News n°2
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The European Technology Platform (ETP) ‘Plants for the Future’ launched its Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on 25 June 2007 at the European Parliament. This is yet another milestone on the road to putting plant sciences back on the agenda in Europe and its Member States. EPSO as an organisation and with the help of its members has played a crucial role in shaping this SRA. Now we need your support to implement the European SRA for plant research.
ETP ‘Plants for the Future’ has a short but successful history: it was established in 2004 as one of the first European technology platforms with the publication of ‘2025, a European vision for plant genomics and biotechnology’. This vision was signed by 21 European stakeholder organisations representing academia, farmers, industry and consumers – a clear indication of the broad impact and recognition of plant science in Europe. ETP then mobilised representatives of all stakeholders to discuss the development of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) in their Member States.
The first impact of the SRA is already evident: 25% of Theme 2 funding for the 2007 Work programme of the Seventh Framework Programme was dedicated to plant research. In addition, national funding programmes in a growing number of Member States now refer to SRA and ERA-NET Plant Genomics for closer collaborations with future technology platform activities.
The SRA launch is also the appropriate occasion to thank all EPSO members who have contributed to ‘Plants for the Future’ and Member State consultations in 19 European countries during the last few years. We are especially grateful to the former EPSO president Marc Zabeau and previous EPSO Board members Mike Bevan and Mark Stitt. Special thanks also goes to Karin Metzlaff, who serves as Executive Director for both ‘Plants for the Future’ and EPSO, and her team for their dedicated and successful efforts in bringing European plant sciences back to the front.
Our work, however, has just started. Today, just three years after its launch, the broad representation of stakeholders in ETP ‘Plants for the Future’ is one of its strongest assets. The ETP continues to have an important mission in Europe, which is increasingly becoming aware of the importance of plants for its future. ETP ‘Plants for the Future’ belongs to the family of technology platforms that are working towards a European knowledge-based bio-economy. Joining forces with these platforms will provide the necessary momentum for plant research.
ETP ‘Plants for the Future’ will continue its efforts to integrate plant sciences with emerging European research strategies. ETP will use and urge to direct new financial instruments, encourage the development of national plant research platforms and become the reference point for the agricultural and plant-based sectors.
ETP ‘Plants for the Future’ will need your continuing support and support from its stakeholders, industry, academia and farmers, to achieve these goals. EPSO members will provide this support from the academic side. The SRA has been launched, now it must be implemented.
For more information: Launch event webpage and press release
Nearly 50 people attended the EPSO workshop on the ‘Feed value chain’ held on 26-27 June 2007 in Copenhagen (DK). The gathering brought together key scientists and agri-industry representatives in a successful interaction to exchange ideas on the current challenges faced by the feed-livestock value chain.
Co-organised by Claus H. Andersen (Plant Biotech Denmark), Odd Arne Rognli (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) and Vincent Pétiard (Nestlé), the workshop provided new insights into research objectives from the view of plant science and animal nutrition. The feed value chain encompasses plant breeding, feed crop production, feed formulation, as well as meat and dairy products.
The workshop programme offered high-quality presentations covering the different areas of the feed value chain, including issues of price, quality, environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Taken together, a picture was created demonstrating the magnitude and complexity of the challenges facing the feed value chain.
One major conclusion is the need to integrate research across the value chain to harvest synergy and complement competences. A major challenge in the future will be to implement successfully chain management to achieve sustainable solutions.
A central part of the workshop was devoted to a discussion on defining prioritised research objectives with the potential to integrate different areas/disciplines across the feed-livestock value chain. Detailed conclusions from the discussions are available here.
“This is a golden chance to put together a consortium to address all the issues along the feed value chain,” said Julian Wiseman from the University of Nottingham, UK.
A working group to prepare a draft white paper and formulate the prioritised research objectives was formed. The white paper is expected by end of September 2007 and a final version by the end of October 2007.
