On 29 November 2024, the GAIN4CROPS team joined fellow EU-funded projects in Brussels to take an important step: advocating for a stronger push to bring photosynthesis research from the lab bench to the field.
The event, Improving Crop Yield and Resilience in a Changing Climate, was hosted by the CAPITALISE project at Euroseeds and brought together researchers from four Horizon 2020 photosynthesis-focused projects — CAPITALISE, PhotoBoost, GAIN4CROPS, and BestCrop — as well as two biotech initiatives, GeneBEcon and DETECTIVE.
Together, we deliver our joint message: Europe’s crops need to be future-proof. Enhanced photosynthesis can help deliver higher yields, stronger resilience to stress, and better use of water and nutrients — all of which are essential as we adapt to a changing climate.
GAIN4CROPS partners Urte Schlüter, Götz Hensel, and Laia Segura Broncano presented highlights from our work to develop innovative CO₂ fixation pathways and improve the energy efficiency of crops. Each project in the room brought its own angle and set of Key Exploitable Results — from engineering chloroplast performance to tailoring crops for processing as feedstocks.
The centrepiece of the meeting was the presentation of the new Time to Translate roadmap — a shared document outlining how Europe can bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. It maps out next steps for translating photosynthesis innovations into tools plant breeders can actually use. It also tackles the barriers we face: fragmented research, limited funding for long-term breeding programmes, and a lack of public–private partnerships.
Other presentations explored topics like gene editing’s role in sustainability (GeneBEcon), and how to detect New Genomic Technique (NGT) products (DETECTIVE). The European Technology Platform “Plants for the Future” also raised a crucial point: public investment in plant breeding R&I is declining — just when we need it most.
As a project designed to accelerate photosynthetic improvement in crops through synthetic biology and systems thinking, we know that even the most promising innovation needs a clear route to adoption. If Europe wants to lead on sustainable agriculture, we must move beyond isolated research “islands” and build ecosystems that carry innovation through to the field.
