Biogas pilot plant
NOW THE BIGGEST
IN THE WORLD
Page 7
The hunt
for e.coli
that
smell
Page 8
The EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann Fischer Boel:
“Innovation needed
to protect rural life”
Page 5
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at University of Aarhus – Special Advertising Supplement
How research
fertilises the soil
THE TYPICAL agricultural researcher
resembles the typical farmer in many
ways. Planted firmly in the real world
DANISH
golfing stars
often play on
‘home ground’
and busily engaged in finding solutions to practical problems. Solutions
that rest on a solid theoretical and scientific foundation.
There is no reason at all to change
this. But once in a while, it can be a
good thing to make one’s presence
felt. Not so much in order to flaunt
Denmark is the world’s largest exporter
of grass seed. There is particular growth
in the export of seed of high quality for
lawns and golfing greens. Research is
involved in keeping Danish seed production at the leading edge.
one’s successes, but rather to make
investors, politicians and other stakeholders aware of the huge potential
that exists in the agricultural and related sectors.
A modern agricultural sector is crucially dependent on research, innovation and dynamic interaction with
the rest of society. And we would like
Photo: Janne Hansen
to play our part in this!
Happy reading!
Just Jensen, Dean,
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
at the University of Aarhus
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT FROM
www.agrsci.au.dk
Phone +45 8999 1900 Fax: +45 8999 1919
e-mail: [email protected]
Even though Thomas Bjørn, Søren Hansen
and the other top Danish golfing stars
travel the world, they have the ‘green,
green grass of home’ underfoot far more
often than you might think. Denmark is
the world’s largest exporter of grass seed.
There is particularly strong growth in the
export of high-grade seed used for lawns
and golfing greens.
“Beyond the fact that the market for
seed for gardens and golf courses is growing generally, interesting new markets are
opening up in the new EU Member States
in Eastern Europe, and
in China”, says Head of
Research Unit Birte Boelt, of the Faculty of
Agricultural Sciences in Flakkebjerg.
Together with her colleagues at the
Zealand research centre, she is involved
in laying the foundation for the sector’s
future advances.
The mild Danish climate is well suited to
the production of grass seed. Danish growers account for a full 40 per cent of total
grass seed production in the EU. n
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
at the University of Aarhus (DJF)
DJF is a new faculty of the University of Aarhus. The faculty has around 900
members of staff, 375 of them scientists.
DJF boasts modern laboratories and experimental facilities, including stables, greenhouses and semi-field facilities. Sætningen i linie 4,5 og 6 erstattes
med:
“In addition, DJF has an area of approximately 1,300 hectares for research,
experiments and feed production.”
DJS’s turnover in 2006 was 557m, of which 225m is basic state funding while
332m is primarily derived from competitive funding from public funding agencies including EU and from private companies supporting joint research.
PRODUCED BY:
www.inpress.com · Project Manager: Peter Lundegaard · Editor: Morten Andersen
Art Director: Hans-Michael Testmann mDD · Photo: frontpage photo: Peter Eilertsen and
Flemming Nielsen. For more information on special advertising supplements, please contact Peter Lundegaard, InPress Denmark, phone +45 70 11 00 13
www.inpress.com
THE SHORT DISTANCE
from the researcher’s idea to the patient’s cure
Basic research does not have to be synonymous
years has enabled biotech company Action Phar-
progress”, says Søren Nielsen, who himself embod-
with elderly, white-bearded scientists studying
ma, the Centre’s collaboration partner, to develop
ies the value of synergies between basic and ap-
some intimate detail of the universe that will never
new pharmaceuticals. The new drugs will help pa-
plied research. He is a professor at the University of
- or in any case only in the very long term - benefit
tients with blood clots and type 2 diabetes.
Aarhus and Director of the Water and Salt Research
the man in the street.
