1. Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food Research
II° Stakeholders meeting Technology Platform “Food for Life” Brussels - June 9, 2005
Antonio Di Giulio
Unit: Food Quality
Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food Research
DG Research
European Commission

2. Elements of Presentation
Main Features of Technology Platforms
Current Status, Governance, Community Role
FP7

3. Technology Platforms: Central Concept
Framework to unite stakeholders around:
a common “vision” for the technology concerned
mobilisation of a critical mass of research and innovation effort
definition of a Strategic Research Agenda

4. Technology Platforms: Status Report
Currently +/- 20 Emerging Fields
Stage 1 - Stakeholders Get Together: Many Platforms Advanced
Stage 2: Stakeholders Define a Strategic Research Agenda:
Underway for Number of Platforms
Stage 3: Stakeholders implement the Strategic Research Agenda:
For Seventh Framework Programme

5. Technology Platforms: Key Success Factors
Industry-Led; Competitiveness-Driven
Wide Stakeholder Involvement
Flexibility: No “One Size Fits All”
Cross-Policy European Added Value
Operational Focus from Early Stage
Mobilise a Range of Funding Sources
Focus on Education and Training
Communication / Dissemination

6. Openness and Transparency
Code of Good Practice
Key Elements:
- Rotation of Membership of Advisory Council
- Regular Stakeholder Meetings
- Openness to Participation of New Stakeholders
- Dedicated Platform Website

7. Technology Platforms: Commission Involvement
Encouraging a “Bottom-Up” Industry-Led Approach
Not Owner but Active Facilitator
Not Labelling but Guiding
Co-ordinating/Monitoring Role
BUT:
Not Bound by Content of Strategic Research Agendas

8. Technology Platforms: Run-Up to FP7
Support for Operational Entities
- Secretariats: Specific Support Actions
- Mirror Groups: ERA-NET
Projects Brought In/Launched Under Platform
- Instruments of FP6

9. Technology Platforms: Implementation Under FP7
Majority of Platforms
- Supported Using Instruments of Collaborative Research
Small Minority: Long-Term Public-Private Partnerships Required
- “Joint Technology Initiatives” – Article 171 of Treaty

10. Towards the Seventh Framework Programme 2007-2013
Building Europe Knowledge
Towards the Seventh Framework Programme

11. What’s new ? Main new elements compared to FP6:
Annual budget doubled (EUR 5 billion ►10 billion)
Basic research (~ EUR 1.5 billion per year)
Simplification of procedures
Logistical and administrative tasks transferred to external structures

12. FP7 budget (EUR billion, 2004 constant prices)
68.264

13. + FP7 2007 - 2013 Specific Programmes
Cooperation – Collaborative research
Ideas – Frontier Research
People – Human Potential
Capacities – Research Capacity +
JRC (non-nuclear)
JRC (nuclear)
Euratom

14. Cooperation – Collaborative research
9 Thematic Priorities
Health
Food, agriculture and biotechnology
Information and communication technologies
Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies
Energy
Environment (including climate change)
Transport (including aeronautics)
Socio-economic sciences and the humanities
Security and space
+ Euratom: Fusion energy research, nuclear fission and radiation protection

15. Cooperation – Collaborative research
Under each theme there will be sufficient flexibility to address both Emerging needs and Unforeseen policy needs
Dissemination of knowledge and transfer of results will be supported in all thematic areas
Support will be implemented across all themes through:
Collaborative research
(Collaborative projects; Networks of Excellence; Coordination/support actions)
Joint Technology Initiatives
Coordination of non-Community research programmes
(ERA-NET; ERA-NET+; Article 169)
International Cooperation

16. FP7 2007-2013 ‘Cooperation’ budget

17. 2. Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
Sustainable production and management of biological resources
from land, forest, and aquatic environments
“Fork to farm”: Food, health and well being
Life sciences and biotechnology for sustainable
non-food products and processes
More on food

18. Joint Technology Initiatives
Hydrogen
and Fuel Cells for a
Sustainable Energy
Future
Global Monitoring
for Environment
and Security
Aeronautics and
Air Transport
Innovative Medicines
for the Citizens
of Europe
Towards new
Nanoelectronics
Approaches
Embedded systems
Other possible themes to be identified later…

19. Ideas – Frontier Research
ERC – European Research Council
Commission
Scientific Council*
Approval of work programme, as defined by the Scientific Council
Instruction to implement work programme
Approval of annual implementation report
Information to programme committee
Preparation of work programme
Set up of peer review: pool of reviewers, nomination of review panels, evaluation guidelines
Oversight of the evaluation procedure
Annual scientific report
Externalised tasks**
Information and support to applicants
Reception / eligibility of proposals
Organisation and execution of evaluation
Selection decision
Scientific and financial follow-up of contracts
Annual implementation report
* Created by Commission decision
* * Under the responsibility of the Commission

20. 2. Research for the benefit of SMEs
Research for SMEs
Research for SME associations
Encourage and facilitate SME participation across FP7
+ under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP):
(Note: this replaces the previous version of the slide. This replacement is necessary to align the slide to the CIP text (Annex III) as adopted by the College.)
Support services provided by networks to encourage
SME participation in FP7 (awareness, identification of needs, assistance)

