News 2009
7 July
International postgraduate Course Plant Breeding
The international plant breeding sector is facing the challenge to guarantee sufficient supply of academically trained plant breeders for the coming decennia. The number of graduates with a specialization in plant breeding has decreased in the last decennia. High potentials with a degree in (other) life sciences have been welcomed in the breeding industry. Consequently, there is a high demand for additional academic training. The International Postgraduate Course Plant Breeding now enables professional plant breeders and researchers to upgrade their knowledge in parallel with their current career. It is aimed to add academic knowledge to the professional experience of plant breeders worldwide.
For more information see pdf
1 July
European Commission: Impact Assessment Study of the ERA-NET scheme under the Sixth Framework Programme
In April 2007, the European Commission, through the Directorate-General for Research, commissioned a study to evaluate and assess the impact of the ERA-NET scheme and related ERA-NET actions under the Sixth Community Framework Programme for Research (FP6) 2002-2006. This study focuses on the 71 ERA-NET Coordination Actions launched under the FP6 ERA-NET scheme in the 27 Member States of the European Union, Associated countries and Third countries.
More information on the ERA-NET scheme can be found on the Coordination of Research Activities website: www.cordis.europa.eu/fp7/coordination
18 May
Strategic Research Agenda of TP Organics
In July 2008 the Technology Platform Organics completed the Research Vision to 2025.
The vision formulates what the organic food and farming sector wants to reach in future times and how organic food and farming coould contribute to solve global problems. The next step now is to work out detailed research proposals in order to develop a Strategic Research Agenda.
The TP Organics plans to elaborate this research proposal within the next 9 months.
The TP Organics invites you to participate in our consultations visiting their dedicated webpages www.tporganics.eu
18 May
WoodWisdom-Net 2 ERA-NET started
A follow-up of the WoodWisdom-Net ERA-NET has been launched WoodWisdom-Net 2 "Networking and Integration of National Programme in the Area of Wood Material Science and Engineering in the Forest-Based Value Chains"under the NMP Theme (Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies) of the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union.
The official kick-off meeting among the core partners of the WoodWisdom-Net 2 was held on April 23-24 2009 in Rome.
One of the main objectives is launching of two new calls:
- The first applied research and industrial developement call with a focus on wood and fibre based products in autumn 2009
- The second call will be focused on consortia combining basic and applied research, and participation of researchers outside EU is promoted. the scope is broad covering new and innovative production in forest-based value chains. The call is planned to be launched autumn 2010.
Download the pdf about WoodWisdom-Net 2
Website http://woodwisdom.net
18 May
New Publication: FP7 ERA-NET Fact Sheets - Series I
The ERA-NET scheme is part of the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programm (FP7). Actions under this scheme inspire European solutions to today's challenges through effective collaboration across countires in Europe and beyond. This publication contains fact sheets on the first 14 selected ERA-NET actions supported under FP7.
Pdf of the fact sheets
Please visit the Cordis website for more publications and information on the Seventh Framework Programme
28 April
BECOTEPS - Project
The Bio-Economy Technology Platforms join forces to address synergies and gaps between their Strategic Research Agendas
Nine European Technology Platforms (ETPs) active in the Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) sector are joining forces in this support action funded by the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the creation of a strong KBBE in Europe.
Starting date: 1 March 2009
Duration: 24 months
EU funding: 699.989 EUR
For information on the project and contact details of the Coordinator and the participating ETPs and partners, see http://www.epsoweb.org/Catalog/TP/BECOTEPS.htm.
20 February
ERA-NET PLANT GENOMICS FUNDS 12 TRANSNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS THROUGH SECOND JOINT CALL
The second joint call of the ERA-NET Plant Genomics, launched January 2008, provided researchers around and beyond Europe an opportunity to create and extend synergies between new and established research teams. Collaboration is essential in order to help plant genomics-based technologies answer biological questions of relevance to the development of a strong and competitive European bio-economy. The response and the overall quality of the proposals was very high. The second joint call matches the success of the first ERA-PG joint call with 12 projects out of 54 selected for funding and with a budget of approximately 16.5 Million €.
