Information on ETP Plants for the Future
Media Alert
Press Release
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Speeches by:
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Markwart Kunz
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Ricardo Serra Arias
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Wilhelm Gruissem
Strategic Research
Agenda
- Summary
- Full SRA
- SRA
Images
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Launch of the
Strategic Research Agenda
of the
“Plants for the Future”
European Technology Platform
Monday,
25th June 2007, European Parliament |
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The European Technology
Platform (ETP) “Plants for the Future” officially launched its final Strategic
Research Agenda
at a lunch event in the European Parliament (EP) in
Brussels on 25 June 2005.
The event was hosted by Mr. Chichester, chair of the
EP mirror group to the Plant ETP and Mr. Purvis, MEP.
The lunch event was attended by
members of the EP mirror group to the Plant ETP,
other interested MEPs, high level members of the
Plant ETP and other ETPs, high level representatives
from the EC, Member States and the ERA-PG, and
journalists.
During the lunch,
four speakers explained the Strategic Research
Agenda and presented their vision of plants for the
future.
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Mr. Kurt Vandenberghe, deputy head of
Cabinet
Potočnik,
presented the European Commission perspective and
acknowledged the key role played by the Plant ETP
towards building a strong European knowledge-based
bio-economy. He congratulated the stakeholders
involved in the Plant ETP "for making this platform
a success and for succeeding in making the case for
Plant Sciences at the European level". |
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Mr. Markwart
Kunz of German sugar manufacturer Suedzucker
AG,
gave a keynote
address on bioenergy, one of the five
strategic challenges identified in the SRA.
Addressing the issue of bioethanol versus
second generation biofuels, he explained
that "the
major challenge for the future is the usage
of different resources to as many purposes
as possible in an ecologically compliant
production". He stressed the need for all
the stakeholders involved to continue
working together towards reaching the
goals identified in the SRA. |
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Mr. Ricardo
Serra-Arias, former vice-president of the
Committee of Agricultural Organisations (COPA),
put forward farmer's views:
"We strongly believe that the European
Union, as every single region of the world,
has to bring its contribution to the key
challenges of mankind for the coming
decades: to meet local and global needs for
food, in terms of both quantity and quality,
while conserving natural resources and
biodiversity". He stressed the need for
Europe to make strategic funding allocations
to support the recommendations of the SRA. |
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Prof.
Wilhelm Gruissem, President of the European
Plant Science Organisation, addressed
the need for Europe to invest into strong and
internationally competitive plant research
in order to bring EU back to the front line. He
expressed concerns that
"European plant scientists perform
groundbreaking research…but Europe fails to
harvest the fruits of its plant research". He
invited all the stakeholders to closely work
with the Plant ETP to assure that strategic
plant research receives highest priority and
support. |
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The presentations where
followed by a lively discussion among the stakeholders.
More impressions from
the launch event:
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Chris Patermann,
Director for Biotechnology, Agriculture and
Food, DG Research, European Commission. |
ETP and EPSO
Executive Director Karin Metzlaff |
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