On Epiphany Day 2022, the German Federal Association for Sustainability (Bundesvereinigung Nachhaltigkeit e.V.), through its investment company, established the “Linnaeus Kompetenzzentrum Hanf gGmbH”. The research institute, based in Zittau, is named after the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné, who created the foundations of modern botanical classification and first published hemp under the Latin name “Cannabis Sativa L.”.
The competence centre is intended to tie in with the long hemp tradition in the Lusatia region. The purposes of the non-profit company are the promotion of applied science and research as well as the promotion of education, popular education and vocational training. The institute will be divided into two areas dedicated to the topics of commercial hemp and medicinal hemp. In addition to the initial structural set-up, the focal points of the research institute’s work will be applied research, product development, certification and knowledge transfer with regard to the cultivation and further processing of hemp.