Final Symposium - GeneBEcon

GeneBEcon is a Horizon Europe-funded project under the Clean Environment and Zero Pollution domain, dedicated to shaping the future of circular, bio-based agrifood systems. By harnessing the power of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), the project delivers climate-smart innovations for agriculture and aquaculture, supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan.

As GeneBEcon reaches its conclusion, the project’s final symposium serves as a key moment to share its scientific and policy-relevant achievements. The event presents the project’s main results, demonstrating how NGTs can contribute to more resilient, sustainable, and competitive sources of raw materials and high-value compounds in the bioeconomy.

In addition to showcasing technical advances, the symposium explores how different regulatory frameworks shape the development and adoption of NGTs, affecting biosafety requirements, business potential, and broader socio-economic impacts.

Bringing together a wide array of stakeholders, including researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and civil society, the event provides a vital platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange. Topics span from legislation and market models to public perception and innovation policy, all within the evolving context of the European and global bioeconomy landscape.

Event Agenda

From 9:30 - Registration and coffee/tea and pastries

10:00 – Setting the scene
- Welcome from the organizing team – German Vighi, Executive Manager, and Bàrbara Levering Serrahima, Communications and Research Officer, from Plants for the Future
- Opening remarks – Tomasz Calikowski, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s DG for Research and Innovation and then Christina Lunner Kolstrup, Associate Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Sciences, at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Introduction to GeneBEcon – Dennis Eriksson, Associate Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

10:30 – Session 1: The NGTs legislation – Are we there yet?
- Keynote speech – EU Council representative – Ana Judith Martín de la Fuente, Area Coordinator at the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
- Views from the EU Parliament – EU Parliament representative – Dr. Jaroslava (Jarka) Chloupková, Policy Advisor
- From legislation to implementation – Irene Sacristán Sánchez, Head of Unit Biotechnology, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, EU Commission
- To invest or not to invest? – A GeneBEcon model on how legislation affects the business case for NGTs in the EU – Justus Wesseler, Professor of Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy at Wageningen University
- Panel discussion – All session speakers

12:30 -13:30 - Lunch

13:30 – Session 2: GeneBEcon outcomes – From research to society
- Enhancing Potato Quality and Disease Resistance: Advancements in Gene Editing for Starch and PVY Resistance – Per Hofvander, SLU & Jean-Eric Chauvin, INRAE
- Harnessing Gene-edited Microalgae for High-Value Compounds and Sustainable Feed
  Additives – Katrijn Van Laere & Evelyne Delezie, ILVO
- Promoting Consumer Acceptance of New Genomic Techniques – Highlights from European Consumer Surveys – Ján Pokrivčák, Slovak University of Agriculture
- Navigating towards NGT Transition: Strategies to Tackle Misinformation and Disinformation – Xenia Theodotou Schneider, XPRO Consulting Limited

- 15:00 – Meet and greet our researchers – Interactive coffee/tea break poster & product session

- 16:00 – Session 3: EU competitiveness in the global context – The urgency of retaining talent (short
  presentations followed by panel discussion)The session will address how EU legislation is affecting innovation and start-ups in the EU, with perspectives from those directly affected and other experts in the field.

17:00 – Closing remarks – Dennis Eriksson, Associate Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding at
the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)