René Röspel (MdB) visits CEPLAS

10/04/2017

Last week René Röspel, Member of the German Parliament took the time for a visit at the Cluster of Excellence CEPLAS.

 

Foto: HHU / Jochen Müller

On April 04 2017, René Röspel, Member of the German Bundestag visited the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences CEPLAS at the Heinrich Heine University.

Mr. Röspel, a biologist by training, Cluster Speaker Andreas Weber, and the HHU Vice-President for Research and Technology Transfer, Prof. Westhoff, discussed various topics of current plant research, such as the controversial use of genetic engineering in agriculture, exemplified by Bt maize, recent tendencies towards monopolisation of seed suppliers, as well as the need for innovative approaches in organic farming.

From the dialog, several other points of discussion emerged, such as overcoming threats to freedom of research resulting from regulatory frameworks, higher education policy topics such as the new Excellence Strategy and its effects on internationalization and recruitment of highly qualified researchers to German universities. Mr. Röspel stressed the importance of the Excellence Clusters which, due to their scientific focus, form internationally highly visible centres that attract world-class scientists to Germany.

The visit was completed with a tour to the HHU research green houses and the Institute of Plant Biochemistry, where Mr Röspel was introduced to the institute’s research topics, e.g., a project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aiming at the optimisation of photosynthesis in rice.

 

Since 1998 René Röspel is, as directly elected delegate of the SPD for the district Hagen/Ennepe-Ruhr Süd, a Member of the German Bundestag. Mr Röspel is a full member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, Speaker for Research within the SPD parliamentary group as well as deputy member of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. From 2003 to 2005 he was the chair of the Study Commission of the German Federal Parliament "Ethics and Law in Modern Medicine", is a member of the Helmholtz Association’s Senate and member of the Board of Trustees of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology and of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion.

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