FP5 - background information Renewable biological materials for non-food use - The impact of EU Research

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Website: ec.europa.eu/research/




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NONFOOD REVIEW AND WORKSHOP

The activities funded under FP5, Key action 5, were subjected to an indpendent review during early 2005. The results of this review were then collated and presented at a workshop held in Brussels in June 2005. A summary of the main conclusions presented at the meeting is available - PDF

The research results reviewed represented the findings from 31 research projects divided over three main categories: microbial processes; chemical processes; and fibres and composites.

They were funded between 1998 and 2005 and involved 255 participants sharing a total budget spend of 73 M€ of which 43 M€ or 59% was funded by the European Union. The independent review covering the technical and commercial success of these projects using independent experts was carried out in April 2005. Their findings were the basis of a workshop held in Brussels on the 28th June 2005 to debate the findings and help shape future research strategies in this area especially with respect to the seventh framework programme.

This Workshop and Impact Review exercise was focused on EU funded non-food agriculture research dedicated to overcoming technical challenges to the industrial deployment of agricultural feedstocks. The use of agricultural raw material and forest products for non-food use received considerable support under the Fifth RTD Framework Programme (FP5).

Overall FP5 was structured around 4 separate Themes subdivided into 28 individual Key Actions. Key action 5 Sustainable Agriculture, Fisheries Forestry and Rural Development, was found under Theme 1 Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources. The second activity of Key Action 5 dealt specifically with nonfood research while theme 1 contained five other Key Actions dealing with specific life science issues such as food and the cell factory.

Nonfood agriculture research funded under key action 5 was closely related in content to previous framework programme actions such as FAIR and AIR in the fourth and third framework programmes respectively and a number of the projects funded had their origins in these earlier programmes.

Nonfood research at the genomic and cellular level was also funded in the biotechnology and cell-biology section of the Cell Factory in Key Action 3 while other nonfood aspects were covered by under the renewable energy action of Theme 4 and the materials and processing action of Theme 3.

This widespread funding of non-food activities throughout many areas of the FP5 reflects a strong potential for the industrial use of agricultural and forest raw material feedstocks resulting from a wide number of current policy drivers such as:

• Sustainability and increased self-sufficiency in areas such as renewable energy where biomass can make significant contributions
• Global Environment, with solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels enabling a reduction in air pollution, through reduction in petroleum oil, contributing to lowering of greenhouse gas emissions
• Local Environment, contributing new options within areas of waste-avoidance and disposal increasing opportunities for recycling through recovery of fibres, re-use of paper and disposal of bio-based materials with greater biodegradability using composting and anaerobic digestion), while adoption of biofuels (bio-diesel, bio-ethanol and ultimately hydrogen) can contribute to clean transport systems.
• Common Agricultural Policy reform and enhancing rural development to comply with development within World Trade Organisation rules, while also increasing the competitiveness of European industry within international markets
• Enlargement, with new Member States adding millions of hectares of productive agricultural and forest land.
• Consumer Demands for more natural, ecological or sustainable products.
• Employment and Competition in that a small increase of biofuels for example in the transport sector could result in thousands of new EU jobs and increased EU competition against imports.

In spite of these drivers this area received little direct support in FP6. The workshop discussed the areas that might be funded in FP7. Such discussions are also being supported through Technology Platforms and Specific Support Actions, such as EPOBIO.

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• Francois CONSTANTIN / European Commission Research Directorate (E3) BELGIUM