“It is crucial to invest in independent basic re-
Centre. He is also a Director of Action Pharma A/S,
Groundbreaking research in the Water and Salt
search, because it is only through that that one
where basic research is efficiently converted into
Research Centre in Aarhus over just six or seven
can create the foundation for new, epoch-making
the development of new medicines.
Water and salt
Research Centre
Since 2001, around 60 researchers and technicians at the Water and
Salt Research Centre, located at the University of Aarhus, have studied
how water is transported across cell membranes via water channels.
The researchers are also investigating the role water channels have in
various kidney, heart and liver diseases.
The expertise at the University led the Danish Natio-nal Research
Foundation, to create a separate basic research centre within this research area. The Water and Salt Research Centre was set up with a
five-year grant of DKK 40m and, subsequently, a further five-year grant
of approximately the same amount. The Director of the Centre is Professor Søren Nielsen. Since the early 1990s, he has worked closely with
the Norwegian-American researcher Peter Agre, whose discovery of the
water channels (aquaporins) earned him a Nobel Prize in 2003.
Peter Agre’s discoveries form the basis for the further research
now being undertaken and developed in the Water and Salt Research
Centre.
“Our task is to conduct basic research, but our daily work also has
a long-term focus on how our research can benefit patients”, says
Søren Nielsen.
Action Pharma
Biotech company Action Pharma was founded seven years ago on
discoveries made at the Water and Salt Research Centre. The company’s objective is the development of standard products through applied R&D.
“Our mission is to capitalise on basic research through Action Pharma A/S, and, to date, things are going exceedingly well,” says CEO
Søren Nielsen.
A drug which can protect patients against organ failure resulting from
blood clots and major surgery is already undergoing clinical trials - i.e.
it is being tested on people. Another will be entering clinical trials in the
near future and this is a drug to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Another four drugs to benefit patients are also under development
and co-founders Thomas Jonassen, Action Pharma A/S’s Director of
R&D, and Professor Jørgen Frøkiær are full of optimism.
“The investors have put more than DKK 100m into the company
and the aim is for Action Pharma to become a listed company within a
few years and for us to bring a new drug candidate into clinical development every year”, says CFO Jeppe Øvlesen.
“We are among the leaders in the development of drugs based on
the research done at the Water and Salt Research Centre and at the
University of Copenhagen”, concludes Søren Nielsen.
www.waterandsalt.au.dk
Water and Salt Research Centre
http://www.waterandsalt.au.dk
Supported by the Danish National Research Foundation
Based at the University of Aarhus
Network cluster of 8 groups with staff of 60
Research from molecules to clinical medicine
Based on research of Nobel Prize winners Peter Agre (Duke
Univ.) and Jens Chr. Skou (Aarhus Univ.)
ª PhD grants and post.doc. positions open
sen
ª
ª
ª
ª
ª
ª
www.actionpharma.com.
Action Pharma A/S
ª www.actionpharma.com
ª Based on research from the Universities of Aarhus
and Copenhagen
ª Pipeline of 8 compounds with 2 in clinical
development
Investors:
ª
ª
ª
ª
ª
ª
Vækstfonden, Denmark
InovationsKapital, Sweden
Incuba Ventures, Denmark
Østjysk Innovation, Denmark
Total investment: approx. DKK 120m
Drug development positions open
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at University of Aarhus – Special Advertising Supplement
Milk that heals
Patients with chronic gastric
infection may be able to protect themselves by drinking
milk.
Foto: Flemming Nielsen
This is the perspective of a research project
which the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
is undertaking in collaboration with the
patients’ association for colitis and Crohn’s
disease, Viborg Hospital and Arla Foods.
Many people have the impression that
it is beneficial to drink milk if you have a
gastric ulcer, and the scientific literature
actually contains descriptions of how certain protein fragments in milk may have
a beneficial effect in healing the gastrointestinal tract.
