Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS
Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS

DiP – Digitalization of plant value chains

Project

Background

The project accompanies the transformation of the coal mining region in the Central German mining district of Saxony-Anhalt into an agricultural development region. Digitalization holds great development potential for many areas of agriculture. Technological progress can be used to optimize plant breeding, cultivation, harvesting and further processing into new plant-based foods, pharmaceutical products or plant-based raw materials in order to create ecologically and economically sustainable added value in the region and make the plant industry in Saxony-Anhalt climate-resilient. Within this framework, 20 joint projects with over 40 participating research partners will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research from April 2024 to December 2028. The aim is to establish a model region for the bioeconomy that is characterized by outstanding research, advanced industries and attractive employment opportunities.

Services

Eight of the collaborative projects are supported by the Fraunhofer IKTS team with socio- and techno-economic research. This is an essential part of assessing the impact of innovations on the regional economy. We provide the necessary data to make these innovations sustainable and marketable.

The work can be divided into three thematic blocks:

  1. Techno-economic modeling of value chains
  2. Evaluation of sustainability and market potential
  3. Membership of Fraunhofer IKTS in the consortium of BegleitDiP, the cross-project accompanying research for the digitalization of plant value chains

Project partners: DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gGmbH, DLG e. V., Dr. Junghanns GmbH, EW Biotech GmbH, Fraunhofer CBP, Fraunhofer IMWS, Fraunhofer IZI, GISA GmbH, GMBU e. V., Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ, Leipzig, Julius-Kühn-Institut, Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Gartenbau, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzenbiochemie, Leibniz-Institut für Pflanzengenetik und Kulturpflanzenforschung, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Nordwestdeutsche Forstliche Versuchsanstalt, OntoChem GmbH, PKH GmbH (Apomix), Symrise AG

Project duration: 1.4.2024 – 31.12.2028

Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF

Subprojects

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BegleitDiP

BegleitDiP

The “BegleitDiP project” bundles the development of methods for the accompanying scientific research in the DiP project. It establishes a participatory and learning sustainability monitoring system. The project analyzes regional stakeholder structures and develops transformation indicators and visions for the future together with the stakeholders. A regionalized socio-economic impact assessment based on holistic evaluation approaches supports the practical implementation of the innovations researched in the DiP alliance. Two complementary assessment models based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) are being developed for this purpose. They make it possible to evaluate the various processes and technical concepts developed in the focus areas of the DiP model region and to classify their impact on the region. The modeling approach developed at the Halle (Saale) site of Fraunhofer IKTS will combine LCA and input-output methods in an extended hybrid model. By providing comprehensible interim results, BegleitDiP offers the collaborative projects an ongoing control function in their research work and also supports the development of the entire region. The information and indicators from the project are prepared and passed on to target groups in a suitable communicative manner, which takes place on a digital information platform (“dashboard”) with open access for all stakeholders.

Coordination: Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ, Leipzig

Partner: DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gGmbH

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