The ERA-NET Plant Genomics is a fruitful collaboration between funding organisations in Europe and beyond. The objective of ERA-PG is to contribute to the development of the European Research Area and to build a strong knowledge-base in Europe to strengthen the competitiveness in plant genomics. Under its joint research programme, which started with the first ERA-PG Call in 2006 and continued with a second ERA-PG Call in 2008, transnational consortia are funded in which scientists from minimally three institutions from three different countries are working together in innovative and really collaborative projects. Topics include yield improvement, resistance to biotic stresses, quality traits, adaptation to effects of climate change and sustainable agriculture. The participating teams are from all major plant research institutes in Europe and many universities. Also many plant biotech and bioinformatics companies participate in the programme.
The first call was launched in 2006 and was titled ‘Structuring Plant Genomic Research in Europe’. Through this call 29 projects are funded with a budget of over 35 Million €. As a result of this great success a new call was initiated to which partly different organisations are contributed. In January 2008 this second joint call was launched titled ‘Strengthening the European Research Area in Plant Genomics – integrating new technologies in plant science’. It was addressed to plant genomic researchers in Austria, Flanders (Belgium), Canada, Finland, Germany, Israel, Portugal, The Netherlands and United Kingdom.
As outcome of this second call 12 transnational projects will be funded with a total budget of approximately 16.5 Million €. It is a joint initiative of eight of the partners of ERA-PG in collaboration with one more funding organisation from Austria, and funding organisations from Canada. 54 Applications, all eligible, were submitted, so the success rate is 22 %. The overall quality of the proposals was very high and the call highly competitive.
Grants were awarded using a 'Jointly Administrated Pot' model. This means that there is a central secretariat, the evaluation and selection process is centrally organized following commonly agreed procedures, and consortium agreements and IPR conditions are developed transnationally. In this model the funding follows national rules and each national funding organisation funds only the research consortium members from its own country.
The projects will last three years and will start in the course of 2009. Of the granted projects 8 have a Dutch participant. Please visit the ERA-PG website www.erapg.org to view the complete list of selected projects. The selected projects are:
The virtual seed : Combined mathematical, engineering and post-genomics comparative biology to model the systems biology of seed dormancy, after-ripening and germination (vSEED)
Participating countries: United Kindom, Germany, The Netherlands
Project leader: Michael Holdsworth (University of Nothingham, UK).
Other grantholders: Gerhard Leubner (Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, DE), Thomas Speck
(Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, DE), Leonie Bentsink (Utrecht University, NL), Sjef Smeekens
(Utrecht University, NL), Paul Knox University of Leeds, UK), Nicola Everitt (University of Nothingham,
UK), John King (University of Nothingham, UK), Andy Wood (University of Nothingham, UK)
Pattern recognition receptors: discovery, function and application in crops for durable disease control (PRR CROP)
Participating countries: United Kingdom, Germany, France, The Netherlands
Project leader: Cyril Zipfel (Sainsbury Laboratory, UK).
Other grantholders: Alain Pugin (INRA-CNRS-UB, FR), Jens Weyen (Saaten-Union, DE), Frederic Brunner (University of Tuebingen, DE), Pierre de Wit (Wageningen University and Research Centre, NL), Chris Ridout (John Innes Centre, UK)
The meristematic regulatory network controlling the floral transition (BLOOM-NET)
Participating countries: The Netherlands, Germany, Israel, United Kingdom
Project leader: Gerco Angenent (Wageningen University and Research Centre, NL).