Through a four-year project, researchers will now try to identify the chemicals
with a view to converting them into socalled ‘functional food’ which will not
only be satiating but also healing. n
Quality and environment
are keywords
SAMSON AGRO A/S is Northern Europe’s largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery capable of handling
natural fertiliser from stable to field. A dedicated focus on
quality, reliability, research and the environment makes
SAMSON the leader in its field
FOR FARM CONTRACTORS and large-scale
farms worldwide, SAMSON in Viborg, Denmark
is the company they turn to for the best in machinery and equipment for outdoor handling of
manure. SAMSON manufactures a comprehensive product range of mixers, slurry tankers,
computer equipment, spreaders, incorporators
& injectors and equipment for professional users
who demand flexibility and reliability.
”Quality is a keyword in all our products. We
want to have the best products on the market and
we believe we can get the price for the quality
we represent. The crucial point is that our machinery will not be parked up at any time during
the peak season, but in operation around the
clock,” emphasises Povl Yde Hove, Sales and
Marketing Manager, SAMSON AGRO.
SAMSON’s solid manure spreaders are famous worldwide and are among the most imitated machines. Some 80 manufacturers have
copied the SAMSON spreader. But we don’t
get worked up about that.
”Our spreaders are the most reliable product
on the market and 2 - 3 times more efficient than
any other make, and quality, user-friendliness and
reliability are what matter most to us – and are what
make our products more pricey than competitor
versions. But this added investment is recouped in
just under a year – which makes for a very convincing selling point,” comments Povl Yde Hove.
SAMSON manufactures machinery and
equipment designed for intensive, multi-year
use incorporating cutting-edge technology that
benefits the environment.
”Denmark is a leader in environmental responsibility, and that puts pressure on us as a
manufacturer. That pressure suits us down to
the ground because it spurs us to build firstclass products that help to protect the environment,” says Povl Yde Hove.
In terms of dosing, precision and servicing,
SAMSON is also the leader. SAMSON AGRO
A/S was formed in 1999 by the merger of four
companies: Samson, UM, JOS and SAK. Projected turnover this year: DKK 300 million/EUR
40 million.
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at University of Aarhus – Special Advertising Supplement
Innovation
TO PROTECT RURAL LIFE
Photo: Peter Ejlertsen
As Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann
Fischer Boel is the top politician responsible for 40 per cent of the Union’s total
budget, equating in 2006 to some 55 billion Euro.
Text: Morten Andersen
The EU Commissioner
for Agriculture Mariann
Fischer Boel:
“Only through strong
agricultural and food
research can Europe
compete”.
FOR MOST PEOPLE, the word innovation evokes industry, but, going forward,
it will equally come to set the agenda in
agriculture in the EU countries. As the
EU’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Denmark’s Mariann Fischer Boel, puts it:
“When we are convened in the WTO
and negotiating on the EU’s behalf, it
is clear that there are some major players emerging. Take a country like Brazil
which is undergoing an explosive development in the production of food. They
simply have advantages in the way of a favourable climate, low wages and more lax
environmental requirements that we will
never be able to compete with. So, we have
to be more inventive”.
“We need to create products which,
in terms of quality, are second to none.
We can only do that by having strong agricultural and food research, and, with a
European perspective at that. If each of the
Member States does its own thing, the effect gets diluted.”
The problem is not only relevant for
the old EU countries:
“The new Member States in Eastern
and Central Europe are feeling the effects
of global competition. They are already in
the process of increasing their efficiency.
For example, by establishing herds of pigs
to tie in with maize cultivation. The fact
is, you earn more from your maize, when
you pass it through a pig!”
Rural life
As Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann
Fischer Boel is the top politician responsible for 40 per cent of the Union’s total
budget, equating last year to some 55 billion Euro. This figure illustrates the continuing huge importance of agriculture in
Europe. But for her, the future of agriculture is not just about economics.
¢
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at University of Aarhus – Special Advertising Supplement
¢
“It is also about securing a future for
rural life in the EU countries. I am therefore pleased to see that innovation is now
featuring as one of the instruments of the
EU’s policy on rural development”.
