4. If the elite research area becomes the projected success in the coming years, what do you hope to achieve?

 

Elite research area: Plant biotechnology

 

Poul Erik Jensen, professor and anchorperson answers the question:

 

“Well, we’d really like to continue publishing our research in the best scientific journals. We would also like to use our knowledge within synthetic biology to develop the plants of the future to ensure sustainable energy and food production.

A good result would be if we can demonstrate that plants are capable of supplying sufficient food and biomass to meet man’s needs for biochemicals and energy."

 

Strengthened research into enzymes

“Our focus on synthetic biology will also contribute to our understanding of how these biological systems are organised, giving us an insight into how to build and improve similar systems by combining plant enzymes in new ways.

More specifically, we want to merge the photosynthesis apparatus of plants with a new enzyme which can use some of the harvested light energy to drive the reaction of the relevant enzyme.

The establishment of the coming Copenhagen Plant Science Center at LIFE, which will bring together many of the plant researchers in the Copenhagen area is, of course, also a strategic goal.”