MIDAS HE
Utilisation of marginal lands for growing sustainable industrial crops and developing innovative bio-based product (MIDAS)
The project between 2022-2026 aims to develop, evaluate and optimize sustainable low-ILUC (indirect land use change) feedstock at selected industrial crops and cropping systems on European marginal agricultural land. By mapping of the actual and future marginal lands that may be certified as low-ILUC, including current and future expectations on soil erosion and water stress as well as biodiversity challenges and potentials, ecosystem services will improve understanding of the available marginal land for low ILUC biomass production. Selected industrial crops, already adapted to marginal lands, will be optimized through modern biotechnology tools - particularly for water-use efficiency - and through tailored agronomic practices towards improved resource efficiency. Case studies of innovative farming systems (inter-cropping, agroforestry) established on marginal land at farm level will improve harvesting solutions, biodiversity data and guidelines while relevant actors will be engaged through Regional Advisory Groups. From the produced biomass innovative bio-based products (biochemicals, composites, and elastomers) will be developed, following the biorefinery and the circular use concept and business plans to foster circularity at farm level.
Project partners
1. Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving Foundation, Greece
2. Alma Mater Studiorum,- Universita di Bologna, Italy
3. ETA - Energia, Transport, Agricultura SRL, Italy
4. Stichting Wageningen Research, The Netherlands
5. Wageningen University, The Netherlands
6. Universitate Hohenheim, Germany
7. Universita Degli Studi di Catania, Italy
8. Centro De Investigationes Energetical Medioambientales y Technologicas, CIEMAT, Spain
9. Consiglio Per La Ricerca In Agricoltura E L'analisi Dell’Economia Agraria,Italy
10. CHIMAR (Hellas) AE - Anonimy Viomichaniki Kai Emporiki Etaireia Chimikon Proionton, Greece
11. Universidade Nova De Lisboa, Portugal
12. SOLTUB Trade and Service Providing Limited Liability, Hungary
13. Universidad De Castilla - La Mancha, Spain
14. NokianRenkaat OYJ, Finland
15. Instituto Technico Agronomico Provincial SA, Italy
16. Institut Za Ratarstvo I Povritarstvo Institut Od Nacionalnog Znacaja Za Republiku Srbiju, Serbia
17. European Carbon Farmers Spolska Z Ograniczona OdpowiedzialnosciaPoland,
18. Cesky Konopny Klastr ZS, Czech Republic
19. Geoponiko Panepistimion Athinon, Greece
20. GUATECS, France
21. Novamont SPA,Italy
22. Valbopan-Fibras De Madeira SA, Portugal
23. Ellinika Petrelaia AE, Greece
24. Consorzio Per La Ricerca E La Dimonstratione Sulle Energie Rinnovabili, Italy
24.1 Politechnico Di Torino, Italy
25. Ilios Symvouleftiki E.E.,Greece
26. Kaiima Brasil Sementes S.A, Brazil
27. Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada
Related projects
MAGIC https://magic-h2020.eu
GRACE https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/745012
COSMOS https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/635405/es
MULTIHEMP https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/311849
SEEMLA https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/691874/results
FORBIO https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/691846/results
MAIL https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/823805
BIOPLAT-EU https://cordis.europa.eu/projece
RAG
On the 27th September 2023 was established the Regional Advisory Group (RAG) in the frame of the meeting organised at MATE-GAK. The main topics: the results of the perrenial and annual crop first year trials, the production and utilisation technologies of the crops in the trial (Mischanthus, poplar, sorghum, hemp, B. carinata). The presentations and the pictures on the site visit are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1KWjgRD_GE3exfcaEQCk9edOAfEesMVUZ.
Presentations:
1. Dr. István Balla (MATE): Non-food crops growing technologies and utilisation,
2. György Bene (MATE): Poplar as alternativ industrial crop,
3. Dr. Andrea Palágyi (GK Szeged): Sorghum industrial utilisation,
4. Dr. Attila Percze (MATE): Cultivating Miscanthus in Hungary
5. Zoltán Hajdu (SOLTUB): MIDAS project first year results,
The project second year results was presented during the RAG meeting organised on the 14.10.2024 at MATE university. After the presentations the participants had the opportunity to the field trials visit with safflower, hemp, sorghum, poplar and Miscanthus.
Presentations:
1. Dr. István Balla (MATE): Non food products industrial utilisation,
2. Dr. Attila Percze (MATE): A Miscanthus as industrial crop
3. György Bene (MATE): Poplar as industrial crop
4. Dr. Andrea Palágyi (GK Szeged): Sorghum as industrial crops
5. Zoltán Hajdu (SOLTUB): The MIDAS project second year results,
The RAG 2024 presentations and pictures on the field visit are available at request from SOLTUB Ltd at soltub@soltub.hu.
The project third year results was presented during the RAG meeting organised on the 28.10.2025 at MATE university. After the presentations the participants had the opportunity to the field trials visit with safflower, hemp, sorghum, poplar and Miscanthus crops.
Presentations:
1. György Bene (MATE): Poplar as industrial crop
2. Dr. László Balázs (MATE): Crop based industrial raw materials
3. Dr. Andrea Palágyi (Pannon Genetics Ltd.): Sorghum as industrial crop
4. Zoltán Hajdu (SOLTUB): The MIDAS project third year results,
The RAG 2025 presentations and pictures on the field visit are available at request from SOLTUB Ltd at soltub@soltub.hu.
Downloads
MIDAS leaflet: https://www.midas-bioeconomy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MIDAS-THREEFOLD_2023-2.pdf.
MIDAS tutorial about the circular economy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umIpzuTkNIw&t=20s
MIDAS HU tutorial about the circular economy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJmb0iVtc-4
MIDAS HU 2025 Regional Advisory Group (RAG) video about sorg cultivation and utilisation: https://www.midas-bioeconomy.eu/results/
MIDAS HU 2025 Regional Advisory Group (RAG) video about the plant based industrial raw materials: https://www.midas-bioeconomy.eu/results/
MIDAS tutorial about the business plan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZnwIXZMN8w
MIDAS press release: https://www.midas-bioeconomy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MIDAS-PR-Marginal-lands-and-industrial-crops-for-the-European-bioeconomy.pdf.
The European countries map of marginal lands including Hungary is available at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1fc7bc04a175441eb0443b17f0417944.
The project is financed for the call Horizont-CL6-2022-CIRCBIO-01-02. Further details are available on the MIDAS project www.midas-bioeconomy.eu website.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under gran agreement No 101082070.