Learning from nature to advance biotechnology through microbiomes
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Learning from nature to advance biotechnology through microbiomes

10/06/2025 Pensoft Publishers

The EU-funded PROMICON project ended in May 2025, delivering a collection of evidence, tools and policy recommendations to support the bioeconomy.

Europe is under growing pressure to meet the rising demand for biological resources, while ecosystems suffer from overuse and climate change. In response, the European Union has implemented a Bioeconomy Strategy, now undergoing a revision set for adoption in 2025.

To do its part, in 2021, PROMICON set out to support the bioeconomy by harnessing the power of microbiomes. Bringing together researchers from 10 institutions across 7 European countries, the consortium studied microbial communities in diverse ecosystems and translated this knowledge into real-world applications, developing new biotechnological solutions for the production of bioplastics, butanol, hydrogen, and other bio-based products.

Four years later, PROMICON delivered over 30 scientific publications, five targeted policy briefs, and a range of educational videos and tools designed to inform researchers, industry representatives and policymakers. Explore the project’s legacy in the newly released booklet and video.

Starting an exciting journey in 2020, an enthusiastic consortium was forged ‘online-only’. In PROMICON, we followed the idea of understanding and taming microbiomes for production purposes. Thanking everyone for their hard work, I’m very proud of the progress made, the new tools developed, the knowledge created, and the applications initiated.

– Jens O. Krömer, Project Coordinator, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ

Although there is still a long way to go when it comes to unlocking the full potential of bioeconomy innovations, PROMICON is happy to have contributed to supporting the EU’s sustainable development.

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This project receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101000733. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the EU nor REA can be held responsible for them.

Attached files
  • Consortium members at the final meeting in Leipzig
10/06/2025 Pensoft Publishers
Regions: Europe, Bulgaria, European Union and Organisations
Keywords: Science, Climate change, Environment - science

Disclaimer: AlphaGalileo is not responsible for the accuracy of content posted to AlphaGalileo by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the AlphaGalileo system.

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