UNIVERSITAET HOHENHEIM

Their core work

University of Hohenheim is a leading German agricultural research university based in Stuttgart, specializing in sustainable crop production, food systems, and bioeconomy. Their core work spans plant genetics and breeding, agroecological farming transitions, short food supply chains, and the valorization of biomass from marginal lands. They bring strong capabilities in participatory research methods, connecting farmers and agri-food actors directly into the research process. Beyond agriculture, they maintain active research lines in plant molecular biology (chromatin architecture) and environmental chemistry (bio-based feedstocks, biofuels).

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), Hohenheim focused on agricultural innovation systems, biodiversity, archaeobotany, and fundamental crop science — projects like AGRISPIN (innovation support for farmers), AfricanBioServices (Serengeti ecosystem), and PLANTCULT (ancient food cultures) reflect a broad, exploratory portfolio. From 2019 onward, a clear consolidation emerged around sustainable agriculture, resilience, participatory research with farmers, and policy-oriented food systems work — projects like SPRINT, INVITE, i2connect, and SustainSAHEL all center on making farming more sustainable and climate-resilient. The shift shows a university moving from diverse curiosity-driven research toward applied, farmer-facing sustainability solutions with direct policy relevance.

Hohenheim is concentrating on climate-resilient agriculture, participatory farmer engagement, and Africa-Europe food security partnerships — expect them to anchor future consortia around sustainable food system transformation.

How they like to work

Hohenheim operates overwhelmingly as a consortium partner (33 of 36 projects), bringing deep agricultural science into large multi-actor consortia rather than leading them. Their 3 coordinated projects (GRACE, CHROMATADS, SMARTCHAIN) are notably diverse — spanning industrial crops, molecular biology, and food chains — suggesting they coordinate when they hold unique domain leadership. With 555 unique partners across 45 countries, they function as a highly connected hub in European agricultural research, making them easy to integrate into new consortia and well-positioned to broker introductions across their extensive network.

With 555 unique consortium partners spanning 45 countries, Hohenheim has one of the densest collaboration networks in European agricultural research. Their partnerships extend well beyond the EU into Africa (SustainSAHEL, LEAP4FNSSA, AfricanBioServices, DOWN2EARTH), giving them genuine global reach in food security research.

What sets them apart

Hohenheim combines deep plant science (genetics, breeding, chromatin biology) with strong applied agricultural systems work and direct farmer engagement through participatory research — a rare combination that lets them bridge fundamental biology and on-farm practice. Their coordination of GRACE (EUR 2.7M for industrial crops on marginal lands) demonstrates they can lead large applied bioeconomy projects, not just contribute to them. Their growing EU-Africa portfolio in food security (LEAP4FNSSA, SustainSAHEL, DOWN2EARTH) positions them uniquely for consortia targeting Global South agricultural challenges.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GRACE
  Largest project by far (EUR 2.7M) and coordinated by Hohenheim — focused on growing industrial crops like Miscanthus and hemp on marginal lands for biorefineries, showing their bioeconomy leadership.
• CHROMATADS
  ERC Starting Grant in plant chromatin architecture — signals world-class fundamental plant biology capability beyond their applied agriculture profile.
• SMARTCHAIN
  Coordinated project on short food supply chain innovation — demonstrates their ability to lead applied food systems research connecting producers to consumers.