuchs and ZIN member Prof. Bodo Philipp. The event will take place at the Franz Hitze Haus in Münster.
  
  The so-called bioeconomy focuses on the use of renewable natural resources. It is seen as a way of doing business in which a sustainable circular economy can emerge in the long term that is less dependent on fossil energy sources and finite raw materials. It also includes biotechnological processes, which are, however, often controversial because of their connection with genetic engineering methods. Bioeconomy can contribute to more sustainability, but it is not sustainable per se. It also has not only advantages and potentials, but on closer examination also causes social, economic and ecological costs. The debate on the bioeconomy and its sustainability potential has so far been conducted almost exclusively by experts, while citizens' perspectives on relevant innovations often go unheard. In order to be able to use the potentials of the bioeconomy, a public discussion involving all social actors must emerge.
  So how do citizens assess the opportunities and challenges of the bioeconomy? How do they assess the advantages and disadvantages of biotechnological processes? In the BIOCIVIS project, citizens discussed these questions in participation formats and formulated criteria for a sustainable bioeconomy.
  
  At the final conference, we want to discuss the project results against the background of current challenges with citizens and guests from science, politics and practice. We will also present practical recommendations for the design of participation formats for biotechnological innovations that were developed in the project.
  
  All interested parties are cordially invited to participate in the exchange and enrich it with their views and opinions.  In addition to a World Café, there will also be a panel discussion where we welcome the following speakers:

  •     Jun. Prof'in Franziska Schünemann, Institute of Economics, University of Hohenheim
  •     Dr. Tobias Lehberg, Mayor of Saerbeck
  •     Dennis Herzberg, Cluster for Industrial Biotechnology (CLIB), Düsseldorf

  
  The conference fee will be covered by the project so that we can offer the event free of charge.
  Due to limited places, we kindly ask you to register by 12.01.2023 via the homepage of the Akademie Franz-Hitze-Haus. There you will also find detailed information on the programme.

• 

• 21-10-2022

  

• 

• 

• 

• Review: Third dialogue event of the BIOCIVIS project

  The third and last dialogue event of the BIOCIVIS research project on the topic of bioeconomy and sustainability took place from 12 to 14 May 2022 under the name Biodialog at the Capuchin Monastery in Münster. Lively discussions sprang up in the seminar room and in the monastery garden between the 14 participating citizens on the question of whether and how the bioeconomy can contribute to greater sustainability.
  
  In addition to a video, a memory and an exhibition of bioeconomy products, the presentations by invited speakers on the topics of the Biodialogue served as the basis for the discussions. In addition, various stakeholders were present who gave the citizens their views on bioeconomy and biotechnology issues. Using concrete examples of application, the participants learned about the advantages and disadvantages of biotechnology and the bioeconomy as well as their impact on sustainability. At the end, they formulated criteria that they would like to see in the future for a sustainable bioeconomy.
  Questions about sustainability in general, citizen participation and genetic engineering were also discussed. Together with the results of the previous Biodialogues in 2021, the BIOCIVIS project team now has extensive data to answer the research questions. The question of how participation on complex issues (such as the bioeconomy) can succeed will be answered by means of recommendations for policy action.

• Comic on the topic of bioeconomy published with the cooperation of the BIOCIVS project

  Last week, a new comic strip in the "Frag Sophie!" series, designed by the Arbeitsstelle Forschungstransfer (AFO, WWU Münster), the Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Münster (AWM) and the BIOCIVIS project, was published in the Westfälische Nachrichten and on the website of the "Frag Sophie!" project. The comic answers the question "What does our biowaste have to do with our future?" in a low-threshold and appealing way, addressing the topics of bioeconomy and biogas formation, among others.
  
  The AFO project "Frag Sophie!" (English Translation: "Ask Sophie") aims to promote the exchange between society and science through the transfer of scientific knowledge and invites citizens to ask scientists questions. Representing scientists at Münster University, the titular cartoon character Sophie searches for answers to these questions together with her owl. This search for answers is depicted in a regularly published science comic, illustrated by Gianluca Scigliano and published both analogue (in the Westfälische Nachrichten) and digitally (on the project's website).

• Review: Second dialogue event of the BIOCIVIS project

  On 20 and 21 August, the second dialogue event of the BIOCIVIS project on the topic of bioeconomy took place in the Botanical Garden of the WWU Münster. This so-called "Biodialog", which was organised in cooperation with the Research Transfer Office (AFO) of the WWU Münster, was attended by 16 citizens and 9 practice partners from different areas of society. Together they discussed the opportunities and challenges of the bioeconomy with regard to the transformation towards sustainability.
  
