Future Up Close: The IGZ at the Family Day in the Futurium

03.11.2025

The IGZ stands in the foyer of the Futurium in Berlin Photo: IGZ / A. Ghandtschi

On 4 October 2025, everything at the Futurium in Berlin revolved around the theme “Getting Close to the Future”. The “House of Futures” invited visitors to a hands-on family day offering exciting insights and numerous interactive stations. The Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) presented several forward-looking research projects: “SharpGreens” as well as the funding line “Agricultural Systems of the Future” with the collaborative project “food4future”.

At the IGZ stand, everything centred on the fascinating diversity of cabbages. Under the leadership of Dr Katja Witzel, the IGZ and its project partners in “SharpGreens” are investigating how cabbage diversity – from vibrant purple red cabbage to tender kale – can not only contribute to greater biodiversity in cultivation, but also support human health.

Among the various cabbage varieties on display, visitors had the opportunity to discover how diverse cabbages are in terms of shape, colour and nutritional compounds. A particular highlight was the chromatography experiment, where children could separate pigments from vegetable juice and colourful felt-tip pens. A tactile guessing game offered the chance to identify different types of cabbage using only the sense of touch, allowing visitors to test their knowledge in a playful way.

At the interactive stations of “Agricultural Systems of the Future”, which presented the projects “food4future” and “DAKIS”, visitors could explore how algae, halophytes and even jellyfish can be cultivated in controlled environments. A multitouch table illustrated how smart systems might steer the farming of tomorrow, while a VR application developed by students at HTW Berlin transported guests into a virtual future world full of talking jellyfish and glowing macroalgae.

For those eager to learn more, the stage quiz “Nutrition of the Future”, moderated among others by the IGZ’s Deputy Scientific Director, Prof Monika Schreiner, offered both entertainment and fresh insights. And of course, one highlight was not to be missed: more than 250 pots of ice plant were tasted – fresh, crisp and surprisingly salty. A vivid example of how research can open up entirely new flavour experiences.
Around 3,300 visitors took part in the hands-on day at the Futurium. The wide range of activities was tried out with curiosity and enthusiasm by people of all ages. The IGZ’s research topics also showed that scientific innovation can be experienced in a tangible way – it can be smelled, tasted, grown and seen.

Further Information:
Website of the funding line “Agricultural Systems of the Future”: https://agrarsysteme-der-zukunft.de/en/home
Project website food4future - Nutrition of the Future: https://www.food4future.de/en/home
Project profile SharpGreens: https://igzev.de/en/research/projects/108/sharpgreens