First funded projects now available on the NRP 84 “Plant Breeding Innovation” website

The descriptions of the first 11 projects to receive funding from the National Research Programme NRP 84 “Plant Breeding Innovation” are now available online. The projects address three complementary perspectives: technological innovation in plant breeding, governance and law, as well as social and ethical acceptance, and highlight the diversity of approaches now being explored in Switzerland.

From apples to buckwheat

On the technological side, researchers are working with apple trees and vineyards to build durable resistance against fungal diseases, developing more drought-tolerant and pesticide-efficient potatoes, creating clonal maize hybrids, unlocking the genetic potential of buckwheat to increase yields, improving resilience in tomato varieties, and strengthening beneficial plant–microbe interactions.

Other projects are devoted to governance and law. They examine how Switzerland can design a risk-based regulatory framework for new breeding techniques that is consistent with European and international obligations, analyse how global law and ethics shape national options, and propose new ways of balancing patents and plant variety protection so that innovation remains both accessible and incentivised.

Finally, two projects explore the societal and ethical dimensions. They investigate how citizens and consumers perceive new breeding technologies, using surveys, qualitative interviews and even virtual reality scenarios to simulate real choices. To understand values and reduce polarisation, they also study the ethical controversies that shape public debates, drawing on related concepts from other fields.

Swiss breeding at the crossroads

The way Switzerland will deal with new breeding techniques is fundamental, as they might affect food security, environmental sustainability and public trust in science over the next years. Failing to consider either the technical possibilities or the societal and legal dimensions risks leading to distorted debates and misguided decisions.

The NRP 84 will contribute to fill this crucial gap by establishing an evidence base that connects science with policy. To this end, NRP 84 is building an active community with researchers from all disciplines, as well as policymakers, practitioners from the field, journalists and civil society actors. Its aim is to foster exchange, promote mutual learning and strengthen knowledge-building across disciplines and sectors, so that plant breeding research, practice and policy in Switzerland can advance hand in hand.