08:30

Registration desk open

09:00

Plenary program

• Keynote lecture by Christine Gould, Founder & CEO at GIGA (Switzerland)
  

  Christine will share how new technologies, such as AI-powered tools for crop improvement, are poised to create $4.5 trillion in economic opportunities annually. She  will dive into the barriers preventing these innovations from scaling - such as fragmented value chains and lack of investment - and offer concrete strategies to overcome these hurdles. She will give insights into building impactful collaborations, leveraging new investment models, and unlocking market-ready solutions that can drive meaningful change for people, planet, and profit.

09:45

Break

10:30

Parallel sessions part 1

• 1A. Realizing the potential of plant genetic resources by leveraging cutting edge technologies
  

  hosted by KeyGene

  Accessing and utilizing diverse plant genetic resources enables researchers and breeders to develop new crop varieties that are resilient to pests, diseases and environmental stresses, thereby improving global food security. This session will discuss strategies to use these gene banks to develop of future crops.

  Presentations by

  • Prof. Dr. Markus Stetter, Professor at Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne (Germany)
  • Dr. Nora P. Castañeda-Álvarez, Science Project Coordinator at The Global Crop Diversity Trust (Germany)
  • Ir. Tonny van den Boom, Global Genetic Resource Coordinator Vegetable Seeds at BASF (NL)
  • Dr. Christoph Dockter, Head of Cereal Breeding & Trait Development at Carlsberg Research Laboratory (Denmark)

• 1B. New gene-editing (enabling) technologies for crop improvement
  

  hosted by Corteva Agriscience

  The increased use of gene-editing in agriculture can change the way we approach plant breeding and accelerate the discovery and deployment of innovations that offer growers more productive and resilient crops. This session showcases breakthrough developments in gene-editing approaches and -technologies that boost agricultural innovation.

  Presentations by

  • Giacomo Bastianelli, Co-founder & CEO Rainbow Crops (Belgium)
  • Dr. Joris van Arensbergen, Founder and CEO at Annogen (NL)
  • Dr. William Pelton, Co-founder and CEO at Phytoform (UK)
  • Dr. Lennart Hoengenaert, Coordinator Crop Genome Engineering Facility at VIB - University of Ghent (Belgium)

12:30

Lunch, networking and exhibition

13:30

Parallel sessions part 2

• 2A. IP Rights in Plant Breeding: Corteva v. Inari, A Case Study for the U.S. and Europe
  

  hosted by Troutman Pepper Locke

  Intellectual property (IP) and regulatory frameworks play a crucial role in shaping the plant breeding sector. This session explores the complex interplay between IP rights, evolving regulations and their impact on innovation, market access and the use of technology. Participants will gain insight into navigating these challenges to foster collaboration, protect innovations and drive sustainable progress in plant breeding.

  Presentations by

  • Tate Tischner, Partner | Registered Patent Attorney at Troutman Pepper Locke (US)
  • Thea van der Wijk, VP Intellectual Property & Legal Affairs at KeyGene (NL)
  • Martin Quanz, Senior Patent Counsel at Bayer Intellectual Property (Germany)
  • Fleur Tuinzing-Westerhuis, Counsel at Houthoff (NL)

• 2B. How to accelerate crop breeding
  

  hosted by VITO Remote Sensing

  As climate change and population growth increase, the demand to accelerate plant breeding and develop innovative traits is essential. This session explores how these developments are improving crop breeding efforts so that plant breeders can rapidly develop cultivars that meet global demand for food, nutrition, and fibre.

  Presentations by

  • Shifan Ding, Global Product Manager at ID Biotech (China)
  • Petra van Bergeijk, Scientist at KeyGene (NL)
  • Francisco Vilela Pereira, R&D Climate Adaptation in Agriculture at VITO (Belgium)
  • Dr. Michel Ragot, CEO at DELTAGee (US)

15:30

Break

16:15

Plenary pitch program

Academic institutes and startups will get the possibility to pitch their innovative technology, -service or -product to the audience from the international agri-food industry.

Pitching companies:

• Agrilife Studio (France)
• Amatera Biosciences (France)
• Better Seeds (Israel)
• Biographica (United Kingdom)
• BreedBio (Belgium)
• Landman Bio (Belgium)
• Plantman (Germany)
• Resurrect.bio (United Kingdom)
• Sanatech Seed Co. (Japan)
• SMARTtray GmbH (Germany)
• Zymofix (Belgium)

The pitch program is supported by biotope ^{by VIB} , CEPLAS and StartLife.

