E
urope does not suffer from a shortage 
of plant science, breeding expertise or 
agricultural knowledge. The harder 
question is how to connect those strengths, 
identify common priorities and translate 
research into innovations that respond to 
what farmers and the plant breeding and 
seed sector actually need.
That connecting role is where Plants 
for the Future European Technology 
Platform, better known as Plant ETP, sees 
its place. Plant ETP brings together organ­
isations from academia, the plant breeding 
and seed sector, farming and other parts of 
the European plant innovation landscape. It 
currently brings together 20 members and 
two associate members, representing at least 
eight European countries.
Rather than attempting to speak for 
every organisation in the European plant 
sector, the platform seeks common ground 
among its members on research, innovation 
and related policy priorities. According to 
Dr. Germán Vighi, Executive Manager of 
Plant ETP, that distinction is important. 
“Plant ETP does not claim to speak for 
every organisation or interest within the 
European plant sector,” says Vighi. “We 
speak on the specific topics that fall within 
our remit and for which our members have 
developed and endorsed common positions.”
FINDING COMMON GROUND
Bringing researchers, plant breeders and 
farmers around the same table does not 
mean they automatically share identical 
priorities. But Vighi says there is usually 
more common ground than might initially 
be expected. Climate resilience, sustainable 
CONNECTING THE PIECES
PLANT ETP BRINGS BREEDERS, RESEARCHERS AND FARMERS TOGETHER TO SHAPE 
POLICY AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES, TURNING COMMON CHALLENGES INTO 
COORDINATED ACTION. BY: MARCEL BRUINS
OF EUROPE’S PLANT
INNOVATION PUZZLE
productivity, access to innovation, research 
funding and skills development affect all 
three groups, even when they approach 
those issues from different perspectives.
Plant ETP’s governance is designed 
around that multi stakeholder structure. 
Strategic direction comes from its board 
of directors, while the general assembly has 
a role in discussion, validation and decision 
making. Consensus is the objective at both 
levels.
“No multi stakeholder organisation 
can claim that every member agrees with 
every word of every document,” Vighi says. 
“What we can say is that the positions 
endorsed by Plant ETP reflect broad agree­
ment across our membership and are sup­
ported through our governance processes.”
The platform reflects the broader 
concept behind European Technology 
Platforms, which bring diverse actors 
together to develop long term research and 
innovation agendas. In 2024, the 
Council of the European Union 
highlighted European Technology 
Platforms among the mechanisms 
that could contribute to Europe’s 
innovation and competitiveness 
objectives. For Plant ETP, how­
ever, collaboration must ultimately 
go beyond meetings and position papers.
FROM DISCUSSION TO 
RESEARCH PROJECTS
One example is COLiBRI, the Horizon 
Europe funded Collaborative Crop 
Breeding Research and Innovation for a 
Green Europe project. Plant ETP says 
it was closely involved before the project 
existed, advocating towards the European 
Commission and other policymakers for 
greater support for plant breeding research 
and helping during the early stages of con­
sortium building.
Now that COLiBRI is under way, 
Plant ETP coordinates the work package 
responsible for developing a European 
roadmap for plant breeding research and 
innovation. 
30  I  SEED WORLD EUROPE  I  SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | OCTOBER 2026

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