European Technology Platform on Plant Genomics and Biotechnology

1. European Technology Platform on Plant Genomicsand Biotechnology "Plants for the Future" Andrzej B. Legocki President of the Polish Academy of SciencesAndrzej.Legocki@pan.plMember of Steering Committee of T.P. "Plants for the Future" Moscow, March 14th, 2005

2. Science-driven challenges and EU paradigms Current century might be defined by the globalization approaches in creating challen-ges for healthy food, clean water and energy supply.Basic research is now widely recognized as the foundation of new technologies andnew products. Basic and applied research became joined, inseparable trends.Commitment to excellence defined by international standards is now a widely acceptedparadigm.Science-based commitments for Europe require building new relationships betweenscience and government (i.e. between science and society). Traditionally, the division in the type of research was marked along the line “BASIC vs. APPLIED”. It should be now replaced by “SCIENCE vs. POLICY-DRIVEN” which reflects the role partnership between the research community and the society providing the resources.

3. Key objectives of EU initiatives in science Making Europe more attractive to the best researchers. Creating European centers of excellence through collaboration between laboratories. Developing research and innovation infrastructure of European interest. Launching European technological initiatives in modern industrial areas. Improving the coordination of national and regional programmes. Stimulating the creativity of basic research through competition between teams at European level.

4. European vision for agriculture and food industry research priorities Complexed agriculture and food industry in the EU comprising the third largest production sector in Europe represent a € 600 billion* annual turnover. It is also a continent's third largest employes with 2.6 million jobs (excluding farmers) mainly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Forestry and related industries employ more than 3.5 million people and contribute € 200 billion to the EU economy. The EU goal is to build the world's competitive knowledge-based economy providing a strategic vision for further developments of all major innovative initiatives. The European agriculture, forestry and food industry need to be equipped with more competitive foundation based on high quality and ethically accepted modern science. This is the purpose behind the proposed Technology Platform "Plants for the Future". *The figures revealed here are for the 15 member states of the pre-May 2004 EU

5. Why is innovation in plant breeding important for Europe? Global food production has doubled since 1960. The increase in productivity was build on successful interaction between crop husbrandry and plant breeding. Plants are the planet's best chemical factories: with approximately 30 000 genes, higher plants synthesize more than 200 000 different primary and secondary metabolites ("green factories"). The estimated size of plant genomes range from 130 million base pairs for Arabidopsis thaliana, 430 for rice, 550 for Medicago truncatula, 770 for apple, 950 for tomato, to 5000 for barley, 16 000 for wheat and 18 000 for onion. The use of markers in combination with novel physical mapping techniques has led to the assembly of dense genetic maps for many crop species. Molecular characterization of useful alleles has enabled new approaches to mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) and to understanding natural variations of genes concerned.

6. New challenges and opportunities in plant research Plant science have undergone a revolution during the past two decades. The impact of genomics and new high throughput technologies provided unprecedented opportu-nities for generating new insights and transferring knowledge of biological processes into the practice. Although it is less than 10 years since the first complete bacterial genome was sequenced, genomics and associated technologies have already had an enormous impact on biotechnology, agriculture and environmental sciences. Europe has created a strong plant science research base but the full potential could not be realised due to societal, technological and organisational constraints. These include fragmentation of research activity along national boundaries with unnecessary competition and wasted efforts and funds. It is important to introduce novel policy and strategies to organise better plant science research in Europe. New policy should establish more effective connections between policy makers and national and European organisations to implement new technologies for plant and food production.

7. Legal basis for EU R&D initiatives and funding according to Nice Treaty Art. 163, §1: "The Union shall aim to strengthen the scientific and technological bases of Union industry and encourage it to become more competitive at international level, while promoting all the research activities deemed necessary be virtue of other chaptersof this treaty". Art. 163, §2: "For this purpose the Union shall.... encourage undertaking, including SME, research centers and universities in their research and technological development activities of high quality; it shall support their efforts to co-operate with one another, aiming, no tably, at enabling researchers to co-operate freely across borders and undertakings to exploit the internal market potential, ....." Art. 164: "In pursuing these objectives the Union shall carry out the following activities, complementing the activities carried out the Member States: a) implementation of research programmes, by promoting cooperation, b) promotion of cooperation with third countries, c) dissemination and optimisation of the results, d) stimulation of the training and mobility of researchers".