Thus far, EPSO has offered institutional membership, i.e. to institutes, universities, departments or research units. Starting on 1 July 2007, EPSO will offer membership to individual persons interested in plant science. This opportunity is open to all nationalities, professions, career stages and age groups worldwide.
Individuals with a personal membership will have access to all the benefits currently enjoyed by institutional members, such as access to the FP7 online broker (especially the FP7 partner finding tool), to the directory of plant scientists, to the EPSO online portal. In addition, there are benefits restricted to personal members, such as the bi-monthly newsletter, eligibility to apply for an EPSO conference support grant and to apply for a tutor providing insights into their home country/continent.
Every 500 personal memberships will have one representative at the annual general meeting. Personal members can elect one representative to join the EPSO board (the other members of which are elected by the General Assembly).
A personal membership fee applies, according to the career stage. The fee is waived for individuals working in an EPSO member institute or university.
Interested? Register here or read more here.
We look forward to having you as a member.
The programme of the 4th EPSO Conference that will take place in Presqu’île de Giens (near Toulon), France, on 22-26 June 2008 is now available online. Take a look at the poster and read the programme.
The theme of the conference is ‘Plants for Life’. Scientists from Europe and other continents will present and discuss cutting edge science. Together with non-plant scientists they will build an interface to new areas.
The conference is organised by Karin Metzlaff, EPSO Executive Director, and the local conference organiser is Hélène Lucas, Head of Genetics and Plant Breeding division, INRA, France.
Confirmed speakers by 29 June 2007 are: Birgitte K. Ahring, Claus Andersen, Ian Bancroft, Michael Bevan, Dirk Bosch, Inge Broer, Enrico Coen, Catherine Feuillet, Chris Field, Richard B. Flavell, Andrew D. Friend, Yuri Gleba, Wilhelm Gruissem, Marion Guillou, Luis Herrera Estrella, Stephen Hopper, Jonathan Jones, Sophien Kamoun, Jay D. Keasling, Peter Langridge, Ottoline Leyser, Joachim Messing, Franco Miglietta, Graham Moore, Javier Paz-Ares, Kaisa Poutanen, Martin Qaim, Rudy Rabbinge, Roberto Ranieri, Mark Stitt, Björn Sundberg, Frank Takken, François Tardieu, Wim Van Camp, Nicolaus von Wirén, Lothar Willmitzer, Jian-Kang Zhu.
Read the next issues of EPSO News to stay informed about this major event organised by EPSO.
On 13-14 September 2007, the European Life Sciences Forum (ELSF) is organising, jointly with the European Science Foundation (ESF), a conference entitled ‘Research Infrastructures for the Life Sciences’, which will be held in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.
EPSO encourages any of its members who have expertise in research infrastructure to attend this major event in order to contribute effectively to this crucial debate. Registration is open until 15 July 2007. There is no registration fee but the number of participant is restricted due to the capacity of the venue.
Infrastructures are indispensable instruments for supporting research in the modern life sciences. However, in Europe, they often constitute a limiting factor due to lack of mechanisms available for their coordinated organisation and funding. Following the release of the recent European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructure’s (ESFRI) road map, which presents a list of priorities for the area, several issues remain unresolved.
This meeting will enable the opinion of the broad life science community on future requirements to be heard. A science policy briefing will be produced following the conference.
For more information: Conference website and registration form
Contact person: Dr Luc van Dyck
Members of EPSO and of the Technology Platform ‘Plants for the Future’, as part of experts from academia and industry, were invited to contribute to an expert paper outlining the perspectives of the Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) within the next 20 years. KBBE can be defined as “transforming life sciences knowledge into new, sustainable, eco-efficient and competitive products”.
EPSO encourages its members to send feed-back on the Cologne paper to the EPSO office. The inputs will be compiled and presented to the authors of the Cologne paper as a reply from EPSO.
