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Today, Boris Rhein, the Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, introduced the new LOEWE<\/a>-cluster \u201cAROMAplus \u2013 From plant-based raw materials to microbiological production \u2013 Aromas and functional ingredients from vines and fruit\u201d.\u00a0 He also handed over an official funding approval notification.\u00a0 At Hochschule Geisenheim University, and under its auspices, research staff from the Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen and the DECHEMA-Research Institute are working on producing natural aroma compounds with the help of microorganisms from vines and fruit.\u00a0 Up until 2021 the State of Hessen will be providing around 4.4 million Euros of funding for the cluster.\u00a0 Minister Rhein\u2019s visit to Geisenheim is part of the Hessen State Government\u2019s \u201cZukunftswochen \u00d6konomie und \u00d6kologie\u201d event, which focuses on future developments in business and ecology.<\/strong><\/p>\n Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, Boris Rhein:\u00a0 \u201cI am delighted about the new addition to our LOEWE-programme, and even more delighted that Hochschule Geisenheim University is now leading a LOEWE project for the first time. There is a large market for natural flavorings that is profiting from the trend towards healthy eating and which will continue to grow in the future.\u00a0 AROMAplus is thus a highly relevant and application-oriented research topic with an industrial perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Many of the flavorings, fragrances and vitamins in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and foods are plant-based.\u00a0 The fruits of the blackcurrant, for example, are not only healthy, they are also valued for their aromas and essential oils.\u00a0 These substances are becoming increasingly attractive for industrial applications \u2013 and so sustainable production methods are gaining importance.\u00a0 In the \u201cAROMAplus\u201d LOEWE project the research team is looking to extract or refine plant metabolites with the help of enzymes and microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi and bacteria. In the cultivation of crops such as blackcurrants or vines organic residues are produced which the researchers want to use as biological raw materials.<\/p>\n During his visit, the Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, Boris Rhein handed the official funding approval notification for around 4.4 million Euros to Prof. Dr. Hans-Rainer Schultz, President of Hochschule Geisenheim University. The Minister also presented LOEWE-certificates to three representatives of the institutions participating in the LOEWE-cluster.<\/p>\n During the \u201cZukunftswochen \u00d6konomie und \u00d6kologie\u201d<\/em> event Hessen\u2019s State Government is demonstrating that ecology and the economy are not a contradiction in terms.\u00a0 The business world has long since been developing in this direction.\u00a0 The Federal State of Hessen has a wide range of support measures to help businesses use the associated opportunities to become more competitive and to tap new market segments.\u00a0 These include anything from advisory services to targeted funding.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s visit to the LOEWE-cluster \u201cAROMAplus\u201d is ideally suited to the theme of our Zukunftswochen initiative: research staff working to bring together industrial demand and sustainable production.\u00a0 The only basis for long-term economic development, economic strength and employment is the efficient use of natural resources.\u00a0 This question and many other of today\u2019s pressing problems are being addressed by highly qualified research scientists in our \u2018AROMAplus\u2019 LOEWE-cluster and the other LOEWE projects. This is why scientific funding is a priority area of regional state policy\u201d Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, Boris Rhein concluded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The acronym \u201cLOEWE\u201d stands for\u00a0 \u201cLandes-Offensive zur Entwicklung wissenschaftlich-\u00f6konomischer Exzellenz\u201d (State Initiative for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence).\u00a0 Between 2008 and 2017 with this open-topic research funding program, Hessen\u2019s State Government has provided around 729 million Euros to support outstanding scientific cooperation initiatives.\u00a0 The LOEWE budget for 2018 amounts to a total of approx. 68 million Euros. As well as the Hochschulpakt (Higher Education Pact) and the HEUREKA construction investment program, LOEWE is the third pillar of higher education funding in Hessen.\u00a0 You\u2019ll find further information at www.loewe.hessen.de<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nBackground information on LOEWE<\/h3>\n