Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU) is the German Research Center for Environmental Health. It investigates important common diseases which develop from the interaction of lifestyle, environmental factors and personal genetic background and has the vision to develop mitigation strategies for the future. In this respect the production of healthy food is one of the key issues that are currently discussed.

The Research Unit for Environmental Genomics (EGEN) aims to improve our understanding on the role of microbes for sustainable plant growth. To open the black box of soil microbes and to identify important functional traits, EGEN developed in the last years a second generation sequencing network for a high throughput analysis of microbial metagenomes and transcriptomes.

ISPE, active company since 1949, consolidated its position as leader in engineering, technical and financial consulting through important energy and environment projects. The services for private and public - local and international clients are offered by ISPE through teams of specialists with solid and large experience in this field. Our experts, dedicated to research, engineering and management activities offer to their clients most safe and efficient technical and financial solutions, in all project development stages.

ProBiotics Polska is a know-how owner and manufacturer of different types of natural probiotic products for human health, home and garden, agriculture, livestock health, industrial waste and bioremediation applications.

Institute of Thermal Technology (ITT) affiliated with the Silesian University of Technology,Gliwice, Poland www.itc.polsl.pl, employs nearly 80 researchers among them 15Professors. ITT enjoys national and international recognition in the field ofenergy research and education.

The University is located in Upper Silesia, a highly industrialized part of Poland, undergoingrapid transformation from heavy industry to high tech region of significanteconomic growth.

The Institute consists of three following divisions:

• Division of Heat Transfer and Nuclear Energy

• Division of Thermodynamics, Energy Management and Refrigeration

• Division of Combustion, Internal Combustion Engines And Renewables

which reflect themain scientific field of activities.

Institute has well equipped scientific laboratories covering the scientific area of refrigeration, combustion, thermal engineering, computer technology and internal combustion engines.

The Institute took part in several international projects within the 5^th,6^th and 7^th Framework Program. The project Phyto2Energy is executed by Division of Combustion, Internal Combustion Engines And Renewables. This division employs 20 researchers including 4 Professors. It uses the laboratory of solid fuels combustion and gasification which is equipped with set of experimental combustion furnaces, gasifiers and boilers as well as with analytical equipment such as thermogravimetry and gas chromatography.

Vita 34 is a medium-sized company active in the field of biotechnology situated in Leipzig, Germany. The Business Unit BioPlanta was established through the merger of the formerly BioPlanta GmbH and the Vita 34 AG.

For more than 20 years engineering services are performed, survey reports are established and project management is done for projects related to the environmental remediation, remediation of contaminated land and (waste) water treatment for national and international clients.

The team consisting of engineers, scientists, laboratory assistants and technicians covers the following disciplines: environmental engineering, biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, environmental planning, plant breeding / plant physiology and civil engineering.

Furthermore, the CEO of Vita 34, Dr. André Gerth, is the Senior Vice President of the International Phytotechnology Society (IPS). The IPS is a non-profit, worldwide professional society comprised of individuals and institutions engaged in the science and application of using plants to deal with environmental problems.

Competences and primary activities:

Engineering services and environmental research

• use of phyto- and biotechnologies for environmental remediation

• engineering for a resource saving treatment of groundwater, mine water, landfill leachate, surface water and waste water

• development of measures for in situ and on site soil bioremediation

• planning for remediation of sediments and sludge using plants, sewage sludge utilization

• development of reclamation and re-vegetation concepts

• feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments

• development of innovative technologies for environmental remediation (plant biotechnologies)

Key research activities:

• innovative in situ techniques for environmental remediation (soil, water and sludge)

• passive biological water treatment

• water resource and land use management, adaption on climate change breeding, selection and propagation of plants in vitro