The so-called ‘Cologne Paper’ was published on 30 May 2007 in Cologne at the European Bio-Perspectives Conference ‘En Route to the Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy’ hosted by the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It presents the findings of six workshops held between January and March 2007 on the following topics: framework issues, food, biomaterials and bioprocesses, bioenergy, biomedicine, and new concepts and emerging technologies.
The visions, forecasts and recommendations presented are intended to assist policy-makers in identifying priorities and adopting measures.
On 13 May 2005, EPSO provided input for a European Commission public consultation on the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). This plan, currently at an early stage of its preparation, aims to accelerate the market introduction and take-up of low-carbon and efficient energy technologies.
EPSO expressed its view that an integrated approach was needed, combining research, technology transfer, policy, regulatory activities and the appropriate resources. It strongly stressed the necessity to bring together existing and foreseen activities and to lift them up to a higher level to reach critical mass and boost Europe’s competitiveness.
Plant sciences have a key role to play in areas such as higher biomass production, improved processability of biomass, enhanced resource use efficiency, and the increased genetic diversity of bio-energy plants.
Over 600 responses have been submitted and are currently being analysed. A report on the findings of the consultation will soon be published by the EC.
These contributions were submitted by EPSO members. The instructions for submitting contributions are here. Send us your articles. Deadline for submitting articles for the next issue is 31 August 2007.
Bioforsk – the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research – is a research and development (R&D) institute under the auspices of the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The institute has a staff of approximately 500 and an annual turnover of some €45 million.
Bioforsk broadly specialises in the natural sciences. It performs research, consultancy, development and communication activities within three major fields of expertise: sustainable agriculture and rural development; plant science, plant protection and food safety; environmental protection and natural resources management.
Ploughing ahead with new technologies
Bioforsk’s competence and capacity building support is targeted at creating solutions for farmers and food producers, local, regional and national authorities, and scientists. This includes the development and application of tools and models for decision-making and management of agri-environmental challenges. Bioforsk’s main objective is to contribute to productivity and economic viability through the sustainable use and management of natural resources.
Bioforsk is still very young. It was established at the beginning of 2006. The institute consists of seven research divisions located in different parts of the country, in addition to the central administration. The divisions cover plant health and plant protection; soil and the environment; organic food and farming; arable crops; horticulture and urban greening; grassland and landscape; and Arctic farming and land use.
Plant health and plant protection constitute a particularly strong basis for Bioforsk’s plant science competence, covering weeds, pests and diseases in major crops. Strategies to control weeds, pests and diseases that can be applied in organic and in conventional production system have been emphasised. The institute also supports the decision-making processes of producers, the authorities and managers.
For more information: Bioforsk website
Contact person: Dr. Ellen Merethe Magnus
With a final budget of over €35 million, the ERA-NET Plant Genomics (ERA-PG) partners decided, in May 2007, to fund 29 projects out of the 106 that were submitted in March 2006 in response to their first joint call. This joint call provided researchers with the opportunity to take part in transnational collaborations within overarching plant genomics themes, either through academic or public-private partnerships.
The purpose of ERA-PG is to strengthen Europe’s knowledge base and competitiveness in plant genomics. The call, launched on 1 February 2006, was addressed to plant genomic researchers in Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The selection followed a two-stage procedure. First, the projects were selected and proposed to the funding institutions by a scientific advisory committee. Second, international experts selected evaluated the full proposals through a peer review process. Then, a ranking list was submitted to the national funding agencies, which made the final decisions.
The selected projects will start in the coming months. A first grant-holders workshop will be held during the Plant Genomics European meeting, at Tenerife on 2 October 2007.
Grants were awarded using a 'Jointly Administrated Pot' model. In this model there is one central secretariat; evaluation and selection are centrally organised following commonly agreed procedures. Consortium agreements and intellectual property rights conditions are developed transnationally while the funding follows national rules. Each national funding organisation funds only the research consortium members from its own country.
