: UNIQUELY DESIGNED TO INNOVATE AND CREATE NEW INDUSTRIAL HEMP VARIETIESInnovation and varietal creation are the source of diversity and added value, and therefore strategic components at the core of our development project. That’s why over 15% of our turnover goes to innovation and creating new hemp varieties. These investments are reflected in our new scientific unit: HEMP-it ADN.
Launched in 2019, HEMP-it ADN is our business unit dedicated to innovation and varietal creation. HEMPit and the FNPC (National Federation of Hemp Producers) are behind this new venture, which is led by a progressive, experienced team whose purpose is to create new varieties for tomorrow’s markets.
OBJECTIVES
Create varieties through plant breeding
Create varieties through plant breeding to meet new quality standards and expectations from producers, industrial players and consumers.
Accelerate the varietal creation process
Accelerate the process of creating new varieties by using innovative plant biotechnologies.
Guarantee the quality of French industrial hemp
Guarantee high-quality French industrial hemp by promoting the production of high-performance, top-quality seeds.
Better understand the plant
Better understand the plant through partnerships with research centres and competitiveness clusters.
R&D: A SOLUTION TO THE NEEDS OF PRODUCERS, INDUSTRIAL PLAYERS AND CONSUMERS
Varietal innovation is a long and complex process of creating new hemp varieties from genetic resources selected for their complementary characteristics. Then, the highest performing qualities are selected for breeding based on agronomic, technological and environmental criteria.
To meet the needs expressed by producers, industrial players and consumers, engineers and technicians at HEMP-it aim to enhance genetic resources by creating new hemp varieties to suit current and future market demands.
HEMP-it’s key areas of research :
• Adaptation to new trends in production techniques and industrial processes: towards more homogeneous, higher-quality results.
• Better yields.
• Technical itineraries to suit each production method.
• Adaptation to regulatory constraints.
• Better resistance to parasites.
Innovation and varietal creation in figures
• 15 % of turnover invested in R&D.
• € 2 million invested in research (of which € 1 million in repayable advance from the Bpi France funding).
• 1 new varietal selection biotech lab.
• 8 employees, 3 sites, 2 operational departments.
• 2.5 hectares of varietal innovation trial plots.
• 1 national network of experimental stations comprised of 4 sites totalling 3 hectares.
• 1 evaluation network in Europe and abroad comprised of 4 sites totalling 3 hectares (Canada, Australia, New Zealand x 2).