Other grantholders: Georg Coupland (MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, DE), Markus Schmid (MPI Tuebingen, DE), Nir Ben-Tal (University of Tel-Aviv, IL), Brendan Davies (University of Leeds, UK)
Signaling to plant immunity responses (PathoNet)
Participating countries: Austria, Germany, United Kingdom
Project leader: Irute Meskiene (University of Vienna, AT).
Other grantholders: Dierk Scheel (Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle, DE), Wolfram Weckwerth (MPI Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, DE), Cyril Zipfel (Sainsbury Laboratory, UK)
Associative expression and systems analysis of complex traits in oilseed rape / canola (ASSYST)
Participating countries: Germany, Canada, United Kingdom
Project leader: Rod Snowdon (University of Giessen, DE).
Other grantholders: Pierre Fobert (National Research Council, Saskatoon, CA), Andy Sharpe (National Research Council, Saskatoon, CA), Sue Abrams (National Research Council, Saskatoon, CA), Isobel Parkin (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, CA), Benjamin Stich (University of Hohenhem, DE), Ian Bancroft (John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK)
Investigating the role of short RNAs on wood formation, cambium development and adaptation of poplar tree (POPsRNA)
Participating countries: United Kingdom, Finland, The Netherlands
Project leader: Tamas Dalmay (University of East Anglia, UK).
Other grantholders: Ykä (Yrjö) Helariutta (University of Helsinki, FI), Eugene Berezikov (Hubrechts Institute, NL)
Integrative genomic and genetic analysis of nonhost resistance across Triticeae species (TritNONHOST)
Participating countries: Germany, The Netherlands, United Kingdom
Project leader: Patrick Schweizer (Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) Gatersleben, DE).
Other grantholders: Ulrich Schaffrath (Rheinische-Westfaelische Technische Universitaet (RWTH), Aachen, DE), Rients Niks (Wageningen University and Research Centre, NL), Lesley Boyd (John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK)
Integrating genetics and high throughput genomics to identify genes underlying tomato quantitative trait loci (QTL) for metabolites that influence fruit quality (TOmQML)
Participating countries: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Israel, The Netherlands
Project leader: Graham Seymour (University of Nothingham, UK).
Other grantholders: Christophe Rothan (INRA Bordeaux (subcontractor), FR), Alisdair Fernie (MPI Golm, DE), Ari Schaffer (Volcani Centre, IL), Gerco Angenent (Wageningen University and Research Centre, NL), Paul Fraser (University of London, UK), Ian Puddephat (Syngenta, UK), James Giovannoni (Cornell University, UK)
Plant Alternative Splicing and Abiotic Stress (PASAS)
Participating countries: United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, Israel
Project leader: John Brown (University of Dundee, UK).
Other grantholders: Andrea Barta (Medical University of Vienna, AT), Arthur Jarmolowski (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, PL), Robert Fluhr (The Weizman Institute of Science, Rehovot, IL)
Calcium Regulation of Plants Productivity (CROPP)
Participating countries: Germany, Austria, Israel, United Kingdom
Project leader: Ute Vothknecht (LMU Munich, DE).
Other grantholders: Markus Teige (University of Vienna, AT), Hillel Fromm (University of Tel-Aviv, IL), Tina Romeis (Technical University Berlin, DE), Marc Knight (University of Durham, UK)
Plant Receptor-like Kinases in ROS Signaling (PROSIG)
Participating countries: Finland, Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands
Project leader: Jaakko Kangasjärvi (University of Helsinki, FI).
Other grantholders: David Collinge (Copenhagen University, DK), Silke Robatzek (MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, DE), Jan Willem Borst (Wageningen University and Research Centre, NL)
Application of genomics to dissect Polycomb-group protein mediated control of plant development (PcG-code)
Participating countries: Germany, The Netherlands, United Kingdom
Project leader: Franziska Turck (MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, DE).
Other grantholders: Heiko Schoof (MPI for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, DE), Daniel Schubert
(Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, DE), Ben Scheres (University of Utrecht, NL), Justin
Goodrich (University of Edinburgh, UK)