The ERA-PG partners are exploring further possibilities for continuing their collaboration and have started preparations to open a second call in 2008. ERA-PG is an EU-funded network which seeks to boost transnational co-operation.
For more information and the list of selected projects: ERA-PG website
Contact person: Dr.
Christine J Bunthof, ERA-PG managing office.
The future of plant genomic research will be the topic of discussion at a special session organised by the ERA-NET Plant Genomics (ERA-PG) network later this year. This gathering will take place during the next Plant Genomics European meeting in Tenerife (Spain), on 4 October 2007.
Representatives of world leading research institutions, companies, European and international programmes , as well as policy-makers will be brought together to identify new opportunities and challenges for the European Research Area in plant genomics and potential international collaboration opportunities between Europe and the rest of the world. An important goal is to raise awareness of the fact that the success of genomics programmes , notably in plants, greatly depends on global co-operation.
The participants will address the following issues: the knowledge-based bio-economy, plants for tomorrow, biofuel production, green chemistry and plant pathologies. The recommendations resulting from their discussions will be forwarded to all the funding agencies participating in ERA-PG in order to help them draw new priorities for transnational research.
This meeting is part of a new phase of the ERA-PG project, started in 2007 and lead by France, which is entitled ‘Structuring the future’.
For more information: ERA-PG website
Contact person: Bernard Strée, French ERA-PG coordinator
The People programme is the human resources element of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7, 2007-2013). It is implemented through a set of Marie Curie (MC) Actions complemented by practical tools. The overall objective is to stimulate and support careers development in science by encouraging the international mobility of researchers, training and best working practices.
Two key policy documents
Adopted by the European commission in March 2005, the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers are two key policy documents and represent a synthesis of the philosophy on which all the MC Actions are based.
Ten Marie Curie Actions
Marie Curie Actions are the tools to implement the Charter and the Code. They address researchers – both European and non-European – at all stages of their professional lives, from initial research training to career development, in the public and private sectors, in all disciplines and field of research.
Mobility is a key feature as all researchers funded are expected to undertake mobility from one country to another, subject to specific requirements for the different schemes.
The list of all 2007 MC calls is available here. When submitting a proposal, it is essential to understand the policy principles and the goal of each action clearly in order to increase your chances of success.
Five funding schemes are available under the People programme.
More information on the Marie Curie Actions is available here.
For more detailed information on FP7, read the FP7 broker on the EPSO website.
EPSO members whishing to receive a presentation/discussion on FP7 within
their institution or country can contact us to arrange it.
17 July 2007
Capacities
– Science in Society – Descartes prizes for transnational collaborative research and Prizes for science communication
31 July 2007 – Co-operation – Calls for grants for action of a horizontal nature or not
directly linked to a specific Co-operation theme will be available through support to ERA-NET actions.
14 August 2007 – People
Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development (IEF)
Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development (IOF)
Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)
24 August 2007 – People
transnational collaboration among ERA-MORE members (ERAMORE)
transnational cooperation among National Contact Points (NPC)
04 September 2007 – Capacities – Research for the benefit of SMEs
11 September 2007 – Co-operation – Calls for large collaborative projects under Theme 2 – Stage 1
11 September 2007 – Capacities – Activities of International Cooperation
17 September 2007 – Ideas –
ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant – Stage 2 (full proposal only for proposals retained at stage 1)
20 September 2007 – Capacities – Research Infrastructures
25 September 2007 – People –
Initial training networks (ITN) – Stage 2 (full proposal only for proposals retained at stage 1)
17 October 2007 – People
Marie Curie European Reintegration Grants (ERG)
Marie Curie International Reintegration Grants (IRG)
Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND) (the date is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, the call has not yet been published)
28 February 2008 – People
Researchers’ Night (NIGHT). The call has not yet been published.
The first operational version of DESCA, the simplified FP7 model consortium agreement was released on 22 June. DESCA is a comprehensive, modular consortium agreement for FP7. It was initiated by key FP7 stakeholder groups and co-developed with the FP community.
