Expert interview - Prof. Dr. Stefanie Heiden

Fundamentals and significance of biologisation 

Question 1: What exactly is meant by the term "biologisation" in the context of industry and what strategic advantages does it offer companies? Why should a company concern itself with the biologisation of its products/processes?

Prof. Dr Stefanie Heiden: Biologisation basically means the transfer and use of biological knowledge and solutions in technical, economic and/or social contexts. In other words, we borrow models from nature and develop them further based on specific issues.

Biologisation, as we understand it today, relies on convergent technologies and thus exploits the cross-sectional potential that arises from the interaction of different disciplines. Biological approaches offer not only strategic, but also very specific cost and/or competitive advantages for companies. They not only offer new products with added value, but also generate new properties that are capable of opening up or even creating new markets. They often form the technical basis for company start-ups or optimisation approaches for existing in-house processes.

Companies are always well advised to evaluate their corporate orientation on the one hand and their products and production processes on the other: they do this with a view to the changing market, new competitors, new requirements, current and long-term availability of raw materials, fixed costs, etc. Particularly against the current backdrop of global upheavals and the associated issues of energy and raw material sovereignty, but also the increasingly urgent challenges of global climate change, further and new efforts are needed at all levels to strengthen the innovation and competitiveness of companies and countries.

Companies are also integrating new technologies and solutions into their developments and production processes and subjecting their processes to corresponding optimisation analyses that reveal various limitations. This is where bioionisation approaches come into play, as they can help to reduce production costs and realise strategic and very specific competitive advantages.

Areas of application and examples 

Question 2: In which sectors or areas do you see the greatest potential for biologisation? Can you give specific examples?

Prof. Dr Stefanie Heiden: First of all, I must say that I see the added value of the bioeconomy strategy or the bioeconomy concept in the fact that the bioeconomy means much more than just focussing on the field of renewable raw materials; it goes far beyond that and encompasses a wide range of industries, processes and product classes. By cleverly implementing the bioeconomy strategy, it will be possible to effectively meet the global challenges. I see highly interesting approaches for the realisation of broad biologisation, particularly in the combination of the cross-sectional and key technology of biotechnology with new approaches to digitalisation and AI:

In the fields of medicine and medical technology as well as pharmaceuticals, the development of evidence-based and agile decision support systems is an opportunity to enable individualised therapies: Novel carrier systems that target specific cell structures and transport highly potent drugs can be tracked in vivo using molecular imaging and effectively released at the site of interest. Novel, customised active ingredients can be developed and brought to approval more quickly.

Implants, whether in dentistry or in the treatment of hip or joint implants, benefit significantly from biologisation approaches: They can remain in the body for longer if material surfaces are modified in such a way that biofilms cannot grow or can only grow very slowly. This can be achieved through biological surface modifications which, for example, make it more difficult for bacteria to adhere. The latest biotechnological developments even offer solutions that mechanically remove biofilms from the implant surface in a quasi-brush-like manner.

This makes the field of so-called red (medical/pharmacological) biotechnology one of the most important fields of the bioeconomy.  

I see far-reaching potential in the field of agriculture; needs-based fertilisation or the tailored application of pesticides or plant protection products depending on climatic conditions, pest infestation or threshold values are possible through so-called precision farming: This combines biological knowledge (bio-sensor technology, plant sciences, metabolomics, genetics and plant breeding) with physical measurement methods and AI to enable more sustainable agriculture (and water management).

The prevention of premature leaching of pesticides by proteins with special adhesive properties, which bind active ingredients to the leaf surface of crops for longer, are also modern approaches to biological systems. This significantly minimises the amount of active ingredient used on the one hand and groundwater pollution on the other, reduces the costs for the agricultural business accordingly and increases the yield per hectare. Externalised environmental costs are thus significantly reduced. The knowledge gained can also be incorporated into the sustainable management of water.

Another exciting area is the field of innovative materials for design and construction in various sectors: One example of this is CO₂-neutral carbon fibre, which can be recovered by type and reused with the same fibre length at the end of its technical service life. This is thanks to a biotechnological surface modification.

Bioionisation approaches offer further exciting solutions, particularly in the field of lightweight construction.

The special characteristic of biologisation is expressed in all the areas mentioned, namely that of integrated cycle management: 3.4 billion years of development in living nature have produced solutions that function quasi waste-free, energy- and material flow-optimised, and this at both molecular and macroscopic level.

This distinguishes biological systems from linear approaches, which focus in particular on optimising efficiency and place less emphasis on the topic of the circular economy.

Challenges in the implementation

Question 3: What hurdles need to be overcome in order to successfully implement biologisation?

Prof. Dr Stefanie Heiden: I see the particular challenges in Germany in particular in a "suboptimally" functioning capital market. New start-ups that have a highly interesting biobased technology basis are emerging, but are not being transformed into organic growth due to a lack of the necessary financial instruments. Or they grow in other countries, particularly in the USA or Asia, and thus follow the investors of the necessary large financing rounds.

Secondly, I see the lack of production facilities and the necessary scaling that we would need in Germany to actually help our national bioeconomy strategy achieve vitality. Germany was the first nation in the world with a bioeconomy strategy; once again, we are lagging behind when it comes to implementation.

Opportunities through support

Question 4: What can companies do specifically? Where do you see great opportunities?

Prof. Dr Stefanie Heiden: Every day, we face the challenges of a changing world that can certainly benefit in many ways from bio-based solutions. However, we should not be so naive as to believe that "organic" will always make everything better or more sustainable. The laws of thermodynamics also apply in biological systems. And every business decision-maker will only make a convincing case for what is also profitable.

This calls for a transparent consideration and evaluation of possible alternative solutions that go beyond company boundaries and also include externalised environmental costs in the overall calculation. In the current climate of global upheaval and discussions about the need for raw material and energy sovereignty, the course will certainly have to be set differently once again, as these considerations must also be factored in.

Basically, so-called weak-point (or rather potential) analyses help companies to position themselves more resource-efficiently and to rethink existing processes and structures; this is where bio-based solutions can come into play, if they are known at all.

Initiatives such as the Germany-wide TransBIB network offer corresponding workshops and company-specific consultations to raise awareness of such bioeconomy innovations and make it easier to integrate them into companies. This also brings industries or companies that are not involved in the bioeconomy into direct contact with bio-based solutions, which can often be integrated into the company easily and without exorbitantly high costs. However, they often also open up new markets, as their integration allows new product specifications to be realised that offer very specific competitive advantages.

Co-operations or offers from the TransBIB network provide the right contacts for this. They build bridges to technology providers, funding programmes or financing.

Future prospects

Question 5: How do you see the future of biologisation in business?

Prof Dr Stefanie Heiden: If we remove the existing limitations - some of which I have already mentioned above - nothing will be able to stop the bioeconomy. However, I would like to point out that the path of innovation is always the story of overcoming resistance.

And finally, we should always remember that innovation is the long road from invention to market penetration. In order for this path to be travelled successfully, it requires creative technology experts on the one hand, and transformation by entrepreneurs and courageous financial market players on the other, who recognise and support this potential at an early stage. At ITE, the Institute for Innovation Research, Technology Management & Entrepreneurship, technology owners, investors and entrepreneurs come together! We are happy to take our partners on the journey with us.

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We would like to thank Prof Dr Stefanie Heiden for the interview.
The questions were asked by TransBIB project team member Marie Teichmann.