The CHIC project aims to develop sets of new chicory varieties to produce, on one hand, more and healthier inulin food fiber and, on the other hand, identify and produce medicinal terpenes in sufficient amounts. These varieties are developed via genome editing. Safety, socio-economic and environmental impact as well as stakeholders’ needs and concerns when implementing such new varieties are also investigated in this project.
The CHIC project is looking as well into the regulation and legislation of new plant breeding techniques comparing approaches across the world which could inspire solutions for Europe. Right now, it is dealing with two possible futures. Indeed products of CHIC projects could be regulated as gene edited only or GMO products.
EPSO is partner in the CHIC project focusing on stakeholder engagement and supporting communication.
Read more about CHIC progress in its third newsletter organised around the following focuses :
- Development of four conceptually different New Plant Breeding techniques (NPBTs)
- Implementation of NPBTs for dietary inulin
- Implementation of NPBT in chicory for bioactive terpenes
- Technical and risk and regulatory assessments of NPBTs
- Socio-economic and environmental impacts on the whole vale chain
- Stakeholder engagement
- Communication and dissemination
- Commercial exploitation of chicory as a multipurpose crop
CHIC is a research and innovation project supported through the EU Horizon 2020 funding programme with a budget of €7.3 million
Contacts: Macarena Sanz, ID Consortium, ES – Dirk Bosch, Wageningen University, NL (Coordinator)