PANACEA - A thematic network to design the penetration path of non-food agricultural crops into European agriculture

Despite considerable investment in research and development, non-food crops (NFCs) are not widespread in European agriculture, primarily due to supply chain difficulties and shortcomings in the policy framework and investment incentives. Therefore, the growing need for raw materials to supply the bio-industries makes the successful integration of NFCs into EU agriculture essential. In this context, the PANACEA Network addresses the challenge of increasing the integration of NFCs into EU agriculture and the bioeconomy.

The PANACEA Network aims to disseminate practical examples of non-food crops and foster cooperation between research, industry, and the agricultural sector to increase the contribution of these crops to the European Bioeconomy Strategy. Non-food crops (NFCs) are those that are not incorporated into the food chain and are used to produce a wide range of bio-based products, such as polymers, lubricants, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, bioenergy, and biofuels. However, NFCs are not widespread in European agriculture, mainly due to supply chain difficulties and policy shortcomings.