In order to meet the global challenge of the resource demand for energy, food and medicine with simultaneously increasing environmental pollution, sustainable visions, applied research and innovative technologies are needed. Biotechnological approaches are increasingly becoming the focus of problem solving. Theindustrial biotechnology research group led by Michael Lakatos uses microbial biocomplexity-inspired designs to investigate and develop new environmental protection processes, analytical methods, bioprocesses and technologies. The focus is on the transformation of microbial biodiversity into the bioeconomy through proven expertise in the fields of biotechnology, biodiversity, ecophysiology & bioeconomy of phototrophic microorganisms. The focus here is on a group of organisms with enormous potential: Microalgae (cyanobacteria & algae) have so far received little research interest in the context of white biotechnology, but are currently recognized as an omnipresent, taxonomically diverse and functionally significant component. In addition to applied research in strain optimization, biotechnology and process engineering of microalgae, the research group implements new industrial approaches by means of physiology, photofermentation technology and a strain culture collection with almost 300 microalgae.

Terrestrial cyanobacteria (Stigonema mammilosum) as used in the project for the extraction of active substances: