Stormy start, but no rain showers: The Long Night of the Sciences in Halle was an all-round successful event.

Several structural change initiatives of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) presented themselves with a joint stand on the central university square in Halle. Covering a width of twelve metres and with several accompanying lectures, they showed how intensively the transformation of the Central German coalfield is being worked on in the vicinity of the university.

Our speaker Prof. Klaus Pillen presented the approaches of the DiP network for plant-based value creation in the region to the guests of his lecture. Prof. Gabriele Stangl used a practical example to explain how vegan vitamin D3 can be obtained from a plant that is to be adapted to the climatic conditions of Central Germany.

At the DiP booth, we got into conversation with numerous guests. They were able to test their sense of smell on the smell organ of the DiP-NA-WIR project, learn more about plants as a regional resource and assign raw materials to the products made from them in a memory game.

More than ten DiP projects could also be experienced at their respective locations. Especially on the Heidecampus, they offered a wide range of insights into plant breeding, crop production, plant biochemistry, biotechnology, bioinformatics and the development of manufacturing processes for bio-based products.

The Rector of MLU, Prof. Dr. Claudia Becker, also visited our booth. In the conversation, she learned about how DiP contributes to the success of structural change with cutting-edge research and regional knowledge transfer.