Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG)

The Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG) aims to understand and advance biological and geoscientific processes to establish a sustainable bioeconomy. Central to this effort is the question of how to efficiently and responsibly utilize and shape plant-based, microbial, and ecological systems for a bio-based economy.

IBG generates systemic insights along key stages of the bioeconomic value chain by integrating experimentation, modeling, and data-driven analysis. These stages include the development of microbial cell factories and plant-based production systems, as well as digital representations of agroecological systems.

The interdisciplinary research approach is based on five core disciplines: biotechnology, plant sciences, agrosphere research, bioinformatics, and computational metagenomics. Research and technological development are closely intertwined and supported by research platforms such as the Jülich Biofoundry, the Jülich Plant Phenotyping Center (JPPC), the TERENO environmental observatory, the AgraSim simulation chamber, and transfer projects such as SolarTAP (AgriPV), MiBioLab (robotics), and ReGenFarm (regenerative agriculture).

Through its involvement in networks such as the Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), the geoscience network ABC/J, the structural transformation initiative BioökonomieREVIER, and the Excellence Clusters CEPLAS, PhenoRob, and Fuel Science Center, IBG links scientific knowledge with practical implementation toward a circular bioeconomy.