Consortium Partners

The Universidad de los Andes is a Colombian higher education institution characterized by its openness to the challenges of society, and its eagerness to respond to them with innovative solutions. The Microbiomes and Bioenergy research group from the Department of Biological Sciences, led by Dr. Jiménez, specializes in the ecological and enzymological understanding of biomass-degrading microbial communities. Dr. Salcedo’s team from the Department of Chemical Engineering covers the field of lignocellulosic material for the transformation, and the development of novel biopolymers for food packaging and material coatings. The team from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, led by Dr. Saldarriaga, studies the potential of (micro)organisms on bioremediation, including biological degradation of waste.

Microbiomes and Bioenergy Research Group
Department of Chemical Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon is a German non-university research institution conducting international cutting-edge research for a changing world by generating knowledge and innovation towards more resilience and sustainability. The research of the institute of Functional Materials for Sustainability focuses on sustainable functional materials for applications e.g. in renewable energy, biomedicine, and biotechnology. We address materials synthesis, characterization, (photo)catalytic systems for the generation of hydrogen and carbon fixation, the biological evaluation of materials, and their applications to enable future sustainable development of our society.

Institute of Functional Materials for Sustainability

Scientists at AGROSAVIA transform the Colombian agricultural sector sustainably using the power of knowledge to improve the lives of producers and consumers. The partners are part of the Agrobiodiversity Department and coordinate the Germplasm Bank of Colombia (GBC), which conserves the genetic diversity of various species (animals, plants, and microorganisms) of agricultural interest. The goal of the Agrobiodiversity Department is to conserve understand and use biodiversity for agricultural purposes, positioning its attributes in the Colombia production system. The microorganism collection of the GBC includes bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi with potential for biological control and the degradation of complex polymers. These microorganisms were isolated from different agricultural substrates, such as the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of various crops of agricultural relevance, located in 16 out of the 32 Departments in Colombia. All the team members from AGROSAVIA involved in this project are curators of the GBC and have extensive experience in the conservation and physiological and molecular characterization of microorganisms.

AGROSAVIA