03.11.2008	Action Document from the 2008 Venice Conference 'The Future of Science - Food and Water for Life' http://www.epsoweb.org/commun/Food_and_Water_for_Life_Action_Document_Nov08.pdf As the world population increases, the Millennium Goals of reducing hunger by a third and the proportion without access to safe water by half, are increasingly unlikely to be realised by the target year 2015. The Action Document presents what needs to be done to overcome the major obstacles to achieving the Millennium Goals and how to start doing it.
15.10.2008	EMBO honours 59 leading life scientists, among which 5 plant scientists http://www.embo.org/about_embo/press/new_members08.pdf
07.10.2008	The FAO publishes "State of Food and Agriculture 2008 - BIOFUELS: prospects, risks and opportunities" ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/011/i0100e/i0100e.pdf In its annual flagship publication, the FAO weighs opportunities and risks of biofuels and concludes that "biofuel policies and subsidies should be urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability."
02.10.2008	International research team maps largest wheat chromosome http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/1002/1 Plant geneticist Catherine Feuillet of INRA-UBP in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and her colleagues of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium have isolated the largest wheat chromosome — chromosome 3B — and assemble a physical map representing more than 80 percent of the chromosome. This paves the way to sequencing the complex polyploid wheat genome .
01.10.2008	European Biofuels TP Newsletter - October 2008 http://www.biofuelstp.eu/newsletters/081114news.html The newsletter provides an update on recent EBTP activities, including the identification of value chains most likely to make a contribution to the ambitious EU 2020 objectives for innovative bioenergy and biofuel within the European Industrial Initiative on BioEnergy (EII-B). Recent biofuels technology events and reports, membership changes within the Steering Committee, and an update on the R&D&D Mapping database are also included.
30.09.2008	Responding to the World Food Crisis: Three Perspectives http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/books/ar2007/ar2007_essay.asp The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) publishes three essays addressing the global food crisis. The authors point to the dangers and pitfalls of misguided policies, but also to the very real opportunities for responding in a way that prevents future crises and assures food security now and in the long term.
24.09.2008	A strategic European framework for international cooperation in science and technology http://ec.europa.eu/research/press/2008/pdf/com_2008_588_en.pdf A communication from the European Commission setting out a European framework for international cooperation in science and technology. It proposes ways to improve cooperation instruments with strategic partners.
07.08.2008	The Royal Society launches a study on biological approaches to enhance food-crop production http://royalsociety.org/news.asp?id=7929 The study aims to provide a balanced assessment of the challenges to world food-crop yields, the different biological approaches that could be used to enhance supplies and their likely consequences and impacts. Organisations and individuals are invited to contribute to the study by responding to the call for evidence by Monday 06 October 2008.
25.06.2008	Report on enhancing cooperation between Finland and Estonia published http://www.vnk.fi/ajankohtaista/tiedotteet/tiedote/en.jsp?oid=233589 The report issues a total of 55 recommendations and outlines a vision of the Finnish-Estonian relations in 2030. According to the report, Finland and Estonia can combine their forces especially in innovation policy and the development of skills. It proposes the establishment of a science, technology and development council for the coordination of a joint area of education and research.
23.06.2008	How research can help solve global food crisis http://www.euractiv.com/en/science/research-help-solve-global-food-crisis/article-173588 Aninterview with Guy Riba, deputy director of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).
16.06.2008	Environmental Performance of Agriculture in OECD Countries since 1990 http://www.oecd.org/document/56/0,3343,en_2649_33793_40374392_1_1_1_1,00.html The report provides comparative data for OECD countries up to 2004 across a range of indicators, including agricultural production and land, nutrients, pesticides, energy, soil, water, air, biodiversity and farm management.
09.06.2008	In Need of a Green Revolution http://www.harvardir.org/articles/1723/ An Interview With Robert Paarlberg, Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College and Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Paarlberg's principal research interests are international agricultural and environmental policy.
24.04.2008	Papaya's genome deciphered http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7190/full/nature06856.html A collaboration of 22 research institutions in the U.S. and China has produced a first draft of the papaya genome.
28.03.2008	France, Italy and Switzerland launches national initiatives for financial support to ERC Starting Grant finalists who cannot be funded by the ERC http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/national_funding_bodies_280308.pdf
10.03.2008	EU27 R&D spending stable at 1.84% of GDP in 2006 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2008/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2008_MONTH_03/9-10032008-EN-BP.PDF
03.03.2008	Website launched to attract foreign researchers to Germany http://www.academics.com/home.html
01.03.2008	Nominations are now invited for the 2009 FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award http://www.embo.org/gender/award.html The E10 000 award highlights the major contributions made by female scientists to life sciences research. The deadline is 15 August 2008
26.02.2008	Call for proposals for ERC finalists launched by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (deadline is 21 April 2008)   In Italian: http://www.miur.it/0006Menu_C/0012Docume/0015Atti_M/6932Bando__cf3.htm In English: http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/MIUR.pdf
04.02.2008	Plant DNA barcode - >Applicability of DNA barcoding for biodiversity inventories demonstrated. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/8/2923
25.01.2008	The Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) will receive a grant of US$19.9 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop stress-tolerant rice varieties http://www.irri.org/media/press/press.asp?id=168
05.03.2007	Publication Analysis 1999-2005 for Plant Science http://www.epsoweb.org/commun/plant_citations_labsciences.pdf An interesting article on Plant Science and Plant Scientists in Europe.
16.01.2007	Scientists of the VIB (Ghent, Belgium) produce antibodies in plant seeds http://www.vib.be/NR/rdonlyres/17268A44-2198-459B-A50F-AA4B6E869151/2180/20070100_ENG_VanDroogenbroeck_antilichameninArabid.pdf
26.09.2006	Scientists of the university of Malaga to design biochips to select pine trees for industrial and environmental ends http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/english/salaPrensa/notas/060926-01.asp
12.09.2006	Olive oil consumption can prevent obesity in the long run http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/english/salaPrensa/notas/060912-03.asp
18.07.2006	Andalusian scientists prove that Mediterranean diet significally reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/english/salaPrensa/notas/060718-01.asp
14.07.2006	Investing in green and white biotech, Nature Biotechnology, July 2006 http://www.epsoweb.org/commun/Nature%20Biotech%20July06_Mike%20Bevan%20and%20Maurice%20Franssen.pdf A joint paper from EPSO and European Federation of Biotechnology, Section of Applied Biocatalysis (ESAB), emphasises European strengths in the fields of plant biotechnology and catalysis and how these can be deployed for sustainable biomass and biofuels production. The paper notes that realigning a small proportion of the funds currented used by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development towards R&D in this field will make important contributions to reinvigorating rural economies
07.07.2006	Seville-based scientists design leguminous plants resistant to soil acidity or salinity http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/english/salaPrensa/notas/060707-04.asp
04.04.2006	THE UNIVERSITY OF JAEN TAKES PART IN A EUROPEAN PROJECT TO BUILD A BIODIESEL PLANT IN CHINA http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/english/salaPrensa/notas/060404-02.asp
03.04.2006	SPANISH PRESIDENT INAUGURATED THE ANDALUSIAN CENTRE FOR MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE IN SEVILLE http://www.andaluciainvestiga.com/english/salaPrensa/notas/060403-02.asp
15.03.2006	GMO-Compass Website launched http://www.gmo-compass.org/