Download link PDF program overview.
March 29, 2026
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13:15
Welcome guests for social event
To be announced
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16:00
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17:00
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Welcome and opening CROP Innovations & Business 2026 conference
by our moderator Drs. Liesbeth Luijendijk, Head of Business Development Plant Science Group at Wageningen University & Research
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17:15
Guided by this year’s theme - New Frontiers: exploring breakthroughs in technologies, talent, startups, and crops that will define the future of crop innovation - the first day of the conference opens with a look at the innovations reshaping the agri-food landscape. The program highlights emerging technologies and trends, the evolution of biological crop management, and the shifting regulatory and market dynamics influencing adoption.
We will explore how new collaboration models between industry, startups, and research partners are accelerating progress across the innovation ecosystem. The focus shifts to the convergence of robotics, automation, and plant science, revealing new opportunities at the interface of engineering and biology.
This Sunday program offers a dynamic and forward-looking start to stepping into the new frontiers in crop innovation.
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Supporting Crop Innovation with fair access to patents for breeding- and AgTech companies
by Hélène Guillot, Managing Director at Agricultural Crop Licensing Platform (ACLP) and Claudia Hallebach, Chair of the ACLP (Belgium) and / Head of Global Legal and IP at KWS Group (Germany)
In this keynote, Hélène Guillot and Claudia Hallebach outline how the ACLP licensing platform is evolving to better serve the rapidly growing ecosystem of next to breeding companies, new AgTech companies that only develop crop traits. They will explain how standardized licensing, clear access pathways to patented traits, and a robust dispute‑resolution framework can reduce transaction costs, increase deal certainty, and speed trait deployment across the value chain. They will also explore how the emerging EU framework for NGTs may reshape expectations around exclusivity and responsible IP practices - and why participation in a licensing platform can help companies stay competitive while aligning with upcoming industry conduct requirements.
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Cultivating Tomorrow: The New Crop Innovation Ecosystem
by Dr. An Michiels, Board Executive and Advisor, AgKnowledge Partnering (BE).
This keynote session opens with a short introduction by An Michiels who also moderates a panel discussion on the new crop innovation ecosystem. The panel explores how innovation, shifting business models, and technology adoption are shaping the future of agriculture, and why successful agri ecosystems thrive on collaboration, shared knowledge, and the ability to rapidly turn ideas into scalable impact.
Panel members:
▪ Divya Murthy, Principal at Oyster Bay Venture Capital (Germany)
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19:00
March 30, 2026
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08:30
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09:00
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Beyond the Genome: From Data to Decisions
This plenary keynote opening presentation highlights how AI and data science are transforming plant breeding from deeper biological insight to faster, smarter decision-making. It offers an inspiring look at the breakthroughs reshaping the field today and what comes next for data-driven crop innovation.
by Prof. Agnieszka Golicz, Chair Plant Breeding Group Wageningen University & Research (NL)
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09:45
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10:30
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1A. Engineering Plants of Tomorrow
This session explores how next-generation crops are being shaped through improved photosynthesis, optimized plant architecture, and advanced metabolic design to boost efficiency, resilience, and biobased production. It also highlights emerging consumer-focused traits - such as enhanced nutrition, taste, and shelf life - that will drive the value and acceptance of future crops across food, feed, and biobased markets.
▪ Kumsal Çolpan, PhD Researcher University of Düsseldorf
▪ Alex Metcalf, Scientist II at KeyGene (US)
▪ Leron Katsir, Director Science and Operations at PureGene (Germany) -
1B. Domestication Reimagined: Speed Breeding and Novel Crops
hosted by Illumina
During this session we will examine how speed breeding, pan-genomics, and genomic prediction are accelerating domestication and expanding opportunities for novel crops. We highlight advances in understanding genetic variation, the use of new genotyping technologies, and the evolving future of marker-assisted breeding in delivering resilient, diverse, and high-value crops.
