Launch of the European Plant Biotechnology Network
The European Commission has recently launched the European Plant Biotechnology Network (EPBN), which will receive funding of ECU 426,000 from the EU's specific RTD programme in the field of Biotechnology (BIOTECH). The launch of this network reflects the orientations of the Fifth RTD Framework Programme, for which the Commission proposes to concentrate EU research support in the field of "Quality of life and living resources" on transnational coordination and networking of scientists and users' communities. The aim of the EPBN is to promote networking between the laboratories working on EU-funded research projects of the Fourth RTD Framework Programme and to facilitate the dissemination and exploitation of results. The EU currently funds 45 different projects in plant biotechnology, involving 394 laboratories in 20 countries. These projects aim to produce end results such as improved food products for health, stress tolerant and disease resistant plants for agriculture, and biodiversity monitoring for the environment. The new initiative has been established in collaboration with the Plant Industrial Platform, the European plant science community and AMICA, a pan-European company with a Board of Directors representative of plant research in the Member States. It has three main objectives: - To promote technology transfer from European plant biotechnology research projects to European industries; - To increase interactions between researchers and end-users of research results; - To inform society of the benefits of plant biotechnology. The network will carry out activities such as contact meetings with industry, the organization of entrepreneurial workshops, a technology brokerage service, the production of public relations material and the coordination of a European Plant Biotechnology Week. The importance of the new network was summarized by Mrs. Edith Cresson, European Commissioner for research and innovation, who stated, "it is important to intensify collaboration between industry and academia in Europe and to raise the awareness of the huge potential of plant biotechnology for agriculture and the environment".