17:45

Reception

19:15

Conference dinner

Venue to be announced in the Networkapp and during the plenary closing program part on Monday.

08:30

Registration desk open

09:00

Start plenary program

• Prof. Dr. Maria von Korff Schmising, Institute for Plant Genetics at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Germany)
  

  Keynote lecture about the importance of exploring natural sources for developing traits for the future.

09:45

Break

10:30

Parallel sessions part 3

• 3A. The changing plant breeding sector
  

  hosted by MolGen

  The plant breeding sector is undergoing rapid transformation due to technological advances, changing regulations and evolving market demands. This session explores key trends reshaping the sector, including the integration of genomic tools, precision breeding techniques and digital agriculture. Join us to discover how these changes are redefining plant breeding practices and what opportunities they present for innovation and sustainability in agriculture.

  Presentations by

  • Dr. Arjen van Tunen, CEO at TunenAgroFood B.V. advice and coaching (NL)
  • Michiel Reessink, Chief Commercial Officer at MolGen (NL)
  • Prof. Dr. Wolf Frommer, Alexander von Humboldt Professor at Heinrich Heine University (Germany)
  • Dr. Fred Van Ex, Managing Director at Inari (Belgium)

• 3B. New crops, applications and commercialisation strategies for the agricultural bioeconomy
  

  hosted by Wageningen University & Research

  Given the challenges of climate change and the need for a transition to circular economies, the known space of agricultural applications is rapidly expanding, as is the potential of plant breeding and engineering techniques. There is now an opportunity to breed crops to produce materials or high-value bioactive compounds such as pharmaceuticals and biologicals. How are these applications being developed and what are the business models are being used to bring them to the market.

  Presentations by

  • Prof. Wout Boerjan, Professor at Ghent University (Belgium)
  • Dr. Kathy Munkvold, Scientific Program Director - Crop Production Systems at Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (US)
  • Dr. Ingrid van der Meer, Manager Business Unit Bioscience at Wageningen University & Research (NL)
  • Dr. Pádraic Flood, Founder & CEO Aardaia (NL)

12:30

Lunch, networking and exhibition

13:30

Parallel sessions part 4

• 4A. Partnering & collaboration strategies in AgTech: How to succeed in the collaboration dynamics between corporates and startups?
  

  hosted by biotope by VIB

  Successful partnerships between corporations and startups are crucial for driving innovation in AgTech. This session will explores effective strategies for fostering collaboration, aligning goals and leveraging the strengths of both large organizations and agile startups. Participants will gain insight into dealing with challenges, building trust and creating mutually beneficial partnerships that accelerate advances in agricultural technology and address global food security challenges.

  Presentations by

  • David Dessers, Founding Partner at CRESCO (Belgium)
  • Dr. Pernille Ollendorf Hede, CEO at Healthycrop (Denmark)
  • Scott Jarrett, CEO Elaniti (UK)

• 4B. Applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning in plant breeding
  

  hosted by CEPLAS

  Rapid advances in genomics, phenomics and molecular biology are accelerating crop breeding into the era of artificial intelligence. This session explores the broader potential of AI tools in various facets of breeding, including data collection, unlocking genetic diversity in genebanks  and bridging the gap between genotype and phenotype to facilitate crop breeding.

  Presentations by

  • Martin Lercher, Professor of Computational Cell Biology at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Germany)
  • Prof. Aalt-Jan van Dijk, professor Data Analysis in the Life Sciences at University of Amsterdam (NL)
  • Finn Gaida, Co-Founder & CTO at NoMaze (Germany)
  • Anna Freudenreich, Researcher in Bioinformatics and AI at KeyGene (NL)

15:30

Break

16:15

Closing conference program

• Innovation Into Impact: Building a More Productive and Sustainable Agriculture Ecosystem Through Collaboration
  

  Keynote lecture by Dr. Tom Greene, Sr. Director External Innovation Investment at Corteva Agriscience (US)

  Agriculture is at a crossroads, with growing pressures to meet productivity and sustainability goals. Companies like Corteva Agriscience are making bold investments in research to help farmers succeed globally—but it takes more than that. A vibrant ecosystem of startups is needed to drive the next generation of solutions. Join Corteva Catalyst's Tom Greene as he discusses the current innovation landscape and how Corteva is fostering innovation by partnering with early-stage companies to build a brighter future for agriculture.

17:00

Closing conference reception

18:30

End of conference