b'Breeding for Tomorrows World: How to Facilitate Research Uptake?PLANT BREEDING HASa long history of researchlarge companies. Adequate public research funding, and innovation. Better, high-quality plant varieties areespecially also in forms of public-private partnerships, the starting point of all food production, but also thespecifically supports SMEs in addressing their respec-starting point for non-food renewable raw materialstive research needs and gaps. The strength of public-and energy. They play a pivotal role in supporting theprivate partnerships is to generate gains through sustainability of Europes farms and the entire agri- collaboration that may not be realised otherwise. They food value chain as input for the bioeconomy. contribute to deal with barriers and risks for the use, Plant breeding involves the process by which newdevelopment or commercialization of technologies.technologies and findings from plant sciences andCooperation between different actors is also sup-other research domains are turned into innovations:ported through the multi-actor approach put forward NICK VAN GHELUWE,improved plant varieties that have practical impact onin Horizon Europe, the EUs key public funding pro-Manager Researchagri-food systems. It thus has a central transfer role,gram for research and innovation activities. The multi-Policy and Projectand it is essential that future crop research programsactor approach helps to ensure that research projects Coordination atinvolve plant breeders, the users of research findingsfocus on needs and problems that value chain actors, Euroseeds who develop and finally introduce on the market newe.g., farmers, food and feed processors and food plant varieties. R&D activities therefore take place alongbusiness operators, are facing, and develop solutions, the value -and process chains from the field to the shopwhich are more readily applied in practice. In multi-counter to meet the challenging and ever-evolvingactor projects, activities are expected to be based on needs of farmers and the rest of the agri-food chain,co-innovation between actors with complementary including consumer preferences and policy objectives. knowledge and expertise from defining the problem to The seed sector is characterised by a multitude ofdevelop the solution, increasing the likelihood that the collaborations and cooperation. A central element insolution will be adopted in the future.any pre-competitive R&D project that aims to con- The traditional, top-down linear model of knowl-tribute to commercial competitiveness and successedge transfer is not effective because agri-food is cooperation between companies, public researchvalue chains involve a wide range of stakeholders. To institutes and other actors. The basis for this is forfacilitate research uptake, the plant sector needs to be instance the principles of public-private partnerships:involved to increase commitment and expertise from partnerships at eye level, with mutual recognition ofdifferent actors. Communication and cooperation the respective motivation, fair balance of interests andbetween public institutes and business stakeholders thus ultimately a win-win situation for the involvedare important to better understand each others needs partners. Moreover, there are other possibilities toand requirements. Aspects like intellectual property facilitate research uptake by the private plant breedingprotection and in this context freedom to operate or sector such as stakeholder engagement and agri- regulatory aspects that might limit the practical use of food value chain involvement. Through co-creation,products, need to be considered in addition to scien-the involvement and commitment of end-users istific opportunities and competence only. This helps to strengthened, increasing the likelihood that the devel- create the necessary trust to unify efforts and to co-oped plant-based solutions will meet their needs. develop solutions.Public-private partnerships ensure know-how andA scientific approach to plant breeding has trig-technology transfer and can result in a wide range ofgered an unprecedented acceleration of progress in useful innovations. Within the seed sector R&D activi- plant productivity. Through participation in EU-funded ties take place in different forms, regardless of theprojects, our sector provides input to the research company size. In general, SMEs and breeding activitiesagenda, engages with many different stakeholders, around smaller, orphan, or non-cash crops, rely moreand creates awareness for the seed sectors mission strongly on public-private partnerships, compared toand vision.SW72/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2023'