The European Technology Platform for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology

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The European Technology Platform for Plant
Genomics and Biotechnology

• Prof. Marc Zabeau
• Chairman, European Plant Science Organization -
  EPSO
• Plant GEMs 2004
• September 22 -25, 2004

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What are Technology Platforms?

• Novel instrument of the ERA policy in areas of
  high technological potential
• Strengthen European research and innovation and
  ensure the competitiveness of Europe
• Articulate coherent long term research policies
  based on
• a consensus between all stakeholders
• Scientists, industry, policy makers and society
• A long term (20 year) vision of the technology
  and its applications
• Strategic research agenda
• Mobilise a critical mass of national and
  European, public and private resources

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Technology Platforms

• The European Council strongly recommended in
  March 2003
• the creation of European technology Platforms
  in areas such as plant genomics
• The first Technology Platforms created are
• Aeronautics,
• Hydrogen fuels and
• Plant genomics Biotechnology
• And many more are in preparation

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Why a Technology Platform for Plant Genomics and
Biotechnology?

• Plant Genomics and Biotechnology holds tremendous
  potential for
• Agriculture and Agro-food industry
• Third largest economy in Europe
• Society and consumers
• Secure the food supply
• Novel healthy foods
• Safeguard the environment
• However, plant biotechnology has become
  increasingly controversial
• Debate is blocking constructive policymaking

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Plant Biotech Climate Change

• Perception was highly favorable in the 80s
• Perceived potential benefits clearly outweighed
  the perceived risks
• In the 90s the climate changed rapidly,
  particularly in Europe
• Fear for GM foods
• Negative impact of agriculture on the environment
• Dwindling political (and financial) support for
  plant biotechnology
• Research funding and spending in Europe has
  decrease dramatically in the past few years

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Reversing the Tide

• EPSO was created in 2000 to
• Improve the perception of plant science
• Restore the political support
• Reverse the decrease in funding
• EPSO European initiatives
• 2010 vision paper for Plant Science
• Input to the Framework 6 Programme
• Promote the creation of an ERA-Net for Plant
  Genomics
• Launched in 2004
• The establishment of a Technology Platform for
  Plant genomics and Biotechnology

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Establishing a Technology Platform for Plant
Genomics and Biotechnology

• Step 1 developing a long term vision
• Joint initiative of EPSO and EuropaBio
• Active support of the EC and Commissioner Busquin
  
• Small group of representatives from the different
  stakeholders
• Academia
• Industry
• Farmers
• Consumer organizations
• Long term vision for Europes agriculture and
  Agro Industry Plants for the future

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Setting the Stage

• Global agriculture in the coming decades will
• be confronted with
• Considerable challenges
• Changing needs of society and consumers
• An increasingly critical public debate
• benefit from
• Unprecedented technological opportunities
• International changes in demand will transform
  agriculture from
• The production of food, feed and raw materials
  into a novel Bio-based economy producing added
  value products
• Quality foods and feed
• Biomaterials and biofuels

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Drivers for change

• Global trends and challenges
• Socioeconomic trends
• Agricultural and industrial needs
• Environmental concerns
• Scientific and technological opportunities

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Global trends and emerging challenges

• Global food production
• The world population is projected to grow from 6
  to 9 billion by 2050
• 95 of the increase in the developing world
• Arable land surface will decline steadily
• Deterioration of the arable land and urbanization
• Use of land for the production of non-food
  products
• Consequence
• A doubling agricultural productivity will be
  needed by 2050

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Global trends and emerging challenges

• Changing consumer needs driven by
• Aging populations and changing lifestyles in
  developed countries
• A growing awareness of health problems associated
  with eating habits and diets
• Obesity epidemic
• Raising living standards in developing countries
• Increased demand for higher quality food
• Consequence
• Increased demand for more nutritionally healthy
  and more varied foods

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Global trends and emerging challenges

• Changes in agricultural production driven by
• Need for more sustainable agricultural production
• Reduced inputs of pesticides, fertilizers and
  water
• Adapted to climate changes
• Increased environmental concerns
• Agricultural production that preserves the
  biodiversity
• Need for novel renewable biomaterials
• To remedy the mounting waste problem
• Depletion of the fossil fuel reserves
• Increased demand for bio energy and bio fuels
• Consequence
• Economically and environmentally sustainable
  agricultural production leading to a new
  bio-based economy

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Plant biotechnology opportunities

• Address global challenges and changing needs
• Secure a healthy and safe food supply
• Secure the global food supply through enhanced
  yield
• Provide more healthy and nutritional foods
• Contribute to a sustainable agriculture
• Improved crops that require lower inputs
• Improved resistance to pests and stress
• Safeguard the environment
• Reduced energy input and reduced production of
  waste
• Develop a new bio-based industry
• Novel non-food crops

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Securing a healthy and safe food supply

• To meet the challenges linked to changing
  lifestyles and ageing populations
• Food quality and safety becomes the primary focus
  of research
• To provide consumers access to a healthy, diverse
  and affordable food supply
• Quality of plants has to be improved and their
  nutritional value boosted
• Develop plants containing more essential macro
  and micro-nutrients
• carbohydrates, starch, essential fatty acids,
  oils, vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants,
  fibres, etc
• Develop end products with less natural
  contamination from
• fungal mycotoxins and anti-nutritional compounds

