PANACEA Network aims at the dissemination of near to practice applicable cases of Non-food Crops and at the cooperation between research, industry and farming community, in order to increase the contribution of Non-food Crops to the European Bio-economy Strategy.
Non-food crops (NFC) are those that do not enter the food chains and are used to produce a wide range of bio-based products including polymers, lubricants, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, as well as bioenergy and fuels. Currently, a wide range of NFC plantations can be found in Europe, targeting the production of bio-based products and bioenergy.
However, in spite of considerable investment in research and development, NFC are not widespread in European agriculture, mainly due to challenges in supply chains as well as gaps in the policy framework and in the investment incentives. Thus, the increasing need for feedstock to supply the bio-based industries makes the successful penetration of NFC in EU agriculture necessary.
In this context, PANACEA Network addresses the challenge of increasing the penetration of NFC into the EU Agriculture and Bio-economy, with the following objectives:
- Create and disseminate an INVENTORY of scientific results near to practice on the sustainable production of NFC.
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Analyse and contribute to the role that NFC can play in the RURAL RENAISSANCE of Europe taking into consideration the farmers’ and bio-based industries’ needs and interests.
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Create interactive MULTI-ACTOR COMMUNITIESin 10 countries involving a wide range of actors from science, industry and agricultural practice that will facilitate the dissemination of near to practice NFC solutions and capturing and spreading innovative ideas.
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Provide TRAINING to farmers, agronomists and agricultural students on practice-oriented knowledge on specific NFC value chains.
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Develop the online PANACEA PLATFORM, offering services to farmers, agronomists and bio-based industries for knowledge exchange, networking, assessment of the economic and environmental aspects of NFC, and matching between the supply and demand sides for new projects and initiatives.
- NETWORK with other relevant EU initiatives, such as EIP-AGRI, other Thematic Networks and Operational Groups, ensuring the sustainability on the long term of the Network results.
PANACEA Network is funded by EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and backed up by EIP-AGRI.