The Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) is expanding its research transfer activities through the TRANSPLANT initiative, launched in 2024. This collaborative project, involving Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Cologne, and Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Kleve, is funded by the NRW Ministry for Culture and Science. TRANSPLANT aims to maximize the impact of fundamental plant science research by fostering collaboration between academia, industry and farmers, and by promoting entrepreneurship among scientists, to drive innovation within NRW and beyond. Ultimately, TRANSPLANT seeks to translate research excellence at CEPLAS and Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences into enhancing socio-economic impact.
CEPLAS will feature presentations by Prof. Dr. Maria von Korff Schmising, Prof. Dr. Martin Lercher, and Prof. Dr. Markus Stetter, illustrating the potential of their research for translation into socio-economic impact. In addition, the new TRANSPLANT initiative of CEPLAS will be represented at CropIB 2025. An important goal of the TRANSPLANT initiative is to connect investors and industry with entrepreneurial scientists to facilitate startup creation. As a prime example, Dr. Ernesto Llamas will pitch his startup project “Plantman,” which aims at the translation of fundamental results from plant biology research into potential Huntington's disease therapeutics. To us, this project demonstrates how fundamental plant science research can potentially lead to commercially viable healthcare applications, fostering collaboration between plant science and the pharmaceutical industry.
As part of the TRANSPLANT initiative, CEPLAS also wants to contribute to vital cooperations between industry and academia, by providing a regular idea exchange platform where industry representatives, researchers and entrepreneurial scientists can meet and establish new contacts, to strengthen existing partnerships, and building long-term, trusting relationships. This, in turn, strengthens regional, national, and international value chains, supporting sustainable growth and social prosperity.