Innovative agricultural projects and
businesses can receive subsidies from a
fund which forms part of the EU’s rural
development policy.
“Now, I know full well that innovation
and research are not the same thing. But
agricultural research alone cannot produce
the results. There must also be a stratum
of innovative companies in both agricultural improvement and in production itself,
which are capable of applying the results of
the research.
A future in bioenergy
As an example of a promising new development, Mariann Fischer Boel mentions biogas and other types of bioenergy:
“There is huge potential for agriculture
in becoming a supplier to the energy sector.
We saw barely a year ago how vulnerable
we are in Europe, when the Russians closed
their natural gas pipeline. It is therefore obvious – including in the political debate –
that we need to engage in energy research
and develop new sources of energy”.
“
The fact is, you earn more
from your maize, when
you pass it through a pig!
support the use of 2nd generation biofuels,
i.e. biofuels which are not made from primary materials such as wheat, potatoes and
maize, but rather from straw or other “Materials unsuitable for human food” The programme has just been launched and runs
until 2013.
The structure of the agricultural sector is well suited to the improvements required, according to the EU Commissioner
for Agriculture:
“I am certain we will see many small
and medium-sized enterprises within both
agricultural improvement and production
putting in tenders. Again, something that
will generate growth and development in
the rural areas.” n
This is a development that Europe is
giving a push-start. In the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for research, 2.2 billion
Euro are earmarked for research into energy. Some of this money will be used to
EAST JUTLAND – a growth area for biotech and medico
East Jutland Innovation A/S has been an essential partner in the founding and development of more than 20
successful biotech and medico start-ups in Aarhus, Denmark since 1998. These companies have attracted more
than 50 million euro for their further growth.
East Jutland Innovation A/S (Danish name: Østjysk Innovation A/S)
aims to help establish start-up companies based on research results
from the University and University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark. Target areas include medical technology, pharmaceutical products,
biotechnology, diagnostics and contract research.
East Jutland Innovation invests seed capital independently or
on behalf of the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in new, innovative and research-related companies.
“We can see that growth in biotech and medico companies
has been so strong, because we dare to take the risk to invest
during the very early phase in a new company’s life,” says Lars
Stigel, Managing Director of East Jutland Innovation A/S.
“It is a pleasant surprise that so many start-ups have spun
out from medical research. Several are on the way to become
successful companies that have turned research into business,”
says Lars Stigel.
East Jutland Innovation A/S of Aarhus, Denmark, is one of seven government certified innovation centres that invests state and private risk capital in the start-up
phase of new research-based companies.
Here are a few examples of some of the 20 medical research businesses in the
company’s portfolio:
www.boreanpharma.com
Borean Pharma is a leading Danish biotech company focused on drug discovery and
development.
www.actionpharma.com
Has developed a compound that prevents major organ damage in connection with
blood clots and similar complications.
www.recepticon.com
The company develops special receptor antagonists, which can prevent a drug’s side
effects on the kidneys.
www.molegro.com
Has developed a new and more precise software technology for molecular docking.
www.ownresearch.dk
This company offers contract research for companies within the pharmaceutical i
ndustry that develop drugs against depression.
www.he-dk.com
Health Equipment Denmark develops and distributes medico equipment. Its first
product is a clip used to fixate tubes to the patient during dialysis and other treatments.
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at University of Aarhus – Special Advertising Supplement
The foundation stone has been laid that will place Denmark on the world map
as a leader in biogas.
The
world’s
largest biogas plant for research
Text: Morten Andersen
“Our own projects, students and educational activities will
take up some of the potential, but there will also be ample opportunity for taking on projects for companies, and providing
a springboard for the Danish biogas adventure”, says Søren A.
Mikkelsen.
The Xergi A/S company, owned by Aktieselskabet Schouw
& Co. and Hedeselskabet A/S, is the primary contractor for the
plant, which is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2007.
