White Biotech TP is funded by FP6
Italy
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Introduction
In the last few years Italy has witnessed the birth of an industrial biotechnology sector, although later than other countries of similar economic size. Only a few Italian companies are involved in the production of the main white biotech products. According to a national survey prepared by SusChem Italy, the white biotech sector includes around 50 companies. Recognizing the growing importance of this sector, the Italian Government has allocated some funds to support industrial biotechnology research and development and has established an advisory committee with the objective of further developing this industry in Italy.
I. Research and Innovation
Modern industrial biotechnology is a relatively new discipline, with major areas of knowledge still to be explored. Public support to research as well as the establishment of pilot and demonstration facilities to scale-up individual processes will therefore help in the development of a European bio-based economy.
A. Public research funding
The Italian IB Section of the Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (IT-SusChem) is a member of the European Network Area on Industrial Biotechnology (ERA-net IB) as an observer.
Italy does not have currently a specific funded research program for Industrial Biotechnology. There was one programme in 2000 under the Research National Council coordination. A few new funding opportunities are available as part of the recently launched “Industria 2015” program funded by the Ministry for the Economical development (cf. access to finance).
In 2006 a survey conducted by the scientific committee of the Industrial Biotechnology section of IT-SusChem found that about 130 large and interdisciplinary projects in the field of industrial biotechnology, mostly national but also some international international were in progress.
Over 40 different Universities, several Institutes of the National Research Council (CNR) and some centers of the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA) along with private/public research centers, some spin offs and small private companies are involved in projects. Most of those projects have been supported through public funds provided on competitive basis by the Ministry for the University and Research, the Ministry for Productive activities and the Ministry for the Environment and, to a minor extent, by some local institutions small biotech or chemical companies, or the European Union.
Most recently, researchers and industries involved in industrial biotech activities can obtain funds by participating in calls for proposals launched by the Ministry for Education the Ministry for Industrial development (cf. access to finance) and the Ministry of Agriculture.
There are also some calls for proposals related to bioenergy production that have been opened or will open in different regions of the country (ex: Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Veneto). Generally, industrial biotechnology oriented calls represent around 10% of all calls.
B. Pilot and demonstration plants
There are only a few multipurpose pilot plants in Italy aimed at developing IB processes. These pilot plants were build up and are currently maintained mostly with private funds and partially through R&D funds coming from regional, national and EU RTD programs.
Private investors develop demonstration plants as this is considered essential for improving the marked knowledge and useful for small companies, academia and RTD Centres in the improvement of their market. These demonstration plants are restricted.
A descriptive list of pilot and demonstration plants in Italy is available
here.
II. Policy
Public authorities can promote the quick take-up of industrial biotechnology innovations by implementing a number of “instruments” or policy initiatives. This can be the improvement of the regulatory framework; the integration of specification for bio-based products in public procurement; the establishment of standardisation, labelling and certification schemes to overcome perceived uncertainty about product properties and weak market transparency; the development of financial instruments and supports to increase investments into research, technology development and innovation as well as the elaboration of communication and information campaign to communicate the benefits of bio-based products to users.
A. Policies and regulations
Until now, Italy has not developed specific legislation/regulations to support the development and/or market penetration of bio-based products.
The Italian Presidency of Council of Ministers established in 1998 a Committee for Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences. The Committee, chaired by Prof. Leonardo Santi, set up in 2005 a Working Group on Industrial Biotechnology. This group worked during 2006 and develop several documents on industrial biotechnology and its potentials. It studied the biotech applications used for industrial processes. The main focus was given to the new biotech applications for the traditional industry sectors, such as chemistry, textile and food.
The Working group has been re-established at the end of 2007. It is now chaired by Prof. Enrico Cernia. Several members of the scientific committee of the IB section of the Italian technology Platform SusChem join this working group.
With the main Italian industrial biotech and chemical industries, the Working group identifies short terms RTD priorities in the area of integrated biorefinery on national biomasses; agro-food bio-based products; environmental biotech for the remediation of contaminated sites.
The working group objective’s is to promote priorities towards different Italian Ministries in order to have them mentioned in the coming Government funding programs. The Working group also aims to promote national policies and regulations that support the sector and the bio-based economy in general.
B. Public procurement
There is no specific public procurement for bio-based products at the moment.
Italian decision makers are currently working on National Action Plan on Green Procurement. Biofuels produced from Biomass and organic wastes through biotech procedures should be included in the National Action Plan.
C. Standardisation, labelling and certification
Currently, there is no recognised national labellisation, certification or standardisation scheme for bio-based products in Italy.
Italian decision makers are also working on the standardization, labelling and certification of biobased products. The Committee for Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences of the Italian Presidency of Council of Ministers is involved in the discussion.
There are a few companies, such as Novamont, which developed a voluntary certification or labelling scheme on the biodegradability, the compostability and the biobased nature of their products.
D. Access to finance
“Industria 2015” funding programme has been launched at the end of 2007 with an overall budget of around €500 million. The programme funds 3 years R&D projects. Projects have to respond to given proposals. The program is for small and large companies, interested in scaling up promising processes in the area of biofuels production, fine chemical and biomaterial production, as well as agro-food byproducts and waste valorization. It plans to co-finance projects up to 50% (also up to 75% in the case of demonstration activities) of their costs. About 10% of the calls for proposal are in the industrial biotechnology area. The Ministry for economical development takes care of the calls for project management.
This programme is specifically addressed to support large initiatives (such as building of large scale demonstrators). Only large Italian Companies (Novamont, ENI, Mossi&Ghisolfi) and some companies of the Federchimica cluster are developing such initiatives.
E. Communication
Industrial biotechnology enterprises are represented by the national biotechnology association, Assobiotec.
The national Technology Platform Suschem and the Committee for Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences of the Italian Presidency of Council of Ministers promote several events on IB priorities and potential in the Country.
These events (meetings, workshops, conferences) are usually held in fairs, congresses, and stakeholder meetings. They represent an occasion to highlight and stress the potential of current bio-based products (biobased chemicals, materials and biofuels) in the main industrial sectors of Italy (chemistry, textile, Pharma, Cosmetics, Food, and energy).
Main Sources
| Italian IB Section of the Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry |
| Assobiotec |