Gent, Belgium
December 12, 2005
 Plants
are the main source of all food, feed and fibre in our world.
Consequently activities that improve our knowledge of plants and
how to use them in a more sustainable way are of vital
importance to society, our economy and our environment. An
important step in promoting plant research was taken on 24th
June 2004, when the European Commission officially launched ‘Plants
for the Future’ a European Plant Sector Platform. This
multidisciplinary grouping aims to establish a long-standing
public-private partnership to increase investment on research
and innovation and to boost European competitiveness in relevant
industrial sectors.
A wide group of stakeholders representing
research institutions, industry, farmers, the political sphere,
financial world, regulatory authorities, as well as consumer
representatives have jointly published a
Vision document. A detailed agenda setting out the
research needed to deliver the vision has been developed. This
Strategic Research Agenda for ‘Plants for the Future’ sets the
scene for European agricultural research and development for the
next two decades.
"'Plants for the Future' is an important
demonstration of how working together can build competitiveness.
“This joint effort of all those involved in the agricultural
production chain to identify and take into account scientific
and technological potential, market drivers and consumer
demand can only be positive for the future of the agricultural
sector," according to Janez Potočnik, EU Commissioner for
Science and Research. "Plant genomics and biotechnology, as
outlined in the Strategic Research Agenda, will play a major
role in ensuring sustainability of our economy through renewable
biological resources."
The Stakeholders Proposal for
a Strategic Research Agenda is being discussed in EU wide
Member State consultative forums, and is beginning to
influence Member State research funding in plant biotechnology.
Already the German Government has been actively using the
Research Agenda to guide its research spending plans. Others are
set to follow.
The first Report on the Platform’s first activities is
available.
The research agenda aims to produce healthy, safe
and sufficient food and feed while securing sustainable
agriculture and landscape, developing green products such as
biomaterials and biofuels and securing Europe´s competitiveness,
consumer choice and good governance. The European agricultural
value chain has more than 600 billion Euros of turn-over each
year, accounts for 8% of the European workforce, and includes 17
million farms. Research and application of plant genomics and
biotechnology will help foster this leading industrial sector
and maintain competitiveness in the face of some of the largest
changes foreseen in the coming years.
Plant science is a key technology in delivering a
bio-based economy where energy, raw materials and renewables are
increasingly produced by the agricultural sector in an
environmentally sustainable way.
Report:
www.epsoweb.org/Catalog/TP/TP%20Documents.htm
Web information at
www.epsoweb.org/Catalog/TP/index.htm
Direct links:
|
