RSC’s Response to Defra’s Draft Strategy for Non-food Crops and Uses in England

• The need for increased levels of funding in chemistry and the chemical science aspects of non-food crops research should be emphasised more explicitly
• High levels of innovation for the conversion of agricultural raw materials into chemical feedstocks and the conversion of biomass into a tailored range of gas and liquid fuels will only be achieved through continuous support of the chemical science base
• The chemical sciences underpin a broad range of life sciences; this critical contribution should be stressed so that the chemical science base in UK is sustained in the long term and thus maximum benefit derived from it
• The RSC takes the view that major developments in the use of non-food crops can only be achieved by a truly multidisciplinary effort and therefore this should be emphasised as a key priority action in future scientific funding 
• Government must provide incentives to industry to stimulate the move from feedstocks based on petrochemicals to renewable feedstocks
• Cost effective and efficient use of biomass as an energy source will require the expertise of chemists and engineers. Continued and increased support for the chemical science base must be delivered to realise this change