Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EMPHASIS-GO (Bringing EMPHASIS to operation: European Infrastructure for multi-scale Plant Phenomics and Simulation for food security in a changing climate)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2023-10-31
Plant production is central in agriculture, food systems, and in bio-economy applications, which is essential to address future challenges related to growing population, climate change, scarcity of agricultural land, loss of biodiversity etc. Integrated solutions and new technologies are needed to improve plant production, based on knowledge-driven innovation to the farming sector, agricultural and seed industries. Therein, the analysis of crop performance with respect to structure, function, quality and interaction with the environment (“phenotyping”) is key for the exploitation of crop genetic diversity required for the enhancement of plant productivity and progress in plant breeding. This requires substantial and concerted action to develop and to increase the availability of phenotyping infrastructures. The European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) has thus identified “Plant Phenotyping” as a priority for the European research area and EMPHASIS has been listed on the ESFRI ROADMAP, addressing primary plant production as the key step in future European agro-food-systems and bio-economy transformation. The Preparatory Phase project (EMPHASIS-PREP, 2017-2021) paved the way towards implementation and subsequent operation. It developed a business plan and established the Interim General Assembly, as main decision-making body, comprising high-level representation from policy and science. EMPHASIS-GO will build on the successful work in the Preparatory Phase, extend the membership with partners from eleven countries fully committed to support EMPHASIS and bring EMPHASIS into operation to fully explore the potential European plant phenotyping by i) developing and deploying services, ii) implement the legal, financial and organisational framework and iii) consolidating the business plan for future operations.
Building on the successful finalisation of EPPN2020 in April 20021, EMPHASIS partners have developed a cross-RI TNA scheme to integrate services from various European Research infrastructures within AgroServ towards agroecology. This project has opened its first TNA scheme in September 2023, receiving more than 100 expressions of interest. The experiments based on these 1st TNA call services are expected to start towards spring 2024, with a 2nd TNA call being already in preparation.
EMPHASIS partners co-create key next generation technologies of plant phenotyping as part of the project PHENET, covering autonomous, low-cost, and low-energy sensors leading, to new earth observation services to capture plant, soil, agricultural and ecosystem data in thousands of locations simultaneously, supported by innovative Artificial-Intelligence (AI) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) approaches to organise and make best use of the resulting massive data. These technologies will be integrated into the service portfolio of EMPHASIS-ERIC.
With the EMPHASIS Interim General Assembly (IGA), EMPHASIS-GO has coordinated and supported the IGA as platform for high-level decision-making on the future of EMPHASIS-ERIC, integrating representatives from (currently) eleven potential future member countries of ERIC. Within that context, the IGA has planned to submit the ERIC step1-application in March 2024 and has drafted the respective documents (cost model, technical and scientific description, financial support model, statutes). EMPHASIS-GO will further consolidate all documents and information towards a consolidated business plan as starting point for the operation of EMPHASIS-ERIC.
EMPHASIS partners co-create key next generation technologies of plant phenotyping as part of the project PHENET, covering autonomous, low-cost, and low-energy sensors leading, to new earth observation services to capture plant, soil, agricultural and ecosystem data in thousands of locations simultaneously, supported by innovative Artificial-Intelligence (AI) and Internet-of-Things (IoT) approaches to organise and make best use of the resulting massive data. These technologies will be integrated into the service portfolio of EMPHASIS-ERIC.
With the EMPHASIS Interim General Assembly (IGA), EMPHASIS-GO has coordinated and supported the IGA as platform for high-level decision-making on the future of EMPHASIS-ERIC, integrating representatives from (currently) eleven potential future member countries of ERIC. Within that context, the IGA has planned to submit the ERIC step1-application in March 2024 and has drafted the respective documents (cost model, technical and scientific description, financial support model, statutes). EMPHASIS-GO will further consolidate all documents and information towards a consolidated business plan as starting point for the operation of EMPHASIS-ERIC.
EMPHASIS-ERIC will revolutionize plant and crop phenotyping by enabling analysis of genotype performance and quantification of crop traits across diverse environments and agricultural management practices, throughout Europe. By integrating and connecting European plant and crop phenotyping centres, EMPHASIS establishes and provides access to the necessary facilities, data, and tools to advance both basic and applied plant and crop science, ultimately connecting scientists in performing ground-breaking research. While not being a certification body, EMPHASIS ensures the quality of the involved installations. Ultimately, EMPHASIS will generate, evaluate, and disseminate knowledge and innovative technologies, benefiting academia, industry, institutions, and the public.
EMPHASIS brings about significant advancements in Europe's capacity to tackle key societal challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, reduced biodiversity, and the crucial need for sustainable agriculture by:
● Developing and integrating pan-European infrastructure of instrumented facilities available to the user community by catalysing and advancing the development of new phenotyping practices within the research infrastructure.
● Linking data acquisition to a data information system and modelling by developing a comprehensive plant and crop phenotyping information system and promote FAIR data usage and supply across all EMPHASIS member countries.
● Developing, evaluating and disseminating knowledge and novel technologies by providing innovative opportunities for academia and industry including education of the next generation of researchers and working with partners from academia and industry within EMPHASIS, as well as international partners.
EMPHASIS brings about significant advancements in Europe's capacity to tackle key societal challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, reduced biodiversity, and the crucial need for sustainable agriculture by:
● Developing and integrating pan-European infrastructure of instrumented facilities available to the user community by catalysing and advancing the development of new phenotyping practices within the research infrastructure.
● Linking data acquisition to a data information system and modelling by developing a comprehensive plant and crop phenotyping information system and promote FAIR data usage and supply across all EMPHASIS member countries.
● Developing, evaluating and disseminating knowledge and novel technologies by providing innovative opportunities for academia and industry including education of the next generation of researchers and working with partners from academia and industry within EMPHASIS, as well as international partners.