Research-Initiatives
RobuCop Robust chloroplasts for natural and synthetic carbon fixation
Plants, mosses, and algae fix vast amounts of CO₂ each year through photosynthesis—a key process for food security, energy supply, and the global climate. Chloroplasts are at the heart of this CO₂ fixation. However, climate change and environmental stress increasingly impair their function, directly affecting agricultural and forestry yields.
In the LOEWE research project RobuCop, researchers at Philipps University Marburg and the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology study how chloroplasts respond to environmental changes. The aim of RobuCop is to develop synthetic biology-based solutions for more robust and efficient photosynthetic CO₂ fixation.
By combining microbiology, chemistry, and plant sciences with modern lab automation, RobuCop paves the way for a standardized chloroplast biotechnology suited for industrial applications.
Partners
- Philipps University Marburg
- Max-Planck-Institute for terrestrial microbiology
Funding period
2025-2028Project Coordinator
- Prof. Dr. Felix Willmund (coordinator)
- Prof. Dr. Tobias Erb (co-coordinator)
- Dr. Judith Klatt (co-coordinator)
Administrative Coordination:
Veronika Ehinger
robucop@biologie.uni-marburg.de
Locations
- Marburg (Lahn)