This tool offers a frame of reference which seeks to balance the interests of all of the main participant categories in FP7 research projects: large and small firms, universities, public research institutes, and research and technology organisations.
France's R&D expenditures accounted for €35.5 billion in 2004 (of which 46% was funded by the public sector), representing 2.1% of GDP, placing the country in third place, in terms of GDP, among EU Member States.
Public research organisations, universities and other higher education institutions, and private companies carry out research. Among the numerous public research organisations, five are involved in plant science research: National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS); National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA); Centre for International Co-operation in Agronomic Research (CIRAD); National centre for Agriculture and Environmental Engineering Research (CEMAGREF); Research Institute for Development (IRD). Plant research is also carried out at universities and higher education institutions, such as the École normale supérieure in Paris and Lyon.
At the governmental level, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research coordinates French research policy.
Recent development in public research policies have seen the creation of a new body, in 2005, the National Agency of Research (ANR), which funds research projects on specific thematic areas, the two relevant to plant science being: biology and health, ecosystems and sustainable development. Funding is mainly available for French research teams, but “it is also possible for foreign partners to participate, providing that they supply their own funding”.
Under the ‘ecosystems and sustainable development’ thematic area, plant genomic research is carried out through the Génoplante 2010 programme. Created in 1999, this programme is currently in its third phase (2005-2010), and involves seven members from the public (CNRS, INRA, CIRAD and IRD) and private (Biogemma, Arvalis and Sofiproteol) plant science sectors. The annual budget amounts to €30 million, including €12 million in the form of grants from the ANR. Génoplante carries out joint research projects with other European plant genomic programmes , such as GABI in Germany and the Spanish plant genomics programme.
Each public research organisation has developed its own tools to attract international researchers or to support transnational research projects.
INRA’s ‘Scientific package’ scheme aims to attract high-level researchers to its best units by funding research projects led by invited researchers for a duration of up to four years. The deadline for submission of proposals is 15 November 2007.
Since 17 years, CNRS has a specific programme to attract new scientists: the ATIP programme ‘Young Scientists’ funded by the Life Science Division. It offers the opportunity to young scientists (all nationalities, no holder than 40) to develop an independent research project while setting up their own group within a CNRS laboratory. Support is available for 3 years, with a possibility of two-year extension. Applicants should submit a scientific project and are encouraged to propose a host laboratory. A list of laboratories, several of them working on plants, wishing to welcome a team is available here. Deadline for application is 1 October 2007.
Another recent initiative aimed at strengthening the international dimension of French research is the creation of advanced thematic research networks. Among the 13 networks selected in October 2006, one located in Montpellier (southern France) ‘Agricultural research and sustainable development’ regroups 30 research groups from CIRAD, INRA and SupAgro (a higher education entity) working on plant science. The network seeks to play a major role on the international stage and will receive funding from the government for international collaborative research projects in the coming years.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs finances several bilateral funding programmes , such as the Hubert Curien Partnerships which provide financing for short missions between the partners – either INRA or CNRS – and a foreign research entity. These programmes are run by the management organisation Egide (the French Agency for International Mobility). Call dates vary from partnership to partnership.
Since 2005, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been offering Eiffel Doctoral Scholarships aimed at high-level foreign students wanting to pursue their doctorate in France. In 2007, 76 scholarships were awarded. The next call is expected to be published at the end of the year and will be posted on the Egide website.
PhD fellowships are also offered by individual universities and public research organisations, most of them are open to foreign applicants. There is no centralised entity managing all these funding opportunities, making it quiet difficult for foreign applicants to find their way. Good source of information (although sometimes only in French) on those sources of funding are Egide, the French PhD organisation ANDES, the Bernard Gregory Association and France Contact, to name a few.
More information on funding opportunities in France is available on the EPSO website. As the information provided in EPSO News and on the website can only supply a selection of opportunities, EPSO is happy to receive further and updated information for distribution.
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