High Value Chemicals from Plants Network

工厂高价值化学品网络旨在促进实现2010年商业创新和技能部关于“到2025年工业生物技术的地平线扫描和路线图”报告中确定的四个关键目标之一，即使英国成为工厂高价值化学品的领先生产国。DBIS报告总结了与从植物中提取高价值化学品相关的经济机会的规模。植物衍生药物占整个制药行业的5.5%，销售收入为180亿英镑，油料作物衍生的油脂全球市场规模为5亿至10亿英镑，功能性食品和营养保健品全球市场规模为450亿英镑。其他重要的应用和市场领域，从个人护理到香精和香料，也越来越依赖于来自植物的化学品，因为工业部门对绿色、环保和可持续原料的需求不断增长，减少了我们对化工精炼厂产品的依赖。该网络将发挥领导作用，解决目前限制从工厂开发高价值化学产品的关键技术挑战；覆盖整个发现、开发和交付链。一个由学术界和工业界组成的咨询小组将监督该网络，该网络已经有大量感兴趣的参与者，涵盖了不同学科和工业利益的广泛范围。该网络将向所有人开放，以促进发展协调一致的临界数量的多学科专门知识；并将促进研究提供者和使用者之间的相互作用，以确保研究的适当目标是在从植物中提取高价值化学品的情况下充分发挥工业生物技术的潜力。活动的目标是确定新的产品，优化和发展工厂的原料和工艺。还将采用植物衍生化学品的其他生物和化学转化以及开发基于微生物或微藻的替代生产系统，这些系统被证明更经济、更强大和更可持续。网络活动将包括：研讨会、行业主办的开放式创新研讨会、年度会议、培训机会、网络目录和基于网络的互动/通信。为了最大限度地利用网络机会，我们将积极参与其他网络组织和国际倡议。网络概念验证基金的可用性将支持及时探索网络活动中确定的挑战和目标。这些资金将专门用于利用英国卓越中心获取和发展关键技术领域。这一战略将使该网络能够鼓励以新技术为基础的解决主要工业问题的办法，并支持这些中心，促进它们的使用，确保外来投资，并通过与该网络的接触进一步发展它们提供的技术和流程。因此，资金将优先用于以过程为主导的活动和那些明显有可能获得进一步供资或有途径进行商业翻译的活动。此外，该网络将重点关注为未来IB融资做好准备的挑战，例如2014年Catalyst基金和欧洲的研究与创新计划Horizon 2020。该网络将按照一个五年计划运作，具有足够的灵活性，以便根据工业需要最大限度地利用科学和技术进步的好处。所有活动都旨在为总体目标做出贡献，即成为一个活跃的社区，专注于创新的可翻译研究，实现高水平的拨款资助和来自工厂的高价值化学品的内向投资，从而实现IB对英国经济的积极影响。

The High Value Chemicals from Plants Network aims to facilitate delivery of one of the four key objectives identified in the 2010 Department of Business Innovation and Skills report on 'Horizon Scanning and Road Mapping for Industrial Biotechnology through to 2025', which is to make the UK a leading producer of high value chemicals in plants. The scale of the economic opportunity associated with the extraction of high value chemicals from plants was summarised in the DBIS report. Plant-derived drugs represent 5.5% of the total pharmaceutical industry with sales revenue of £18 billion, oils and fats derived from oil-crops have a global market size of £500 million - £1 billion and functional foods and nutraceuticals have a global market of £45 billion. Other important applications and market sectors ranging from personal care to flavour and fragrance also rely increasingly on chemicals from plants as there is a growing demand for green, environmentally friendly and sustainable feedstocks across industrial sectors reducing our dependence on products derived from chemical refineries.The Network will provide the leadership to address key technology challenges currently limiting the development of high value chemical based products from plants; covering the entire discovery, development and delivery chain. An Advisory Team drawn from academia and industry will oversee the Network, which already has significant numbers of interested participants covering a wide spectrum of different academic disciplines and industrial interests.The Network will be open to all, to promote the development of a coordinated critical mass of multi-disciplinary expertise; and will facilitate interactions between research providers and users to ensure that research is appropriately targeted to achieving the full potential of industrial biotechnology in the context of high value chemicals from plants. Activities will be directed at identifying novel products and optimising and developing both feedstocks and processes in planta. Additional bio- and chemical-transformation of plant-derived chemicals and the development of alternate microbial- or microalgal based production systems will also be employed where these prove more economical, robust and sustainable.Network activities will include: workshops, industry-hosted open innovation workshops, an annual meeting, training opportunities, Network directory and web-based interactions/ communications. To maximize Network opportunities, we will be proactive in engaging with other networking organizations and international initiatives.The availability of Network proof of concept funds will support timely exploration of challenges and goals identified at Network events. These funds will be uniquely targeted at accessing and developing key technology areas using UK centres of excellence. This strategy will enable the Network to encourage novel technology-based solutions to major industry problems as well as supporting such centres, promoting their use, securing inward investment and further developing the technologies and processes they offer through engagement with the Network. Priority for funds will therefore be for process-led activities and those that have clear potential for further funding or have a route to commercial translation. In addition, the Network will focus on developing challenges ready for future IB funding rounds, such as the 2014 Catalyst fund and Europe's research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020.The Network will operate to a five-year plan with sufficient flexibility to maximize the benefits of scientific and technology advances in response to industrial requirements. All activities are designed to contribute to the overall target, which is to become an active community focused on innovative translatable research, achieving high levels of grant funding and inward investment in high value chemicals from plants, so that the positive impact of IB on the UK's economy is realised.