Plant UP program aims to develop cutting-edge infrastructures designed to exploit and maintain Greek biodiversity through applied research with the ultimate recipient of the human being. Plant UP is dedicated to the research and exploitation of plant life to develop high value added natural products. Highly qualified experts in botanical, agronomic, chemical, and natural product technology, genetics, analytical chemistry and plant protection are joining forces to build this infrastructure. Considering that Greece is an area of high plant biodiversity (6,000 of which 1200 endemic), we aim to exploit it by implementing a concrete plan of sustainable harvesting and characterization of plants, plant tissues and seeds. The scope of the infrastructure covers a range from the systematic, genetic, morphological characterization, to the analysis, phytochemistry, biological assessment of innovative natural products.
Plant UP Research Infrastructure is an infrastructure of excellence that focuses on systematically recording, preserving, protecting and exploiting the wealth of Greek plant biodiversity. The individual actions of implementing the Plant UP Infrastructure promote basic and applied research with the ultimate recipient of the human being. Plant UP includes the rational and uniform reinforcement of the existing recipient infrastructure at national level, aiming at the sustainable exploitation of plant biodiversity through the creation of high added value products. Highly qualified experts in botanical, agronomic, chemical, and natural product technology, genetics, analytical chemistry and plant protection are joining forces to build this infrastructure.
2017-2021: Collection, identification, storage and ex situ cultivation in the Botanical Garden of native aromatic and medicinal plants. Action: ‘Upgrade of Plant Wealth Plant Up’, which is implemented under the Action “Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure”, funded by the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014-2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund).
The specific project was carried out with the cooperation of research teams from two Departments of the University of Patras, the Department of Biology and the Department of Pharmacy, while the coordinator of this project is the Emeritus Professor Grigorios Iatrou.
The Department of Biology participated with a research team in the following actions:
Work Package 1: Collection and installation of native aromatic and medicinal plants in the Botanical Garden
Collection of live material of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants from various regions of Greece, installation and cultivation of the material in the Botanical Garden of the University of Patras, as well as the formation of flower beds with signs that present the scientific name of the plants, in the context of the Work Package 1: Collection and installation of native aromatic and medicinal plants in the Botanical Garden,
Work Package 2: Systematic and phytochemical identification of the plant material of the Botanical Garden,
Iinventory and digitization of a part of the deposited specimens of the Botanical Museum of the University of Patras (UPA), collection of botanical material from various regions of Greece, identification, recording, digitization and inclusion of these specimens in the Botanical Museum, as well as the systematic description of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants that were used for the extraction and isolation of natural products from the Laboratory of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products, in the framework of the implementation of Work Package 2: Systematic and phytochemical identification of the plant material of the Botanical Garden,
As part of the actions of Work Package 2: Systematic and phytochemical identification of the plant material of the Botanical Garden, of Plant Up project, an inventory and digitization of part of the specimens of the Botanical Museum of the University of Patras (UPA) was carried out.
Work Package 3: Dissemination of results
Organization and participation in two workshops related to the project, as well as the participation in international scientific conferences and the publication of papers in international peer-reviewed journals, in the context of the implementation of Work Package 3: Dissemination of results.
For more information: Plant-Up
