European BioTechnological Platform

The project will have two complementary directions:
► to improve the technology’s durablility of medicinal plants taken into study: to create new cultivars, technology improvement (especially plant protection), plant ecology, improve the mechanization level of culture, and the plant vegetal materia conditioning (drying, primary manufacture);
"Green pharmacy ", nature supplies for therapy ways is very vaste. This opportunity is, still unsufficiently capitalizated , althought, human health level is far from being satisfactory. That is why we consider, that a profund approach of this field is more than welcome, to develop a durable ecological agriculture, also for consumers and for population.
The project proposed can help to create a competitive interdiscilpinary aplicative research foundation fitotechny-biochemistry-pharmacy by integrating partners. Development of researchers and network experts of high value in the field of durable and ecological valorification of medicinal plants and hop from cultures is compatible with european goals in this field. This may contribute to increase the level of cometitivity and compatibility required for european research integration in the Plants for future platform.
Since 1993, at USAMV Cluj-Napoca there has been functioning, under the coordination of Prof. dr. Leon S. Muntean „Research Centre for Hop Culture and Medicinal Plants”, unique in our country by its profile. Research have been concentrated on aspects of bioecology, cultivation, breeding and cultivation technology of the species: Solanum laciniatum Ait., Colchicum autumnale L., Papaver bracteatum Lindl., Herniaria glabra L., Adonis aestivalis L., Gentiana lutea L., Aconitum napellus L., Angelica archangelica L., Hypericum perforatum L., Valeriana officinalis L., Echinacea pallida Nutt., Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench. etc. We also mention the achieved colaboration between USAMV Cluj-Napoca, Fitotechnique Department and Faculte Universitaire Agronomique Gembloux (Belgia) in 1998, on medicinal and aromatic plants domain. In the last years we developed the research concerning the biology, technology and quality of prime vegetal materia at the species: Papaver bracteatum Lindl., Galega officinalis L., Calendula officinalis L., Cnicus benedictus L., Aconitum napellus L. şi Oenothera biennis L. Within these research there were elaborated a number of 8 PhD thesis. Among remarcable achievements since recenly years is the selection and testing the line CN 11/992 of Echinacea pallida Nutt which in 2006, will be omologated as the first romanian cultivar of Echinacea which will be named "Napoca". Medicine products made from Echinacea stimulates body self defence capacity, mobilising leococites blood cells, increasing fagocitosis activity, inhibiting virus multiplication etc. Echinacea is used as the prime materia to obtain antiviral products, antitumoral, imunostimulent, scarfing etc.
The project wants to achieve some strategic goals in valuable medicinal plants development of bioecology knowledge, to improve ecological cultivation technology and durable valorification of active principles contained.This can be achieved by:
- Human resources concentration and using highly valuable materials in this field;
- To concord the priorities and specific activities to European research.
General goals : ■ Complex research and technological development, which includes fundamental research (biochemistry, pharmacy) and applicative (durable modern technologies for cultivation and valorification) which takes place in together with partners to achieve this project; ■ Research improvement, with the help of contacts which are made between the members of partner team; ■ The development of a partnership for long periods between participant institutions, including public and private institutions; ■ To assure the conditions to create a solid technological base and a competitive research to medicinal plants valorification field; ■ To increase the knowledge level of Romanian research in the world.
We will follow the integration, quality increases and activities performance level research-develoment which take place within the consort and durable development of the partneship between public and private institutions.
The complexity of the project results from the variety of propused goals,the partners variety, from biochemistry domain, fitotechnique, breeding, mechanization and pharmacy which focus to the same goal ► to obtain natural concentrated products useful for the integrated therapy, therapy which is based on clean natural resources.
The flavoured and medicinal vegetables constitutes a truly well-being treasure ► un-drained source of life and health. The natural cures are the perfect fit for the human organism, giving and keeping the natural health of them. Because of commodity, in growing, of humans in generally, of chemical growing wave, and maybe of fashion, in the last decades the synthesis remedies were excessively used - drugs, which many times cured a disease and generated other ones. We want to avoid the use of synthesis drugs. Sometimes, in acute crises, a fast and efficient action is necessary, but we consider necessary, for the human kind, the growing of the naturist remedies use.
The present agriculture estate of our country, with many surfaces - especially in hill regions, unused to cultivation from many years, are opportune for developing a sustainable agriculture, ecological. The species of flavoured and medicinal herbs as well as other ecological cultures are cultivated in such conditions, without pollution.
The medicinal herbs can have together with therapeutic values, the following uses ►a part of them are ornamental (Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench, Calendula officinalis L., Cynara scolymus L.) or balms (Melissa officinalis L., Calendula officinalis L.) having thus a increased value.
The fundament of our proposal is the longest tradition in Cluj for preoccupations in the field of medicinal herbs and hop. The first experimental station in the World, specialized in the study of medicinal herbs was founded at Cluj’s Agronomy in 1904; these are our bases of the experimental research in the field of flavoured and medicinal herbs. The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine from Cluj-Napoca, with an age of over 135 years, is nationally and internationally recognized through its remarkable activity in training and research.
The project will be put across through: ► discovery of durable technologies for the sixth species included into the study; these will be propagated through different methods towards potential cultivators of medicinal plants and hop; there will be organized demonstrative visits with farmers at the experimental fields from the project; ► development of a platform with valuable and useful genotypes for obtaining new varieties and/or hybrids for square up species; ► it will obtain at least five bioactive drugs with specific activities from the studied species, with different presentations, easily to used and dose, with great conservation capacities.

CALL FICHE
• Call identifier: FP7-KBBE-2008-2B
Deadline : 26 February 2008 at 17.00.00 hrs (Brussels local time).
• Indicative budget: 96.85 M€ from 2008 Budget 26 27

2.1.4 KBBE-2008-1-4-11: Coordinating the activities of KBBE relevant
European Technology Platforms
Coordination and support Action (supporting)

Improving barley production for maintaining healthy immune system and increasing biofuel productivity.

Subgroups:

BIOETPorg Coordination Action