▪ Showcase Biotech Booster project, t.b.d. (NL)
▪ André Eggen, Director, Agrigenomics Global at Illumina (France)
▪ Prof. dr. Thomas Hartwig, Group Lead for Crop Improvement at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (Germany)
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13:30
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2A. From Data to Decisions: Phenotyping as a Driver of Crop Innovation
hosted by VITO
Discover how advanced phenotyping platforms, automation, and data integration can accelerate breeding cycles, improve trait selection, and strengthen genotype-to-phenotype insight. We will also discuss how aligning phenotyping with real production systems helps deliver varieties that perform reliably from controlled environments to the field.
▪ VITO, speaker t.b.a. (Belgium)
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2B. Disruptive Technologies I: Next-Gen Breeding Tools
In this session, we will highlight emerging breakthroughs - such as single-cell breeding, 2S1Graft hybrid technology, apomixis, and advanced doubled haploids - that are transforming the speed and precision of variety development. These tools accelerate trait fixation, broaden hybridization options, and streamline breeding pipelines, enabling faster innovation cycles and new opportunities in competitive crop markets.
▪ Prof. dr. Bert van Duijn, CSO Fytagoras (NL)
▪ Dr. Jeroen Stuurman, Sr. Scientist at KeyGene (NL)
▪ Danny Geelen, Professor HortiCell - Ghent University (Belgium)
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15:30
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16:15
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 - curated by StartLife, the leading AgriFoodTech accelerator in Europe:
- to be announced
The pitch program is supported by biotope by VIB , CEPLAS and StartLife.
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17:45
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19:15
Venue to be announced in the Networkapp and during the plenary closing program part on Monday.
March 31, 2026
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08:30
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09:00
Keynote opening presentation by Nastaran Baleng-Soultani, TECH50 – Most influential in tech | Co-Founder RadCap | CEO BlueRedGold | Angel Investor in Tech Startups (Sweden)
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09:45
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10:30
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3A. Disruptive Technologies II: Protein and Allele Design
hosted by Biotech Booster
Join this session to explore how advances in protein and allele design are enabling precise, molecular-level improvements in plant performance. By shaping enzyme activity and key regulatory pathways, these approaches support crops with greater efficiency, resilience, and product quality - streamlining breeding strategies and opening new high-value opportunities across food and biobased markets.
▪ Showcase Biotech Booster project, t.b.d. (NL)
▪ Thomas Jacobs, Group leader Plant Genome Editing VIB-Ugent Center for Plant Systems Biology (BE) -
3B. Novel Disease Resistance Strategies
This session explores new approaches to disease resistance that enhance crop protection and production reliability. By leveraging deeper insights into plant–pathogen interactions and expanding available resistance mechanisms, breeders can develop varieties with more durable performance and reduced dependence on crop protection inputs - lowering risk, strengthening supply chains, and creating opportunities for differentiated products.
▪ Dr. Cian Duggan, Co-founder & CEO Resurrect Bio (UK)
▪ Dror Shalitin, Founder & CEO at PlantArcBio (Israel)
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13:30
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4A. Unbundling Big Ag: New Frontiers for Startup - Corporate Collaboration
Large corporations are moving from consolidated structures to more independent, modular business units - and that shift is reshaping how startups and corporate innovation teams work together. This session explores what decentralization, carve-outs, and autonomous units mean for collaboration in practice.
▪ Roberts Hunter, Co-Chair University and Industry Consortium (US)
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4B. AI and Machine Learning in Plant Breeding
How AI, machine learning, and deep learning are accelerating breeding pipelines through faster predictions, smarter selection, and improved control of complex traits. These data-driven tools shorten development cycles, cut costs, and strengthen variety success rates - helping companies integrate advanced analytics for competitive advantage and new market opportunities.
▪ Dr. Simon M Zumkeller, Postdoc (Usadel Lab), CEPLAS - Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (Germany)
▪ Jean-Pascal Lutze, CEO NoMaze (Germany)
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15:30
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16:15
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18:30