Insect Biotechnology and Bioresources

In terms of biodiversity, insects are the most successful organisms: there are more than a million species described. The development of this biodiversity was associated with the acquisition of a huge arsenal of molecules with which insects can secure their food supply or defend themselves against diseases and parasites. The scientists of the Campus Research Focus “Insect Biotechnology and Bioresources“ employ biotechnological methods to use insects as a resource for new molecules for applications in medicine, crop protection and industrial biotechnology. One of the objectives of the research being conducted in Europe’s first cluster for insect biotechnology and bioresources is the identification and further development of active agents against infectious diseases, for pest control and against the spreading of insect-borne diseases, as well as new sources of protein to feed livestock. The leading-edge technology developed in this way has great economic and innovative potential that is being leveraged by the synergy potential of Central Hessen as a hub of science and technology with its research-oriented universities of Giessen and Marburg and the application-oriented research of the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences as well as that of the partners of the Fraunhofer Society. The interinstitutional cooperation is also being reflected in terms of infrastructure: November 2016 saw the groundbreaking ceremony for a new research facility where scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute of Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), the Fraunhofer Project Group for Bioresources and involved study groups of the Justus Liebig University will conduct research under one roof. Ultimately, this infrastructure is to develop into an independent Fraunhofer Institute for Bioresources.