2nd TRANSPLANT Day

On May 15, 2025, CEPLAS held the second TRANSPLANT Day at the University of Cologne, focusing on “Supporting Entrepreneurial Scientists and Science-Based Startups.” Part of the broader TRANSPLANT initiative, this event supports CEPLAS researchers in exploring how fundamental science can lead to societal impact. Coordinated by HHU Düsseldorf, the University of Cologne, and Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences—with support from the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia—TRANSPLANT serves as a platform linking fundamental scientific research on plant sciences with innovation, industry, and entrepreneurship.

The event opened with an introduction to the TRANSPLANT program from Prof. Dr. Stanislav Kopriva, Vice Dean for Research at the University of Cologne, followed by Dr. Ricardo Godinez-Moreno, Innovation Manager at TRANSPLANT/CEPLAS, HHU, who introduced keynote talks by scientists who successfully transitioned the path from fundamental science to science based startups.

Univ.-Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h.c. Detlev Riesner, co-founder of QIAGEN, shared how his background in biophysics led to one of Germany’s top biotech ventures. He emphasized three traits vital for startup success—character, endurance, and team spirit—and reminded participants that breakthrough innovation often starts with fundamental science and the creation of new markets.

Jan Gottlieb, co-founder of Traitomic A/S, showed how foundational plant research can lead to transformative applications, built on decades of work at the Carlsberg Laboratory, which also originated in a fundamental science vision that still prevails through supporting basic science until now.  Jan explained how Traitomic’s FIND-IT technology enables rapid, non-GMO trait development, providing some examples on how plant science can deliver sustainable, industry-relevant solutions.

Prof. Dr. habil. Angela Relógio, Professor at MSH and CEO of TimeTeller GmbH, described the founding of a health-tech startup applying circadian biology to oncology. TimeTeller’s non-invasive diagnostic tool optimizes drug timing based on patients’ biological clocks, exemplifying how academic discoveries can evolve into real-world medical technologies. Prof. Relógio also outlined the importance of enhancing founders’ friendly policies in technology transfer offices and discussed how this provides more incentives for professors and academic entrepreneurs to remain in universities in the long term while developing startups.

Oral presentations were followed by a panel discussion led by Dr. Bernadett Simon, Head of the Transfer Office of University of Cologne with representatives from support organizations in the Düsseldorf/Cologne startup and innovation ecosystem (BIO.NRW, CEDUS, Gateway). Ernesto Llamas from „Plantman“, a startup project originating from CEPLAS research at University of Cologne, contributed his experience with regional support organizations when entering into the process of startup foundation. Together, they outlined the support structures available to scientists across the startup lifecycle—from ideation and incubation to funding and market access. Their input underscored the importance of collaboration between researchers and professional innovation partners to bring scientific advances closer to application.

The event concluded with a networking session where CEPLAS researchers and stakeholders exchanged ideas and explored collaboration opportunities—an essential element of TRANSPLANT’s mission to accelerate research transfer through community building.

TRANSPLANT: Fueling Research Transfer in Plant Sciences

TRANSPLANT is a science community project designed to fuel research transfer in fundamental plant sciences. Researchers from HHU, UoC, and HSRW have joined forces to boost the socioeconomic impact of fundamental science, foster public-private partnerships between industry and universities, and stimulate an entrepreneurial spirit among scientists. TRANSPLANT is hosted within CEPLAS and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of NRW.   

The program's purpose is to facilitate communication, learning about research transfer, and connection among members, partners, and organizations within the CEPLAS ecosystem, while identifying opportunities to collaborate and enhance the impact of fundamental research in society.   

The next TRANSPLANT Days series in 2025 includes:   

• 3rd TRANSPLANT DAY: Engaging farmers to impact society through applied plant research on July 2, 2025.   
• 4th TRANSPLANT DAY: Government, industry, and venture capital funding for research transfer on September 11, 2025