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Sustainable Agriculture

• Increase productivity (yield) while
• Reducing or optimising the input of fuel,
  fertilisers, pesticides and water
• Reduce the massive losses
• Caused by disease
• Enhanced resistance to pests and microbial
  infections
• In the food/feed processing chain
• Improve harvestability, storability and
  processability
• Improve the utilization of all non-used plant
  material
• Develop plants providing the maximum quantity of
  desired end products
• Address the strains of global climate changes
• Including the change in distribution of plant
  pathogens and pests
• Develop novel tools for crop monitoring
• Agro-climatic models integrating genetic data to
  forecast crop performance and detect problems
  early on

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Safeguarding our environment

• Sustainable agricultural production needs to
• Preserve the environment and conserve the
  biodiversity
• Modern farming and urbanisation have raised
  environmental concerns
• Our countryside is a key component of our
  cultural heritage
• Reduce the environmental impact of agriculture
• Develop crops needing less fertilizer and
  chemical inputs
• Efficient use of agricultural waste
• Agricultural practices in harmony with the
  environment
• Improve countryside biodiversity
• Improve crop co-existence
• Develop GM plants with reduced gene flow between
  cultivated and wild species
• Prevent soil erosion and reduce the use of energy
  and water

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New Bio-based Industry

• The production of novel biomaterials, bioenergy,
  and biofuels
• Offers great opportunities for a sustainable
  bio-based economy
• Boost rural development
• by enabling local communities to participate in
  the value creation chain
• Improve the environmental performance of industry
  
• Develop novel renewable materials
• Novel crop plants grown as sources of renewable
  materials
• Increase the variety the of plants that
  contribute to the renewable resource base
• Develop more efficient bioenergy and biofuels
• Novel crop plants which can be used efficiently
  as an energy source
• Improve the conversion process for the production
  of biofuels

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Plant biotechnology research priorities

• Develop a solid fundamental science base
• Rational science-based framework for improving
  crop traits
• Agricultural sustainability
• Targeted crop improvement
• Yield and yield potential
• Pest and stress resistance
• Nutritional quality and health promotion
• Novel crops for the production of
• Biomaterials and pharmaceuticals
• Bioenergy and biofuels

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The way forward

• Establish a European technology platform on plant
  genomics and biotechnology
• Will become a key instrument to
• Ensure the development of plant biotechnology
  applications benefiting both agriculture,
  industry and society
• To accomplish this we will bring together all
  relevant stakeholders
• Researchers, industry, farmers, consumer and
  environmental groups, policy-makers and civil
  society
• These partners will co-operate in a pragmatic,
  non-dogmatic manner to
• identify common priorities
• draw up action plans to implement them

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Establishing a Technology Platform for Plant
Genomics and Biotechnology

• Step 2 implementing the long term vision
• EPSO and EuropaBio are now structuring the
  Technology Platform
• EC Financial support 3-year Strategic Support
  Action (SSA) grant
• First objective develop a coherent long term
  research policy reflecting a broad consensus on
  the research priorities
• Strategic Research Agenda 2025
• Europes long term research strategy
• Action Plan 2010
• Short term European research agenda

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Technology Platform Research Priorities

• Strategic Research Agenda 2025
• Short and long term research priorities
• needed to achieve the objectives of the Vision
  2025
• Three main areas
• Basic research
• Sustainability
• Bio-products
• Action Plan 2010
• Short term (5-year) research agenda for Europe
• Based on the long term research agenda

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Technology Platform Research Priorities

• Procedure
• 4 ad hoc working groups prepare draft agendas
• Basic research, Sustainability, Products,
  Horizontal issues
• Each working group will comprise representatives
  of all stakeholders
• Companies, research institutions, financial
  community, regulatory authorities
• consumer and environmental organizations
• experts in education and communication
• Final agendas will be established after
  consultation
• At the member state and European (Parliament, EC)
  level

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Technology Platform Research Priorities

• Timelines
• Draft agendas February 2005
• Final agendas mid 2006
• These agendas will serve to provide the input for
  
• The new EC Framework Programme FP7
• Future national research programmes
• Novel public/private research partnerships

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Establishing a Technology Platform for Plant
Genomics and Biotechnology

• Step 2 implementing the long term vision
• EPSO and EuropaBio are now structuring the
  Technology Platform
• EC Financial support 5-year Strategic Support
  Action (SSA) grant
• First objective develop a coherent long term
  research policy
• Second objective create permanent structures for
  the Technology Platform

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Technology Platform Permanent Structures

• Advisory Council
• Advise the TP from a broader perspective
• Political support for activities
  recommendations of the TP
• Steering Committee
• Ensure that all TP activities contribute to TP
  long-term goal
• Support the activities recommendations of the
  TP among stakeholders
• Mirror groups
• Connect the TP to the 3 political institutions at
  European level (Council, Parliament, Commission)
• Ensure their support for implementation of TP
  recommendations at the European, national
  regional levels
• Secretariat

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Additional remarks

• ERA-NET and the Technology Platform
• Complementary activities aimed at structuring
  research at the European level
• ERA-Net will focus on the coordination of
  publicly funded national plant genomics
  programmes
• The Technology Platform has a much broader aim,
  structuring public and private plant genomics and
  biotechnology research
• The two initiatives will closely work together
• Transparency
• The stated goal of the Technology Platform is to
• Provide transparent communication to the community

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Conclusion

• The creation of the Technology Platform Plants
  for the future
• Constitutes an important milestone for the plant
  science research community
• Provides a long term positive outlook for plant
  research in Europe
• Recreate a positive research environment
• Leading to a substantial increase the research
  funding
• Counterbalances the negative perceptions of plant
  biotechnology
• Ultimately allow Europe to remain competitive