Science-Policy Symposium in Cyprus
New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in Plants and Microalgae. What do they mean for agriculture, aquaculture, food security and the bioeconomy?
On October 6th, 2023, the EU-funded GeneBEcon project and the Cyprus University of Technology are organising the Science-Policy Symposium about New Genomic Techniques in Plants and Microalgae and their impact on agriculture, aquaculture, food security and bioeconomy. Plant ETP is involved in the development of GeneBEcon project on multiple levels, as we will examine the innovation potential of gene editing in enabling a sustainable bioeconomy in Europe. Through the application of this technology in potato and microalgae, GeneBEcon intends to promote energy-efficient, low-input, and zero-pollution agricultural production and clean industrial processing.
The Symposium will be held at the Municipal Cultural Centre Panos Solomonidis, Limassol, Cyprus from 09:00 – 14:00.
The Symposium is addressed to governmental officials and policy makers from Cyprus, EU and neighbouring countries, food industry representatives, agriculture and aquaculture representatives, researchers, academics and students.
Cyprus has introduced several initiatives to boost its agriculture and NGTs could be one of them since its potato sector is one of the most important (40% of raw agricultural products) and 96% of exports to the EU.
The event will:
- Illustrate how NGTs can contribute to food security and safety, the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork Strategy, and Circular Bioeconomy goals.
- Inform policymakers, researchers, students, and agri-food stakeholders about NGT-derived plants potential to support agriculture and aquaculture pressing issues.
- Demonstrate regulatory options and their respective socio-economic impacts and illustrate how NGTs can enable Europe to achieve its goals.
- Highlight key developments in NGTs and their applications in improving plant disease resistance and plant product quality to eliminate chemical industrial processing.
- Showcase GeneBEcon research that is directly relevant to Cyprus’ potato and poultry sector i.e., will present the case study of the virus-resistant potato with a more desirable starch profile, enabling less pesticide use in potato production and chemical-free extraction for the food industry and how microalgae can be used to produce high-value compounds and as poultry feed additive to improve gut health.
Who should attend: Governmental officials and policy makers from Cyprus, EU and neighbouring countries, food industry representatives, agriculture and aquaculture representatives, researchers, academics and students.
Check out the Agenda here.
All Plant ETP members and relevant interested parties are warmly welcome to register for the event through the link here.