"European Technology Platforms are useful in technologically intensive industries with high complexity, like the breeding and reproduction sector"
An ETP for the animal breeding and reproduction sector
The animal breeding and reproduction sector is a knowledge-intensive, innovative, continuously developing and complex sector. Complexity can be found in the wide range of disciplines; biology, genetics, genomics, chemistry, statistics, computing sciences, economics, ecology, geography, ethics, sociology, farm management and the interactions and connections of these disciplines. ETPs are especially useful in a technologically intensive sector, with high complexity. Small firms take advantage of the networks of ETPs, which can compensate the disadvantages of their size. Most of the organisations in the animal breeding and reproduction sector are SMEs.
The animal breeding and reproduction sector is globally very competitive with low margins. Therefore relatively little private funding is available for new research. Hence, funding from public organisations is needed. The European Commission plays a major role in funding research and innovation by means of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. FABRE TP provides the European Commission with input for which research topics merit support under their programmes. The basis for this input is the FABRE TP Strategic Research Agenda. The SRA contains information regarding the sector; opportunities, research priorities, and reports of different expert groups about more specific topics, e.g. food safety or specific specie.
ETP and Europe 2020
In January 2014 the European Union started with its new strategy for a smart, sustainable and inclusive Europe: the Europe 2020 strategy (time frame 2014-2020). One of the pillars to this strategy is to work towards an Innovation Union. Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument of the Innovation Union.
ETPs contribute to the European Union’s goal of creating an Innovation Union. Under the Europe 2020 strategy the European Commission revised its strategy for ETPs: the ETP 2020 strategy. FABRE TP regained official recognition of the European Commission under this new strategy. FABRE TP will work on supporting the ETP 2020 mission to mobilise the sector within the EU and to have an information/knowledge dissemination function.
Find out more about European Technology Platforms and the European Commission's role.
European Technology Platforms
European Technology Platforms (ETPs) are sector-led stakeholder on a specific topic. An ETP develops short to long-term research and innovation agendas - and road maps. These documents are used at EU and (trans)national level in order to get support for private and public funding.
The European Commission has officially recognised several ETPs. They function as official experts bodies to give input on European research and innovation policy and activities.