JACOBS UNIVERSITY BREMEN

Green Innovation: Jacobs University’s first spin-off company for algae-based technologies founded

   

Oceanographer Claudia Thomsen, Bremen entrepreneur Stefan Rill and Jacobs University’s newly created investment company JCBS Holding GmbH founded the university’s first spin-off enterprise Phytolutions GmbH. Phytolutions develops and markets research-intensive methods, processes and technologies for the efficient use of marine algae as a source for fuels, chemicals, animal fodder and building materials, among other things. Moreover, Phytolutions provides innovation consulting and research in the field of photosynthetic CO2 mitigation in industrial exhaust gases to companies of the energy, automobile and chemical industry.

[ Jun 16, 2008] 
Phytolutions GmbH (www.phytolutions.com) will market its consulting services, contract research, product and procedure development in the field of algae use in close co-operation with Jacobs University and other partners. „As a spin-off of Jacobs University, Phytolutions can benefit from the university’s many international science and business connections“, says Dr. Claudia Thomsen, the scientific manager of the newly created enterprise. „This excellent start situation has already shown itself in solid orders and enquiries. Through our networks our team not only found investors for the realization of our ideas, but also optimal expert input for all the different sectors of our firm.“ The scientist investigates together with Prof. Dr. Laurenz Thomsen, Jacobs professor of Geosciences, the use of sea algae for environmental technologies and sustainable energy production, which has been a major research field since Jacobs University’s founding with many large international research co-operations.

Sustainability, environmental awareness and technology transfer are at the center of Phytolutions’ corporate philosophy. Laurenz Thomsen, scientific advisor to the fledgling enterprise, sees a great potential of the new “green technologies” not only in the context of large company orders from the chemical, power and automobile industry but also in furthering sustainable progress in developing countries: „With our co-operation partners we also aim at developing small durable plants for energy and animal fodder production.“ The rapidly rising world-wide requirement of biomass continues to require a production, which is not bound to agriculturally usable areas, so the oceanographer. „Sea algae are ideal for these purposes. They produce up to 20 times more biomass per unit area than other plants and are cultivatable on industrial surfaces and/or very dry regions in the proximity of the sea.“

The Bremen entrepreneur Prof. Dr. Stefan Rill, a so-called “Business Angel”, supporting the enterprise with capital, know-how and contacts, recently established one of the largest German aviation service enterprises together with a business partner. Since its sale Rill acts as commercial manager for Phytolutions, bringing his experience and contacts to the company. „The Jacobs scientists’ project convinced me”, the engineer says. „Phytolutions for me is not only economically interesting due to the range of growth market potential in renewable energies. Also the possibility of cooperating in environmental technologies for the future excites me.“



Jacobs University’s new JCBS Holding GmbH
JCBS Holding GmbH, one of the three Phytolutions shareholders, is a 100 % subsidiary of Jacobs University. Founded in the beginning of June this year the company for the first time enables the direct marketing of research results of the non-profit private university, primarily by investing in start-up companies. The aim of Jacobs University’s new holding company, amongst others, is the stimulation of the local economy and job market as well as establishing a stronger link between research, teaching and business applications. The holding is headed by Götz-Michael Müller, who until 2006 has been the CEO of Coca Cola Germany and before that position has held several leading management positions in other international food companies. On a volunteer basis he will support the holding’s start-up phase, especially its organizational establishment and the transfer of selected business activities from Jacobs University into the holding.

 


Author: Kristin Beck. Last updated on 19.06.2008. © 2008 Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen. All rights reserved. No unauthorized reproduction. http://www.jacobs-university.de. For all general inquiries, please call the university at +49 421 200-40 or mail to info@jacobs-university.de.