Facts and Figures

Aims of the cluster:

Arable land, water and nutrients become scarce, while the climate is changing and the world’s population is further increasing. To ensure a sustainable supply with food, feed, and plant-based raw materials, innovative strategies for crop improvement are required.

CEPLAS addresses these grand challenges through world-class fundamental research on complex plant traits of agronomic relevance that impact on yield and adaption to limited resources. This knowledge is essential for designing and breeding plants that react in a predictable way to future challenges.

Research:

The interdisciplinary approach of the cluster focuses on four different research areas: 

• Plant development and metabolism
• Root-microbe interface
• Synthetic and reconstruction biology
• Data science and integration
• SMART plants for dynamic environments

Additionally, CEPLAS has established technology platforms for metabolomics, imaging and data science and management.

Methods: 

Synthetic Biology, Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, Quantitative Biology, Interdisciplinary Approaches of Theoretical and Experimental Biology 

Partner Institutions: 

• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
• University of Cologne
• Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Cologne
• Forschungszentrum Jülich
• Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research

Funding programme:

Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments

Funding period:

2025-2032

Promotion of early career researchers:

• Bachelor Programme in Quantitative Biology
• CEPLAS Graduate School
• Structured Postdoc-Programme
• Support for junior research groups