GeneBEcon Webinar Series

Webinar Series

Webinar timeline

ABOUT

The GeneBEcon’s webinar series features four sessions dedicated to key topics explored in the project. Each webinar will not only present the latest findings but also offer valuable insights from key stakeholders, fostering a deeper understanding of the discussions shaping the future of gene editing.

This series is an integral part of our broader initiative to share the project’s key outcomes with all relevant stakeholder groups. It will explore various aspects of gene editing and its role in shaping Europe’s bioeconomy, aiming to support informed policymaking, promote the integration of new genomic techniques (NGTs) into scientific practice, and enhance public awareness of their potential environmental benefits.

Webinars

Public and Business Stakeholder Perceptions on NGT-Derived Food Products

Date and time: Tues 29 April, 14:00-15:30 CEST

About the Webinar

This online session will share the results of a consumer study conducted across five European countries (Germany, France, Denmark, Slovakia, and the UK), highlighting public awareness, perceptions, and acceptance of NGT-derived food products. The webinar will feature key speakers from the GeneBEcon project, including experts from consumer research and business stakeholders.

Executive Summary of the Consumer study

The consumer study conducted in the frame of the GeneBEcon project investigated the acceptance of NGT-derived biobased products among consumers and business stakeholders across Europe. It found that consumers were less familiar with NGTs than with GMOs, indicating a need for distinct communication. When consumers were well-informed, they tended to show more favorable attitudes toward NGTs, while acceptance varied by product type, demographics, and country. Increased sustainability of food production, enhanced food security and improvement of long-term competitiveness of food production were important advantages of NGT-derived products according to the focus group participants.

The project highlights the importance of working together on clear and consistent communication to build trust and ensure that NGTs are successfully adopted in food production systems.

Who should attend the webinar?

This webinar is aimed at policymakers, industry stakeholders, academic researchers, plant breeders, farmers, value chain representatives, and the general public interested in food innovation, sustainability, and the future of food systems. It offers valuable insights for anyone involved in or curious about sustainable agricultural practices and emerging trends in the food sector.

Indicative time
Title
Presenter
14:00-14:05
Welcome and webinar ground rules
Moderator, Amelie Detterbeck, Euroseeds
14:05-14:10
This is GeneBEcon
Dennis Eriksson, SLU
14:10-14:40
Consumer and stakeholder acceptance of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs)
Jan Pokrivcak, Ema Lazorcakova, Miroslava Rajcaniova, Slovak University of Agriculture
14:40-14:55
Retailers perspective: market challenges and opportunities for NGT-derived products
Gabi Buchwalder, Sorten für morgen
14:55-15:10
Literature Review: A summary of international trends and consumer research related to NGTs
Emma Vanden Auweele, Euroseeds
15:10-15:30
Q&A
All speakers

Watch the Series

Webinar 1

Public and Business Stakeholder Perceptions on NGT-Derived Food Products

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Webinar 2

Virus-Resistant Starch Potato for an Environmentally Friendly Agro-Industry system

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Webinar 3

Microalgae for a High-Value and Zero-Waste Production System

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Webinar 4

A Comprehensive and Versatile Gene Editing Toolbox

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From Research to Policy: Insights from GeneBEcon’s 5th Consortium Meeting

The 5th GeneBEcon Consortium Meeting brought partners and stakeholders together in Berlin to assess progress, strategize for the project’s final phase, and explore ways to maximize the impact of its results. Highlights included insightful presentations from project partners, updates from the Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB), and sessions on advancing the project’s Key Exploitable Results. Partners also refined the NGT Transition Action Plan in a Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Workshop facilitated by XPRO Consulting. This plan outlines short-, medium-, and long-term actions to boost awareness of new genomic techniques (NGTs) and counter misinformation across diverse stakeholders, including farmers, the food industry, policymakers, and NGOs.

Participants also engaged in an Exploitation Workshop with external advisors and the Horizon Booster Service, focusing on strategies to sustain the project’s impact beyond its conclusion. The consortium’s work on systems mapping was another focal point, offering frameworks to connect GeneBEcon’s research with policy pathways and practical applications in sustainable agriculture and plant breeding.

Turning Innovation into Action: Explore Key Takeaways from GeneBEcon’s Exploitation

The recent GeneBEcon Exploitation Workshop brought together external stakeholders and Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) members to review and advance the project’s exploitation strategies. During this collaborative session, participants explored the Key Exploitable Results (KERs) presented by project partners and assessed their broader potential within the agricultural value chain. By focusing on strengths and challenges, the workshop aimed to solidify robust, targeted exploitation plans that will drive the practical impact of new genomic techniques (NGTs) across sustainable agriculture and bioeconomy sectors.

Insights from this workshop will be instrumental in aligning GeneBEcon’s goals with real-world applications, ensuring that the project’s outcomes meet the demands of various stakeholders.

The Final RRI Workshop: Advancing the NGT Transition Action Plan

The third and final Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) workshop on the NGT Transition Action Plan, designed and facilitated by XPRO Consulting Limited, took place on 25 October 2024 in Berlin during the 5th Consortium Meeting.

This interactive session brought together the Stakeholder Advisory Board, external stakeholders, and GeneBEcon partners to evaluate and refine the proposed Transition Action Plan for new genomic techniques (NGTs). Participants analyzed actions and their interdependencies across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons, focusing on six key stakeholder groups: farmer associations, breeder associations, the food industry, consumer associations, policymakers, and NGOs.

