The conference took place under the umbrella of the NewFoodSystems Innovation Space and was primarily funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). The Innovation Space researches innovative and sustainable nutrition and runs from December 1, 2019, to December 31, 2025. NewFoodSystems is one of four “Bioeconomy Innovation Spaces” in the BMFTR's “National Bioeconomy Research Strategy 2030.”
With approximately 290 participants from 130 institutions, the conference demonstrated the impact of collaboration between science, business, and politics on innovation. The conference provided important impulses for transforming our food and nutrition systems. Speakers included renowned experts such as Prof. Tim Benton, Prof. Eva Barlösius, Prof. Achim Spiller, Prof. Otto Strecker, Prof. Daniela Thrän, Prof. Matin Qaim and Jan Plagge.
Research from Weihenstephan strongly represented at the conference
The Weihenstephan campus participated with numerous presentations and poster contributions from the research groups of Prof. Julia Steinhoff-Wagner, Prof. Wilhelm Windisch, Prof. Marius Henkel, Prof. Senthold Asseng, Prof. J. Philipp Benz, Prof. Thomas Becker, Prof. Petra Först, Prof. Jutta Roosen, the TUM Venture Lab, and Dr. Roman Werner, among others. The Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich and the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV were also present. Young scientists attended the conference with 90 poster presentations.
Ministerial Director Daniel Rudolf (BMFTR) delivered the welcome address in person, as did Federal Minister of Agriculture Alois Rainer via video. Dr. Enrico Barsch, the BMFTR's bioeconomy advisor, participated in the conference's final panel discussion.
“These days have shown what is possible when research, business, and politics join forces to move toward a sustainable transformation of our food and nutrition systems,” says Ute Weisz, Professor of Plant Proteins and Nutrition at the TUM School of Life Sciences in Weihenstephan.
Database “Sustainable Protein Ingredients” by Prof. Ute Weisz
As part of the NewFoodSystems innovation space, Prof. Ute Weisz coordinated the "Sustainable Protein Ingredients" project. This project promoted the development of a protein database specifically for plant-based proteins, among other things.
Additionally, she was responsible for coordinating of the innovation space with Prof. Sabine Kulling from the Max Rubner Institute (MRI) – “a close collaboration that contributed significantly to strategically bundling the diverse research topics and successfully implementing the activities of the innovation space,” says Prof. Ute Weisz.
