- The State Research Agency (AIE) urges that the projects submitted for the Next Generation be “ambitious” and the CEOE warns that the major challenge of the Agro-food PERTE will be “to execute it quickly and ensure it reaches SMEs”
- Biovegen, the plant biotechnology platform, recorded the largest growth in membership in its history in 2021 and is confident in expanding its base thanks to the contacts made during the fair
The economic recovery after the pandemic stoppage will also impact agricultural R&D. This was stated by the director of the State Research Agency (AEI), Enrique Playán, in his speech during the Biotech Attraction Forums organized by Biovegen during the major horticultural fair held in Madrid last week. Playán announced that the reinforcement of the funding for the major ongoing programs managed by the AIE during the current year and until 2023, along with the impact of recovery funds, “will represent a great opportunity to rearm the research groups.” Regarding the candidate projects for the Next Generation funds, the director of the AIE demanded that they be “ambitious.” Indeed, as Gonzalo Arana, head of European Projects at the CEOE, later mentioned, the great challenge of these funds and the Agro-food PERTE, which with a budget of around €1 billion will be launched in November, will be “to be able to manage it quickly and ensure that its resources also reach SMEs.”
The Biovegen event, which once again filled the Fruit Forum with nearly 200 people, confirmed, in the words of its director, Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, the “good prospects for ‘disruptive’ technologies.” Among these, he cited bioinformatics (which combines genetics with data generation); solutions against biotic stress (pests) and abiotic stress (soil and climate conditions); genetic editing (for improved crops, varieties, or patterns), in addition to other trends where the EU wants to be at the forefront, such as the circular economy, the fight against food waste (Food 2030 Program) or policies in favor of sustainability, biodiversity, or against climate change (Farm to fork / Green Deal), as well as the opportunities opened up by the new European R&D+i framework program Horizon Europe.
These technologies and policies are what have led to increased interest in platforms like Biovegen, dedicated to bridging the gap between the supply and demand of biotechnology and creating business opportunities through collaboration between scientific centers and companies. This is the only way to understand that, with three months left to complete the current fiscal year, this platform has registered the largest annual increase in the number of member companies and centers in its history – 22 new members – bringing the total to 142 partners. Given the public success and results of Biotech Attraction – the new space created by Biovegen for horticultural innovation at Fruit Attraction – these numbers are expected to improve in the coming weeks.
Reinforcement and Next Generation
The director of the AEI –the public agency that, along with the CDTI, channels most of the grants and credits for R&D in Spain– reviewed the evolution of this organization and its prospects for the coming years. He highlighted how during 2021, calls for grants are expected to surge compared to 2020 (from about 780 million euros to 1,550); grants that will allow, thanks to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, for investments in 2022 to approach the record figure of nearly 600 million euros (up from 140 this year) and round out to around 500 million in 2023. “Until 2023, we will have a great opportunity to improve research groups, associating more postdoctoral researchers, to access top-tier equipment and to develop more projects,” concluded Playán.
In this same line, the representative of the CEOE – the national employers’ association that also includes Biovegen – described to the audience how the different sectoral, national PERTEs (with 40-45% of the funds); regional (55%) and municipal (5%) will be structured within the Next Generation. “The PERTEs are nothing more than an administrative umbrella from which the different grants will be developed,” clarified Arana. Regarding the agro-food sector – as reported – it is already known that they will address projects that affect the entire value chain and cover three basic areas: competitiveness (automation, digitalization, export); sustainability (energy savings, circular economy, water usage) and traceability/food safety. “To streamline bureaucracy and ensure that these funds reach SMEs, we have requested a single window. So far, without success,” said Arana.
Disruptive Projects
And to illustrate the projection of new disruptive biotechnological techniques, Biovegen presented a real success case, that of Green Universe and an initiative by Sakata Seed Ibérica, a candidate for the Horizon Europe program. It was Ignacio Horche himself, CEO of the first mentioned company and one of the creators of Tradecorp (the third largest producer of iron chelate in the world), who presented the solutions that Green Universe offers to improve plant nutrition through microorganisms that act consistently, combat environmental stressors, and as a result increase crop immunity. By certifying each of these bioactivators, bioprotectors, and bioinducers through third parties, the company succeeds in increasing the yield and profitability of the crops (for strawberries, for example, improving it by €5,516/ha).
Agatha Agudelo and Eva Bataller, both responsible for Collaborative Projects at the biotechnological multinational Sakata Seed Ibérica, presented the possibilities for utilizing glucosinolates, which are known to be found in cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, canola, or turnip). Thus, in line with the trend driven from Europe to activate a circular and more sustainable economy, the two researchers advocated for reusing this compound for the plant protection industry – to leverage its known properties as a bactericide, fungicide, nematicide, and insecticide; for the health and cosmetic industry – because it is known to activate protection against certain cancers; for its anti-inflammatory properties and benefits against osteoporosis, its usefulness against obesity, or to treat skin pigmentation anomalies; and for the food industry itself – because it can act as a preservative and flavoring agent.
Carlos Baixauli, head of Agrosustainability at Cajamar, developed the Tierra project. With this initiative, which is already a reality and even attracted the interest of the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, the entity aims to tackle the challenge of the digitalization of the agri-food sector – another major process driven by Europe. The platform aimed at professionals provides “digital services to improve access to information, as well as its processing for making informed decisions,” he explained. The site can instantly offer reports on markets (prices, production, stocks, exports…), sector analysis, innovations at each stage of the chain, as well as training and specialization (events, webinars, and courses) or ‘toolboxes’ (irrigation and fertilization plans, integrated pest management…). Amparo Monfort, a researcher at IRTA-CRAG, finally analyzed the evolution of agricultural biotechnology in recent decades, from spontaneous mutation, variety improvement through hybridization and crossing, to current advances in genetics, including sequencing, bioinformatics, marker-assisted breeding, and genetic editing or CRISPR-Cas9.
Gallery
Program and presentations for the day
11:15 a.m. Welcome coffee
12:00 p.m. Opening of the day
12:10 h. SESSION 1: Technological Trends in Biotech Innovation
- Application of genomic and biotechnological resources for crop improvement. Amparo Monfort. IRTA-CRAG
- Agrobio and digitization. TIERRA Platform. Carlos Baixauli. CAJAMAR
12:40 h. SESSION 2: Innovative and Disruptive Companies
- Plant-derived compounds for pharmaceuticals, crop protection products, and food additives (Searching for partners for Horizon Europe). Agatha Agudelo, Eva Bataller. SAKATA SEED IBÉRICA.
- Agrobiological products for the new agriculture. Ignacio Horche. Green Universe Agriculture
13:00 h. SESSION 3: Financing for Agrobio Innovation
- Funding instruments for R&D. Enrique Playán. State Agency for Research
- NEXT GENERATION EU funds. Gonzalo Arana. CEO Office of European Projects
13:30 h. BIOVEGEN as a catalyst for agri-bio innovation
- Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna. General BIOVEGEN
13:45 h. Questions and discussion
14:00 h. Closing