21. SMEs in FP7: Optimal participation
Reduce barriers to participation
simplification
fewer funding schemes; more flexibility and freedom
Take account of SME needs in thematic area content
Participation potential varies by programme and theme
Reduce barriers to participation
Simplification: particularly important for SMEs
A smaller number of funding schemes with more flexibility and freedom
Take better into account SME needs in defining the content of thematic areas
Potential for participation variable according to programmes and thematic areas

22. Simplification of procedures
Measures proposed:
Rationalising the funding schemes
simpler set of funding instruments
Avoiding red-tape!
less bureaucratic and more user-friendly languages
Reducing
number and size of documents
number of requests to participants
Measures proposed:
Rationalising the funding schemes – simpler set of funding instruments
Avoiding red-tape!
Less bureaucratic and more user-friendly languages
Reducing number and size of documents
Reducing number of request to participants and light submission procedure
Reducing a priori controls (i.e. controls before the project is approved)
Increasing autonomy of consortia
Streamlining the selection process
Exploring new modes of funding and simplifying the cost-based funding system

23. Funding Schemes… Based on calls for proposals
collaborative projects, coordination and support actions
combined as appropriate
To support actions implemented through Council and European Parliament decisions
basis of article 171
through the specific programme decisions,
mobilise national funding, FP, SF, loans from EIB, etc.
On the basis of calls for proposals:
Collaborative projects, coordination and support actions, combined as I3 as appropriate
To support actions implemented through Council and European Parliament decisions
on the basis of article 171 of the Treaty or through the specific programme decisions, to mobilise funding from different origin: national funding, FP, SF, loans from EIB, and others

24. Simplifying FP7 actions
Flexibility
tools to achieve FP7 objectives efficiently
Rationalisation
better balance between risks and controls
avoiding procedures, rules and requests that have no added value
reducing delays
Coherence
clarifying rights and obligations
consistent and user-friendly communication
matching objectives and means
taking into account participants’ own practices and pre-existing rules as far as possible

25. FP7 Timetable

26. Information EU research: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research
Seventh Framework Programme:
Technology Platforms
Information on research programmes and projects:
RTD info magazine:
Information requests:

27. Food, agriculture and biotechnology research: Objectives
Build a European Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE)
Respond to social and economic challenges:
sustainable food production
food-related disorders
infectious animal diseases
agriculture/fishery production and climate change
high quality food, animal welfare and the rural context
Support CAP and CFP
Involve all stakeholders (incl. industry) in research
Respond quickly to emerging research needs

28. Food, agriculture and biotechnology research: Rationale
Biotechnology and food companies / SMEs need to be competitive on the world market (‘European Strategy on Life Sciences and Biotechnology’)
Society demands safer and healthier food
Renewable resources and biomass for non-food applications helps reducing dependence on hydrocarbon-based economy
Society demands sustainable and eco-efficient production methods in agriculture/fishery/forestry
International cooperation ensures optimal exploitation of resources and application of results

29. PROCESSING PRODUCTION
THE EUROPEAN KNOWLEDGE-BASED BIOECONOMY
QUALITY ASSURANCE STRATEGIES TRACEABILITY, CONSUMER SCIENCE
STABILITY - BIODEGRADABILITY
FUNCTIONALITY (Chirality)
SOCIETAL NEEDS
“Fork to Farm” Food, health and well-being
Life
sciences &
biotechnology for
sustainable non-
food products +
processes
WHITE BIOTECH
CLEAN BIOPROCESSES
RAW MATERIALS/WASTE
ADVANCED FOOD TECHNOLOGIES, FOOD QUALITY DETERMINANTS, NUTRITION
PROCESSING
GREEN/BLUE BIOTECH
OPTIMISED RAW MATERIALS
LOW INPUT FARMING - BIODIVERSITY ANIMAL HEALTH - RURAL DEVT.
PRODUCTION
Sustainable production and management of biological resources from
land, forest, and aquatic environments

30. 1) Sustainable production and management of biological resources from land, forest, and aquatic environment
Activities:
Enabling research (‘omics’, converging technologies, biodiversity) for micro-organism, plants and animals
Improved crops and production systems incl. organic farming
Sustainable, competitive and multifunctional agriculture, forestry and rural development
Animal welfare, breeding and production
Infectious diseases in animals, including zoonoses
Policy tools for agriculture and rural development

31. 2) “Fork to farm”: Food, health and well being
Activities:
Consumer, societal, industrial and health aspects of food and feed
Nutrition, diet related diseases and disorders
Innovative food and feed processing
Improved quality and safety of food, beverage and feed
Total food chain concept
Traceability

32. Return to main presentation
3) Life sciences and biotechnology for sustainable non-food products and processes
Activities:
Improved crops, feed-stocks, marine products and biomass for energy, environment, and high added value industrial products; novel farming systems
Bio-catalysis; new bio-refinery concepts
Forestry and forest based products and processes
Environmental remediation and cleaner processing
Return to main presentation