Dr. Bärbel Hüsing

Fraunhofer Institute for
Systems and Innovation Research ISI

Coordinator of Business Unit Biotechnology and Life Sciences

Experience

Studies of Biology at the University of Hannover, Germany; Master degree in 1986, University of Hannover

1987: Junior Researcher at Institute of Microbiology, University of Hannover

1987-1990: Junior Researcher at Institute of Biotechnology I, Research Centre Jülich GmbH

Doctoral thesis at the Research Centre Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany; Dr. rer. nat. in 1991, Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

since 1991: Senior Researcher and Project Manager at Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Karlsruhe

1996-2004: deputy head of the department Innovations in Biotechnology

2005-2007: deputy head, August 2006 to March 2007 head of the Competence Center Emerging Technologies

since 2008: Coordinator of Business Unit Biotechnology and Life Sciences

Work Focus

  • Scientific innovation analyses, strategic and policy advice regarding emerging technologies
  • Scientific-technical developments and prospective studies in biotechnology, nanotechnology, neurotechnology, and information and communication technologies, RNA technologies
  • Contribution of emerging technologies to coping with societal challenges
  • Frame conditions and influencing factors for innovation processes in these technologies
  • Impact assessment, technology assessment in emerging technologies
  • New technologies in the pharmaceutical industry, medicine and the health care system; especially regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, personalised medicine, nanobiotechnology, brain research
  • New technologies in the agro-food sector, especially Green Biotechnology, genetically modified crop plants of the 2nd and 3rd generation, Functional Food
  • Contribution of new technologies to environmental protection and sustainability: environmental and health impacts of nanotechnological applications
  • White Biotechnology

Further Reseach Areas

  • Attitudes towards and acceptance of new technologies  
  • Public discourses about new technologies
  • Technology foresight
  • Genetic engineering in schools

Projects

  • Personalised medicine in the future health care system – discourse project
  • Future report: Individualised medicine and the health care system
  • Nanobiotechnology in the medical sector – Drivers for development and possible impacts
  • Brain research Switzerland: Impacts of the application of imaging techniques in brain research
  • Tissue Engineering: Impacts of a planned regulation
  • Evaluation of the (Joint) Project "Network RNA Technologies, Berlin"
  • Genetically modified crop plants for the production of pharmaceuticals and ingredients for Functional Food
  • Medium- and long-term opportunities and risks of the biotechnological production of bulk chemicals from renewable resources (BREW)