The workshop aimed at addressing the challenges of misinformation and disinformation, affirming the plan’s strategic direction. Attendees emphasized the importance of inclusive discussions, mutual learning, and actionable steps to enhance NGT awareness and sustainable plant breeding. Building on these insights, the GeneBEcon team at XPRO Consulting is now finalizing the Transition Action Plan, which will result into six specific NGTs Transition Pathways, one for each stakeholder group.

Shaping EU Policy on Genomic Techniques: Explore Key Insights from GeneBEcon’s SAB Workshop

The recent GeneBEcon Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) workshop brought together experts from Plants for the Future, Euroseeds, and ILVO to assess the strategic gathering focused on the progress of the EU legislative proposal concerning plants developed through new genomic techniques (NGTs) and provided a comprehensive update on GeneBEcon’s ongoing systems mapping work.

Participants received a detailed briefing on the project’s latest advancements, with an emphasis on how systems mapping applies to the GeneBEcon project’s objectives. This SAB workshop underscored the importance of aligning insights from stakeholders and research partners, solidifying GeneBEcon’s commitment to making informed contributions to EU policy for sustainable agriculture and plant breeding.

Impacts of accelerating agricultural R&D transfer on global food security

A recent study by researchers at Wageningen University and Wageningen Economic Research within the framework of the GeneBecon initiative underscores the importance of speeding up the transfer of agricultural R&D, particularly in genome editing (GE), to improve global food security.

Published in the journal GM Crops & Food, the research identifies the substantial economic and agricultural costs associated with regulatory delays in the adoption of GE technologies. Such delays impede productivity advancements and impose significant opportunity costs. GE technologies possess the capacity to improve key agronomic traits, including pest resistance, yield enhancement, and nutritional fortification, thus representing a transformative avenue for advancing global food security

Using the MAGNET model, researchers explored the impact of faster R&D transfer on global agriculture and economies under two scenarios: high-income countries and global acceleration. Results show that while the EU and the US would benefit economically, middle- and low-income nations like China and India would gain the most, highlighting the benefits of a coordinated global effort.

The study quantifies economic losses from GE adoption delays, for instance, the EU is projected to lose up to $158 billion from 2020 to 2030 without accelerated R&D, whereas China could gain $358 billion with faster adoption.

Accelerated R&D transfer is anticipated to drive significant increases is expected to boost agricultural productivity, GDP, societal welfare, and food affordability, with improved caloric availability and increased unskilled labour wages relative to cereal prices.

The researchers advocate for a re-evaluation and simplification of the regulatory frameworks governing GE technologies. Streamlined regulatory pathways are essential for sustainable agricultural development and tackling global food insecurity delineated in the study.

Po Policymakers, governments, and all stakeholders, this is your opportunity to make a difference. Explore the full study to uncover actionable insights and data that can drive transformative policies and solutions for sustainable agriculture. Together, we can shape a more secure and equitable food future

Access the study here!

Capturing the potential of gene editing for a sustainable bioeconomy

Register Here

Date and time: 2nd July, from 10 to 17:15 (reception and dinner from 18:00)

Location: Stanhope Hotel (Rue du Commerce 9, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium)

GeneBEcon, a Horizon Europe-funded project under the ‘Clean Environment and Zero
Pollution’ domain, focuses on circular biobased agrifood systems. Through New Genomic Techniques
(NGTs), the project innovates climate-friendly solutions for agriculture and aquaculture, aligning with
the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan.

The end of project symposium will showcase the main results from the project, highlighting the
potential of using NGTs to develop more resilient, sustainable and competitive raw materials and high
value compounds for the bioeconomy. It will also outline how different regulatory options impact
biosafety data requirements, the likelihood of uptake and overall socio-economic implications.

The symposium offers the opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders and policymakers to exchange
on the project outcomes, the regulatory context, and the dynamic interaction between innovation
and consumer engagement, all within the expansive scope of the ever-changing bioeconomy
landscape.

Tentative programme

From 9:30 - Registration and coffee/tea and pastries
  • 10:00 – Setting the scene
    • Welcome from moderator –Barbara Levering, Research & Communications Officer
    • Opening remarks – 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 (tbc)
    • Views from the EU Parliament – EU Parliament representative (tbc)
    • 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)
17:15 – End of Symposium

Event Location

Stanhope Hotel
Rue du Commerce 9, 1000 Bruxelles

Atelier29
Rue Jacques de Lalaing 29, 1000 Bruxelles

Be Ready for the Science Policy Symposium!

We are cordially inviting you to the Science Policy Symposium brought to you by the GeneBEcon project. Mark your calendars for October 23, 2024, from 15:00 to 17:00. The event will take place at Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee 4a, 10557 Berlin, Germany.

Event Highlights:

  • Organized by BVL & Agroscope: On behalf of the GeneBEcon Consortium, this symposium will provide an in-depth look at the innovative progress of the GeneBEcon project.
  • Expert Insights: Hear from leading experts in science policy and biotechnology.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with professionals and stakeholders in the field.

Stay tuned for more information and registration details. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

Keep an eye on our website for updates. We look forward to seeing you there in German!

GeneBEcon Progress Review Meeting Held with European Commission and External Reviewer

On May 21st, 2024, GeneBEcon partners met with the European Commission and an External Reviewer to evaluate GeneBEcon’s progress and achievements. This meeting provided an opportunity to look back at the first half of the project and assess milestones reached so far. To share some of our moments during these first 18 months, we developed a video showcasing our events and research activities, including highlights from our work with microalgae and potatoes in our labs. Tomorrow, the project team will look forward to upcoming plans during the online consortium meeting.