Industry-facing Questionnaire: COST Action FA1204 Vegetable Grafting
Introduction:
The EU funds “COST actions” which provide an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation
in Science and Technology, allowing the coordination of nationally-funded research on a European level.
COST action FA1204 “Vegetable Grafting to Improve Yield and Fruit Quality under Biotic and Abiotic
Stress Conditions” began in 2012 and aims to stimulate cutting-edge multidisciplinary collaborative
research towards identifying and understanding how rootstock-mediated traits can improve vegetable
crop yield and quality under biotic and abiotic adverse conditions.
The members of COST action FA1204 are seeking to engage with the industry involved in all aspects of
the production and use grafted vegetable crop production including:
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Vegetable rootstock breeders and seed companies
Plant nurseries that produce and supply grafted transplants
Manufacturers and distributers of equipment for grafting, including robots
Farmers and growers of grafted vegetable crops
Within the sphere of grafted vegetable cropping, from breeding to crop production, the aims of this
questionnaire are:
1. To survey the commercial companies involved, especially those with a European presence.
2. To understand the extent and focus of commercial research activities
3. To understand the current problems and economic issues in commercial practice that need to
be addressed by further research.
4. To engage commercial companies with publicly funded researchers including those involved in
COST action FA1204.
Questions:
1. What is the core business of your company?
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2. What do you regard are the main problems in any aspect of the industry that need to be
addressed by research? (please indicate in which crop and growing region the problem applies)
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3. What kind of research is needed to solve these problems?
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4. Are there research activities employed by your company, and if so, in what general areas?
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5. Are you already involved in joint public-private research projects? Please give details where
possible.
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6. Are you interested in participating actively in COST action FA1204? If so, are you interested in
any of the following:
□ attending COST FA1204 meetings,
□ presenting your companies activities to a group of researchers,
□ sponsoring events,
□ participating in joint grant proposals or commissioning research,
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Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Company affiliations:
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Thank you for your time, interest and help!
Please return this questionnaire before November 1 2013 to:
[email protected] and/or [email protected]
The first annual COST FA1204 conference will be organised in Murcia, Spain, November 12-14 2013.
During this meeting the outcome of this questionnaire will be discussed.
Your company is cordially invited to attend and/or sponsor this meeting. For further information about
this meeting see attached leaflet, or contact Prof. dr. Francisco Pérez-Alfocea: [email protected],
or visit:
http://www.vegetablegrafting.unitus.it/index.php/meetingsand-conferences/murcia.html
For further information about the activities of COST action FA1204 “Vegetable Grafting”, you may
contact the chair Dr. Giuseppe Colla: [email protected],
or visit:
http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/fa/Actions/FA1204