  Various information elements served as a basis for the discussion, including explanatory videos produced by the project team, an exhibition of various bioeconomic products and guest lectures by external speakers. Within the framework of various discussion formats, the participants developed opinions on the sustainability potential of the bioeconomy (see above) and on the question of how citizens would like to or should be involved in decisions on complex future issues.
  
  These opinions are only one element of the diverse and extensive data material that is now being analysed by the project team after the dialogue events in order to develop answers to the central question of the BIOCIVIS project: By means of which participatory processes can the benefits of bioeconomic technologies be socially secured and at the same time a strengthening of democratic participation be realised? As soon as the first answers are available, you will also find information on this website.
   

• 

  BIOCIVIS employee guest at the second Science Slam in the house of science in Braunschweig

  In the course of the Science Year 2020/21 on the topic of the bio-economy, the "Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig" is organizing a series of Science Slam Talks in which different research fields and projects in the field of bio-economy will be presented.
  
  Wiebke Walleck, member of the BIOCIVIS project, will be present at Issue #2 on Wendsday, July 14th, 2021 from 7 pm. She will give a short presentation of the research project before she will talk to the other guests and the audience, following the input of the other guests.
  
  The Science Slam Talks Bioeconomy takes place digitally. Interested parties can watch Issue #2, where Wiebke Walleck is guest, via YouTube livestream. Further information about the event series and the other guests of Issue #2 can be found here. After the event, the audience can vote which performance was the best of the day and won. Interested persons are cordially invited!
   

• BIOCIVIS employee guest at the first Citizen Science Day of the Muenster university

  The  Innovation Office (AFO) which belongs to the Muenster university organises a Citizen Science Day where, among others, presentations about the relationship between citizen science and sciene, society and politics will be held and citizen science projects of the Muenster university will be pictured.
  
  Victoria Hasenkamp, member of the BIOCIVIS project, will be present on Friday, June 11, 2021 from 2.35 – 4.45 pm. She will give a short poster presentation of the research project in the plenum before she will answer questions around the project in a seperate Breakout Room No. 13, following the input of the other guests.
  
  The Citizen Science Day takes place digitally. Interested parties can take part via Zoom (Meeting-ID: 627 0052 1248; Code: 1107). Further information about the event as well as login details can be found here. Please note that the event takes place in German.
   

• 

  With bioeconomy to a more sustainable future? - Explanations, chances, challenges

  On May 18th, the fourth blog article written in context of the BIOCIVIS project as part of a series of contributions on bio-economy was pusblished on the blog " Nach(haltig) gedacht" of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN).
  
  In the German article with the title "Mit Bioökonomie in eine nachhaltige Zukunft? – Erklärungen, Möglichkeiten, Herausforderungen", the author, project member Victoria Hasenkamp, explains how bioeconomy and biotechnology in the context of change towards a more sustainable economy can be defined. Then the potentials and challenges of a sustainable bioeconomy are shown using diverse examples. The article closes with highlighting the importance of a preferably diverse, public discourse around a (sustainable) bioeconomy and -technology in which civil society and members of the public are included. Public discourse can contribute to answer many open questions evolving around the topics bioeconomy and sustainability, for example how bioeconomy can be implemented in practice or which goals are to be persued in this process.
  
  Source: Hasenkamp, Victoria (2021): Mit Bioökonomie in eine nachhaltige Zukunft? – Erklärungen, Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen, IN: nach(haltig)gedacht. Blog des Zentrums für interdisziplinäre Nachhaltigkeitsforschung der WWU Münster, 18.05.2021.
   

• 

• 

  Participation - Key to transformational Change?

  The university of Freiburg is hosting an international conference from November 30th to December 3rd, the Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Conference 2020.
  
  On Tuesday, December 1st from 12.10-12.30 PM, members of the project Carolin Bohn and Victoria Hasenkamp will give a short presentation with the title „Participation – Key driver to a democratic transition into a circular bio-economy? A critical reflection using the example of processes for the production of biogas through biowaste“. The presentation is followed by a short discussion.
  
  The entire conference can be followed via Zoom for free. To participate, a registration is required.
  
   

• 

  On the way to (bio)Economy: What we can learn from biology

  On November 24th, the third blog article written in context of the BIOCIVIS project as part of a series of contributions on bio-economy was pusblished on the blog  "Nach(haltig) gedacht" of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN).
  
