On October 6, 2016, the BIOVEGEN Conference “TECHNOLOGY ATTRACTION: The Future of Technology in Plants” was held. The event, held as part of the International Fair FRUIT ATTRACTION (IFEMA Madrid), brought together more than 200 stakeholders from the agri-food sector engaged in R&D, coming from research, business, and government.
- 46 companies (improvement, production, marketing, agrobiotechnology, nutrition, health and plant protection, R&D management, etc)
- 23 Research Organizations (Universities, OPIs)
- 10 Others (Administration: CDTI, MAGRAMA…)
The Conference aimed to bring together prominent representatives from Spanish Science, Business, and Government to convey the technological revolution taking place in Plant Biology, thus highlighting the crucial competitive improvement tool these advances provide the plant production sector, and the international context and trends in this regard. During the event, renowned experts in Plant Biology and the agri-food sector showcased the current landscape from the perspective of Science, Business, and Government.
The opening of the Conference, led by INIA director Manuel Láin ez, also featured the presence of José Pellicer, President of BIOVEGEN. Both welcomed the attendees and presented the Conference, which, held within the framework of the Fruit Attraction Fair, aimed to foster a closer relationship between Technology Supply and Demand, to maximize research investment and to develop collaboration and business opportunities.
Gabino Sánchez-Pérez, a Spanish scientist currently researching at Plant Research International at Wageningen University (Netherlands), gave the first presentation describing the “technological revolution” taking place in the Netherlands and which could also occur in Spain, regarding the development of new tools in plant biology for obtaining new varieties. There, at Plant Research International, Gabino leads several projects on plant improvement, established in public-private consortia with significant investment from companies dedicated to obtaining new varieties.
Secondly, Jorge Jordana approached his presentation from the perspective of the private sector, highlighting the challenges and strengths it faces and the invisibility that innovative activity has within a politically invisible sector. In Jordana’s words, “we cannot compete either in size of company or in costs, so we should focus on training and innovation, on intelligence, on knowledge. We have top-tier researchers – the third in the world in publications – but we fall to 19th place in patent generation, and we also have a food sector that led funding capture for R&D in 2015, but innovation remains the most invisible activity of a politically invisible sector.”
Next, Luis González Vaqué provided an overview of the sector based on the existing international legislative framework for plant biotechnology, outlining the current and future state of the demands and needs that the agri-food market has regarding innovation.
The final presentation was given by the Manager of BIOVEGEN, Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, who summarized the ideas that emerged during the conference and described the role of BIOVEGEN as a catalyst for the development of R&D projects, as well as the tools that the Platform uses to generate business opportunities in the sector.
The conference clearly demonstrated the business development brought by new techniques in plant biology and highlighted the growing importance of technological development for improving the competitiveness of the Spanish agri-food sector. Finally, a cocktail was offered to the attendees to encourage interactions between the public and private sectors through representatives of the numerous entities that attended the event.
Gallery
Program of the event
12:00 h. Welcome and introduction
12:10 h. SCIENCE: Technological revolution and new tools in Plant Biology
- Gabino Sánchez-Pérez. Plant Research International, Wageningen University
- Content: Scientific vision of the current situation and future trends in Plant Biology. Available tools and processes for the development of new products
12:40 h. COMPANY: Trends in agri-food R&D. Technological needs and demands of the agri-food sector
- Jorge Jordana Butticaz de Pozas. Board Director Agri-food Area. LAFER Foundation
- Content: Vision of the agri-food industry and needs of the private sector in the field of agri-food innovation: primary production and transformation. Evolution and perspectives of the private sector from the point of view of R&D
13:10 h. CONTEXT: Present and future of plant production. Legislative framework and future market demands
- Luis González Vaqué. Coordinator of the Agri-food Policies Area. TRIPTOLEMOS Foundation
- Content: European and international legislative framework of the technologies offered by Plant Biology in the context of future market demands of plant production. Evolution, current trends, and future perspectives
13:40 h. BIOVEGEN as a catalyst for R&D in plant production
- Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna Gutiérrez. Plant Biotechnology Technology Platform (BIOVEGEN)
1:50 PM. Discussion and questions
2:00 PM. Closing of the Event
Cocktail and networking among attendees