Hungarian
German
Lithuanian
Finnish
French
Swedish
Czech

Project completed: January 2005. Further funding is being sought to continue the work of the project.
IENICA, the Interactive European Network for Industrial Crops and their Applications, is a project funded by DG Research of the European Commission and began during February 1997. Continuation funding under the Fifth Framework programme commenced in April 2000.

The IENICA project is an overarching network linking otherwise independent organisations and initiatives which are involved in the development of renewable materials from crops throughout Europe, and its accessing and associated states.
PARTNER COUNTRIES
EU-15: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK

Accessing States: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania

Associated States: Israel, Switzerland, USA, Canada

Whilst the markets for starch products and for some oils, like erucic acid, are well established, the development of the industrial non-food sector of agricultural crops and its products in Europe is generally at a very early stage. Considerable evidence exists on the potential of plants to produce a range of products which could be used as raw materials and which would displace products made from non-renewable resources. However whilst there has been much “science push” to date there has been a noticeable weakness in market orientation and market “pull”. Evidence from conferences and industry discussion shows that there are a number of key issues which must be addressed if non-food crops are to progress.

  • Firstly, a viable non-food crops and crop products sector must be industry/market focused
  • Secondly, the price and performance of the renewable produce/product must be competitive with that of the
    non-renewable product that exists in the present marketplace.
  • Thirdly, there is a need for production chain verification, such that industry can be sure that raw materials it is
    receiving meet the requirements of their processing facilities.
Finally, the market sector must become stable. There are two components to stability:
  • It must be sustainable; this will develop through the formation of production and processing alliances between agriculture, processors and end users.
  • There is a need for a coherent and rational approach to the non-crop sector throughout the current and extended European Union.
IENICA will help overcome the weaknesses that have been identified to date in the commercialisation and marketing of non-food crops such that they can become established where economically sustainable and viable

The principal objectives of IENICA are:

  • To facilitate interaction and interchange of information through an interactive network linking key individuals from industry in particular, to government and scientists/technologists in EU member, accessing and associated states. Quantification of market size and confirmation of market specification for raw materials are particular targets. This will extend the successes of the previous IENICA project into accessing and associated states, whilst extending and validating progress in EU-15 states.
  • To disseminate unpublished data which identified opportunities, challenges and constraints for industrial crops on a country by country basis in EU-15, so that market development can begin in a structured way and in a way which recognises user needs and market demands. The IENICA project will act as the European Gateway facility for all data on non-food crops and this will be made available free o charge through its dedicated Internet site.
  • To identify the strengths of accessing and associate states in EU in terms of industrial crops, industrial products and their markets and link this data into existing networks and market assessments. These will be actively disseminated throughout the EU and at the same time, existing EU-15 information will be further proactively promulgated.
  • To allow an enhanced efficiency of use of limited RTD funding by identifying true market potential and thereby helping scientists and research funders to focus and achieve maximal value for money in research through closely targeted spending of limited resources.
At completion of the project, progress will be verified and measured by the extent to which markets and market specifications in the IENICA website have been characterised and evaluated. Also, by assessment on a state by state basis (with a European overview) of how much of the markets identified are supplied by European produced material.

The IENICA project seeks to achieve enhanced technology transfer and market orientation in order to extend sustainable and economically viable non-food products from plants, through positive interaction and collaboration at all stages in the production-supply-processing-market chain.
For further information please contact:
Melvyn Askew
Central Science Laboratory
Sand Hutton
York.
YO4 1LZ
Tel: +44 (0)1904 462300
Fax: +44 (0)1904 462029
E-mail: ienica1@csl.gov.uk


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