The installation will consist of four bioreactors and a complete
operating plant capable of producing 850,000 cubic metres of
methane per annum. This could meet the electricity needs of 800
single family homes and the heating needs of 200 houses. n
WITH A CAPACITY equivalent to the electricity requirements
of 800 households, a new plant being built at Foulum near Viborg “will be the world’s largest biogas plant for research.”
“The plant is an important factor in placing Denmark on the
world map as a leader in biogas and environmental technology. With a plant of this size, we are getting a focal point which
may produce a crucial breakthrough”, says Vice-Dean Søren A.
Mikkelsen of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF).
The fact that DJF is responsible for the plant means that the
facilities will be open to anyone with an interest in developing biogas technology. For example, companies can test their
apparatus – and, what is more, obtain scientific proof that the
equipment works.
From slurry to gas
We all know about biogas from the process that, for
example, occurs at the bottom of a lake in the absence of oxygen. Organic material – leaves, twigs and
dead animals – is broken down by microorganisms
primarily of methane, which is also the main component of natural gas.
”In recent years, requirements regarding agricultural recycling of nutrients, particularly nitrogen, have
become more stringent.” This means that farmers
are looking for means of increasing the availability
of nitrogen and thus its use. This presents an obvious opportunity for converting slurry and manure into biogas. Especially if electricity and heating can be
sold, to achieve a sound overall economy.
Photo: Flemming Nielsen, Agro Media
and partially converted into biogas. Biogas consists
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at University of Aarhus – Special Advertising Supplement
THE HUNT
Odour nuisance needs to be controlled if agriculture is to continue to
develop. Techniques from agricultural research also have applications in
industry.
Text: Morten Andersen
E.COLI IS the best known bacterium in the world. Every day,
countless laboratory technicians search for it in samples of drinking and bathing water.
“We are not especially scared of the e.coli bacterium in itself.
We look for it because it is a good, practical indicator of faecal
contamination in the water. Similarly, we would very much like
to find an indicator for unpleasant odours”, says LugtTekt A/S
Director, Anders Peter Adamsen.
“We haven’t yet found one single indicator, but we have isolated around a dozen different chemicals which are key. This is
a good starting point for tackling the problems.”
The company provides consultancy on preventing and removing odours which cause a nuisance to farmers and their
neighbours. LugtTek is involved in a wide range of development projects in collaboration with the Faculty of Agricultural
Sciences and farming organisations.
“There’s never been a lot of prestige involved in dealing with
farm excrement. But it is becoming increasingly clear that obnoxious smells need to be controlled if the business is going to
keep on developing”, says Anders Peter Adamsen.
Depending on the actual circumstances, the company, located in the Agro Business Park and a neighbour of the Faculty
Photo: Flemming Nielsen
for the e.coli
of smell
He stops obnoxious agricultural smells. Anders Peter Adamsen, LugtTek.
of Agricultural Sciences, will propose different solutions, from
changing the composition of livestock feed, through adding specific chemicals to the slurry and manure, to direct cleansing of
the air in the animal houses.
In addition to agricultural suppliers, the Director notes an increasing number of industrial companies among his customers:
“A number of companies have problems with smells, even if,
in the nature of things, they don’t like to talk too loudly about
it. More and more frequently, companies are coming to us out
of a sense of timely concern. They want to change their production in a specific manner and ensure that this does not create problems with odour.”
“So we can say that the methods we have developed
in collaboration with agricultural researchers have also found
other applications.” n
Carrots beat cancer
That carrots have a preventive effect against
cancer is nothing new in itself, but Danish researchers now think they have found
one of the key chemicals in carrots which
produce the effect.
At one time it was thought that it
was beta-carotene, which gives carrots
their orange colour, that had the can-
cer-inhibiting effect. However this has
been refuted. Researchers at the Faculty
of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Aarhus and the University of Southern Denmark have now demonstrated that
the effect actually derives from the natural
compound falcarinol.
This discovery offers hope that carrots
with a higher content of falcarinol and
related compounds can be developed in
order to achieve an optimal anticarcinogenic effect. n