  In the German article with the title "Auf dem Weg zur (Bio)Ökonomie: Von der Biologie lernen?", the author, head of project Prof. Bodo Philipp, explains how differtent research disciplines can contribute to a sustainable bioeconomy and change. The focus hereby is on biology. Different examples show how the closed carbon cycle, the primary production and fixation of carbondioxide as well as the mineralisation and degradation of carbondioxide can contribute to a sustainable economy. Furthermore the cellular economy with its management of mass flow shows how it is possible to react in a crisis secure way to changing conditions and life situations - a property which is essential for survival not only for the (bio)economy.
  
  Source: Philipp, Bodo (2020): Auf dem Weg zur (Bio)Ökonomie: Von der Biologie lernen? IN: nach(haltig)gedacht. Blog des Zentrums für interdisziplinäre Nachhaltigkeitsforschung der WWU Münster, 24.11.2020.
   

• 

  BIOCIVIS employees guests at the Bioeconomy Science Slam Talk

  In the course of the Science Year 2020/21 on the topic of the bio-economy, the "Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig" is organizing a series of Science Slam Talks in which different research fields and projects in the field of bio-economy will be presented.
  
  Carolin Bohn and Dr. Florentin J. Schmidt, two members of the BIOCIVIS project, will be present at Talk #4 on Thursday, November 12, 2020 from 6 - 7 pm. They will give a short presentation of the research project before they will talk to the other guests and the audience, following the input of the other guests.
  
  The Science Slam Talks Bioeconomy take place digitally. Interested parties can watch Talk #4, where Carolin Bohn and Dr. Florentin Schmidt are guests, via YouTube livestream. Further information about the event series and the other guests of Talk #4 can be found here, and the previous talks can also be accessed via the tab "Event Archive".

• 

  What do microorganisms have to do with a more sustainable future?

  On July 21st, the second blog article written in context of the BIOCIVIS project as part of a series of contributions on bio-economy was pusblished on the blog "Nach(haltig) gedacht" of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN).
  
  In the German article with the title "Mikroskopisch klein und faszinierend facettenreich – Was Mikroorganismen mit einer nachhaltigen Zukunft zu tun haben", the author, project fellow Dr. Florentin J. Schmidt, first explains what exactly "microorganisms" are. He illustrates how imaginatively these microorganisms adapt to the most diverse habitats and shows that, precisely because of their versatility, they can be used by humans in various ways (and already are). He then asks specifically about the potential uses of microbes for the implementation of a sustainable bio-economy and shows where such potentials lie, while at the same time addressing challenges in this area. Against this background, he concludes that the use of microorganisms is one of many building blocks for solving sustainability problems. At the same time, he emphasizes that decisions on the use of microorganisms as part of biotechnological processes must be made jointly by experts from different areas of society and citizens.
   
  Source: Schmidt, Florentin J. (2020): Mikroskopisch klein und faszinierend facettenreich – Was Mikroorganismen mit einer nachhaltigen Zukunft zu tun haben. IN: nach(haltig)gedacht. Blog des Zentrums für interdisziplinäre Nachhaltigkeitsforschung der WWU Münster, 21.07.2020.
   

• 

  "Participation – Key to transformational change?"

  On June 12th, BIOCIVIS project fellow Carolin Bohn will give a talk on participation in the bioeconomy in the context of the three-day SCORAI International Conference 2020, this year's meeting of the "Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative".
  
  The lecture, jointly prepared by Carolin Bohn and Prof'in Doris Fuchs (part of the BIOCIVIS project lead), is titled "Participation - Key to transformational change? A critical reflection using the example of bioeconomic processes in the circular economy". The two political scientists address one of the central questions of the BIOCIVIS project, namely the question of central requirements of participation processes in the context of bioeconomy. They explain why, in their view, such processes should involve as many different citizens as possible with diverse forms of knowledge and values and should not aim at a consensual decision exclusively. In addition, they outline initial ideas on the practical framework conditions that could contribute to fulfilling these conditions in participation processes in the context of bioeconomy.
  
  Further information on the conference can be found here, further information on the "Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative" here.

• 

  „On the way to a "sustainable" economy with t-shirts made of coffee grounds? - Insights into the bioeconomy“

  On May 12th , the first blog article written in context of the BIOCIVIS project was published on the blog "Nach(haltig)gedacht" of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ZIN, University of Muenster).
  
