b'PRIVATE SECTOR INVOLVEMENTPrivate sector involvement in EU plant breeding R&I has grown from 29% in FP7 to 35% in early Horizon Europe. However, private partners in multi-partner projects typically receive half the funding that public sector partners do, while providing in kind contributions. Across Horizon 2020, private sector participants made up 28% overall, yet in plant breeding R&I, they represented only 20%, indicating more potential to enhance private sector participation in EU-level R&I for plant breeding.ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGESPlant breeding has been pivotal, driving 67% of agricultural productivity gains in the past two decades. Beyond productivity, its potential to address challenges such as food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation underscores the need for greater invest-ment. However, unlocking this potential requires strategic investment and coordination at the EU level.Recent policy developments, such as the Strategic Plan for Horizon Europe and the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, have highlighted the importance of plant breeding innovation. Similarly, the report on European competitiveness emphasises bridging the innovation gap by leveraging more public-private partnerships, and investing strate-gically in R&I.As a result of our reports findings, and to fully harness the potential of plant breed-ing in achieving the EU Green Deal goals for more resilient, competitive and sustainable agrifood systems, we, Plants for the Future, put forward the following recommendations:RECOMMENDATIONS1 Increase funding allocation for R&I in plant breeding by implementing a ded-icated, strategic EU-wide coordinated mechanism to support R&I in plant breeding, ensuring close collaboration between the public and private sectors, for maximum impact.2 Promote, or at least do not restrict, the use of plant breeding innovation in plantAmrit Nanda, Executive Manager at Plants For breeding-relevant calls, so that Europe does not fall behind its global competitors.The Future ETP. Photo: Fabrice Debatty3 Provide adequate funding in research calls to enable longer-term plant breed-ing-related projects, thereby ensuring research outcomes can be fully exploited within the lifetime of the project, or through dedicated research calls aimed at the continuation of successful projects.4 Attract more participation of the private sector in plant breeding-related projects by reducing administrative burden and ensuring sufficient funding.By addressing these challenges and implementing these recommendations, Europe can unlock the full potential of plant breeding to transition towards more resilient, com-petitive and sustainable agrifood systems. Plants for the Future will continue to highlight the important role plant breeding plays in our agrifood systems. We hope to see the new Commission better leverage plant breeding as a crucial tool to support many of its policy goals, but for that more strategic and collaborative action is needed.Plants for the Future ETP is a multi-stakeholder platform representing the plant sector from fundamental research to crop production and distribution. We bring stakeholders from the plant sector together to consider the challenges and opportunities of agricultural value chains holistically, while developing a vision for future systems spanning food, feed, and biobased raw materials. 6ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | FEBRUARY 2025'