On June 15th, the BIOVEGEN Session “Opportunities for collaboration with companies” took place as part of the 2015 Plant Physiology Congress in Toledo. The objectives of this session were:
- Showcase cases of companies in the agricultural and forestry sector interested in collaborating with the scientific community to develop R&D activities
- Enhance interaction between attending companies and scientists, facilitating the detection of possibilities for Science-Company collaboration (joint technological interests)
- Encourage public-private collaboration in the agricultural and forestry sector
During the meeting, various speakers explained the characteristics of their companies, their activities, and their firm commitment to R&D in the agricultural and forestry sectors as an unavoidable growth and competitive improvement strategy. Thus, the companies showed attendees their experiences of interaction between the business sector and the scientific world and the collaboration opportunities they offer.
At the end of the Session, a conversation took place in which various difficulties for establishing Science-Company collaborations were raised, such as the difficulty of accessing funding, the lack of funding mechanisms tailored to the characteristics of the agricultural sector, and the challenge of identifying the technological offerings of researchers and the demands and needs of companies.
Program and presentations
5:45 PM. Introduction
5:50 PM. Company presentations
- Use of extremophilic microorganisms as agricultural biostimulants. Borja Torres. XTREM BIOTECH.
- Utilization and valorization of byproducts from wood board manufacturing: concentrate of wood extracts with agricultural, food, and bioenergy applications. Rosa Arcas. BETANZOS HB.
- Production and marketing of pistachios. Carlos Suárez. PISTACHOS DEL SOL
- Diagnostic services for plant pathogens and tailored biotechnology project development. Magda Cervera. VALGENETICS
- Technological solutions for life sciences, biotechnology, and genetic identification. Montse Aparicio. PROMEGA BIOTECH IBERICA
6:35 PM Colloquium.