  In the article titled "Mit T-Shirts aus Kaffeesatz zur "nachhaltigen Wirtschaft"? - Einblicke in die Bioökonomie" (in English: "On the way to a "sustainable" economy with t-shirts made of coffee grounds? - Insights into the bioeconomy") the authors Anja Steingrobe and Carolin Bohn (research fellow in the BIOCIVIS project) eplain the terms "biotechnology" and "bioeconomy". Subsequently they point out that while bioeconomy cannot be achieved without biotechnology, bioeconomy is more than biotechnology at the same time. The article shows that the bioeconomy has many potentials, but also poses many challenges and thus the authors conclude: There are still many exciting and important questions to be answered with regard to the topic bioeconomy!
  
  For this reason, the BIOCIVIS project team will publish further articles focussing on different facets of the bioeconomy in a series on the topic bioeconomy on the blog "Nach(haltig)gedacht".

• 

  Sustainability potentials of the bioeconomy

  Detergents with high washing power at low temperatures, biofuels or bioplastics - these are only three of many products that can be produced using so-called biotechnological processes. These processes are often considered to have the potential to contribute to the transformation to sustainability. Their proponents argue that biotechnological processes can make production processes or products more "sustainable", as they are often more energy-efficient, emit fewer greenhouse gases or are biodegradable. Many political actors (including the EU and the German Federal Government) hope that the use of biotechnological processes will pave the way to a new, sustainable form of economy: a so-called bioeconomy, based on renewable resources instead of fossil raw materials, which ideally will be self-renewing in the sense of a circular economy. At the same time, there are other actors who critically question the potential of biotechnological processes or the vision of a bioeconomy. Among others, these actors point out that the actual "sustainability" of biotechnological processes is difficult to determine, that there is no fundamental questioning of the growth economy in the bioeconomy-debate, and that citizens are not sufficiently involved in political decisions on bioeconomy. So how may bioeconomy actually contribute to transformation to sustainability?
  
  This is the question that Carolin Bohn and Victoria Hasenkamp (fellows in the BMBF-funded research project BIOCIVIS) will address in their public online lecture "Zukunftsvision Bioökonomie - Wegbereiter für die Transformation zur Nachhaltigkeit?" which will take place on 14th May 2020 (12:15 p.m. to 13:45 p.m.) as part of the lecture series "ZIN-Brotzeitkolloquium".
  
  The lectureres will first give a short introduction to biotechnology and bioeconomy, in which they discuss both the political and technical background of the topic. Subsequently, they weigh up the potential contributions of biotechnological processes to the implementation of ecological, social and economic sustainability as well as their limits, so that the audience is enabled to form its own opinion on this complex of topics.
  
  The online lecture is public and adresses students of all disciplines and the interested public, previous knowledge is not required. The presentation will be held via ZOOM, the link to participate will be published here with sufficient advance notice.

• 

  University newspaper "wissen.leben" reports on the BIOCIVIS project

  Each year, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) focusses on a different topic in course of the Science Year or "Wissenschaftsjahr". In 2020, the Sicence Year is dedicated to the topic bioeconomy. On the occasion its beginning, the German-language University newspaper "wissen.leben" of the University of Muenster publishes a major article on the topic bioeonomy, which also deals with the project BIOCIVIS, in its current issue for February/March.
  
  Prof. Bodo Philipp, who is leading the interdisciplinary research project together with Prof'in Doris Fuchs, vividly explains the potential of bioeconomic processes, pointing out their contribution to a sustainable circular economy. The article also illustrates that the role of the bioeconomy is by no means uncontroversial, not least due to the use of genetic engineering in individual bioeconomic processes. In the light of a controversial discussion about bioeconomy, the BIOCIVIS project aims to enable an equal dialogue on this topic between citizens and actors from politics, society, and economy. Prof'in Doris Fuchs underlines that this dialogue does not necessarily aim to create acceptance or consensus. All in all, the author of the article summarizes, the findings from the BIOCIVIS project may contribute to facilitate the path to a bio-based economy, but could also point out the social limits of this kind of economy.
  
  Source: Wedlich, Susanne (2019): "Bioökonomie hat viele Facetten". Wissenschaftsjahr 2020: Große Herausforderungen für Politik, Gesellschaft und Forschung, IN: wissen.leben 14 (1), p. 4, available online under: https://www.uni-muenster.de/imperia/md/content/wwu/muz/pdf-ausgaben/wl_01_2020.pdf.