8. Technology Platform - Plants for the Future - 20 June 2004 It was recommended to develop a long term commitment by all stake-holders – research organisations and academia, industry, farmers, consumers and other relevant groups – to work in close partner-ship and in a pragmatic, non-dogmatic manner and on the basis of consensus with the aim of strengthening research, develop-ment and innovation efforts in Europe. Stakeholders, companies and experts from relevant industries, farmers and consumers are integrated in European Bioindu-stries Organisation (EuropaBio) and European Plant Sciences Organisation (EPSO).

9. Vision of Technology Platform "Plants for the Future" Following socio-economic challenges are addressed in the proposed TP: Securing a high quality, safe and diverse food supply for European consumers, Creating a sustainable European agricultural base for the production of food and feed, as well as other renewable bis-based products, Strengthening the competitiveness of the European agri-food sector to ensure a strong domestic food supply and consumer choice. The TP recommends the above generally formulated goals and objectives to be included in the next European Framework Programme FP7.

10. Plants for the Future. Challenge I: Securing a healthy and safe food supply A demographic prognoses indicate that the globe's 6 billion human population will climb to more than 9 billion over the next 50 years. Since diseases affecting the quality of life and mortality (heart disease, cancer etc.), a dietary choice in an important component in reducing these factors. Improved quality traits and nutrition in crops through genomics technologydevelopment and improved understanding of relevance cellular processes. Metabolic engineering to improve food and nutrition. Human and animal nutrition from plant products.

11. Plants for the Future. Challenge II: Ensuring sustainable and competitive agriculture The challenges of increased global population, reduction in productive agricultural land and environmental changes require new generation of crop plants. To develop scientific foundation for reducing environmental impact of intensive agriculture. To develop crops adapted to climate changes, with improved stress and disease resistance. Plant interactions with beneficial organisms (symbiotic and associative bacteria). Agricultural systems and their environmental impact. Plants for waste water analyses and treatment (phytoremediation and novel biosensors). Applied genomics and proteomics for plant breeding programmes. Comparative genomics and evolutionary genomics for presentation biodiversity.

12. Plants for the Future. Challenge III: New industrial products and energy sources A rapid increase in the use of renewable inputs for manufacturing and for energy production is required to reduce societies' impact on global environment Exploiting natural resources and metabolic engineering for novel products including drugs Plant-based systems for protein and small molecule production Plant for biomass and energy production Developing and exploiting forestry for new products

13. Plants for the Future: Examples of research-driven, plant-based new technologies Application of knowledge in the field of plant genomics for health protection and food production RNA Silencing: the genome's immune system Plant-based edible vaccines

14. Genomics – molecular mapping and characterization of the whole genomeand the whole set of the gene products GENOMICS Structural Genomics Comparative Genomics Functional Genomics Protein synthesis Interactions between molecules involved in the expression of genetic information High-resolution genetic map Chromosome evolution Gene conservation and evolution Transcript synthesis Physical map Complete genomic sequence Protein structure Transcript structure

15. Advances in plant genomics have opened a new era in agriculture research Setting up high throughput technology platforms for genome sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, informatics, including procedures integrating functional genomics with cell biology.Definition of target genes associated with plant processes and traits and concerning growth, development, reproduction, photosynthesis, responses to environmental conditions and pathogens.Characterization of biodiversity, including its measure and application to search for new biologically active compounds of plant origin. From genomics research on model plants to crops; and from science to crop breeding.

16. RNAi – regulatory molecule controlling gene expression In recent years, a regulatory mechanism has been disco-vered which turns out to be conserved among eukaryotes. The system can be compared to the immune system as a specific response against an invading nucleic acid. siRNA ATP activated Target RNA acc. Gregory J. Hannon, Nature 2002

17. How to make plant-based edible vaccine

18. Organisation and operation of TP "Plants for the Future" Advisory Council – composed of the members of the Group of Personalities and shall provide general advice and guidanc to the operation of the TP. Steering Council (20-25 members) – the decision body and executive arm of the TP is responsible for all activities of the TP. Meetings of St. Council will be held 2-3 times per year and will present its opinions, recommendations and reports to the Member States, the Commission and all takeholders. TP Secretariat established by EuropaBio and EPSO will support the activity of steering Council. Working Groups (of limited duration) may be set up on the Steering Council's advice and request to deal with particular issues of special concern. "Plants for the Future" A European Vision towards 2025 www.epsoweb.org/catalog/TP/index.htm

19. "Whoever could make two ears of corn or two blades of grass to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together". Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)