III IBMCP-COMPANIES Conference "Innovating the future of plant biotechnology"«

The next one will be held on May 28, 2026 III IBMCP-COMPANIES Conference "Innovating the future of plant biotechnology"« at the Blue Cube Auditorium of the Polytechnic City of Innovation (Valencia). The event is organized by the Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP), the Cajamar Cooperative Group, and BIOVEGEN.

The event has the aim to make available he IBMCP knowledge and capabilities to solve the challenges of companies in the agri-food sector,  to disseminate the scientific and technological capabilities of the center and promote science-business projects. The conference will showcase the latest advances in crop genome editing, new plant nutrition and health treatments, new, more efficient and nutritious varieties, and the implementation of sustainability in the production chain. It will also address cross-cutting aspects of the geopolitical and legislative context, open innovation, and technology transfer.

The event is designed as a tool for business development, Therefore, participating professionals will be able to maintain bilateral meetings to promote science-business collaborations and projects. These pre-scheduled meetings will take place throughout the day in the following spaces: networking enabled. The event currently has More than 200 registered professionals from more than 80 entities in the sector:

Next, you can consult the IBMCP's technology offering and the list of participating entities at the conference. If you are interested in holding b2b meetings with any research line of the IBMCP and/or any participating entity, please send an email to the address dlapuente@invegen.org indicating which ones they are. (These meetings will be attended in order of request, prioritizing BIOVEGEN members. The list of participating entities will be updated weekly until the event takes place.).

Program

9:30 a.m. Reception of attendees and welcome coffee

10:00 a.m. Opening of the Day

• Pablo Vera. Director IBMCP
• Jesus Garcia. Territorial Director of Cajamar in Valencia
• José María Fontán. President BIOVEGEN

10:20 a.m. IBMCP: The transformative power of plant science and biotechnology

• Laura Zacares. IBMCP Technology Transfer Officer and Innovation Agent

10:40 a.m. Status of NGTs in legislation and regulations: beyond cultures (microorganisms, viruses, cell cultures)

• Ana Judith Martín. Secretary of the Interministerial Council on Genetically Modified Organisms (CIOMG). Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

11:00 a.m. New biotechnological tools for crop improvement
Moderator: David Lapuente, BIOVEGEN Project Manager

• Challenges and technologies for in vitro tissue regeneration. Alejandro Atarés. IBMCP
• How NGTs can impact the market. Federico Grau. CEO Madeinplant
• Sentinel Plants: towards a new generation of biosensors in crops. Marta Vázquez. IBMCP
• Genome editing in rice. Application in traditional varieties in Spain. Luis Marquis. Director COPSEMAR
• More nutritious and tastier tomatoes. Antonio Granell. IBMCP

12:00 p.m. Resilience and adaptation to climate change
Moderator: Carlos Baixauli. CAJAMAR

• Natural innovation: microorganisms and VOCs for comprehensive plant stress management. Berta Rodríguez. Scientific Coordinator TIMAC AGRO SPAIN
• Micropbiome – New generation of microbiological treatments to combat climate change in crops. Jorge Lozano. IBMCP
• Reduction of the ecological footprint in horticultural production through varietal selection. Juan Jesús Narváez. Operational Excellence & Sustainability FITÓ SEEDS
• Listening to Plants: A Sound Atlas for (Re)Discovering Other Intelligences. Javier Brumos. IBMCP
• Innovating for resilience to climate change: The essential role of genetic improvement in future fruit and vegetable production systems. Peter Visser. Global Head of Crops R&D BASF

1:00 p.m. Cocktail and networking

3:00 p.m. Dialogue. The importance of not going alone to get far
Moderator: Laura Zacarés. IBMCP Technology Transfer Officer and Innovation Agent

• Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna. BIOVEGEN Director
• Carlos Baixauli. Director of the Cajamar Experience Center

3:30 p.m. The impact of plant biotechnology beyond the agricultural sector
Moderator: Jesús Agüero, Director of Bioval

• Geminiviruses produced in plants for use in gene therapies. Diego Orzaez. IBMCP
• Vegantibodies: recombinant antibodies produced in plants. JA Darós. IBMCP
• Zymotopia: Tailor-made enzymes for safe food and a sustainable industry. Julia Marín-Navarro. IATA-CSIC. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Valencia
• AviaSens – Rapid test for the detection of viral epidemics in poultry farms. Jesus Sanchez. IBMCP.Jofre Ferrer. CEO Bioeclosión

4:15 p.m. Round Table. Biotechnology in a turbulent world: geopolitics, innovation and technological sovereignty
Moderator: Laura Zacarés. IBMCP Technology Transfer Officer and Innovation Agent

• Oriol Alcoba. Director of Innovation and Technology Transfer at ESADE
• Roberto García. Director of Sustainable Development at GRUPO CAJAMAR
• Emilio Rodríguez-Cerezo. Active Senior Programme. Joint Research Centre. European Commission
• Purificación Lisón. Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Polytechnic University of Valencia. Member of the GMO Network Subgroup NGTs, EFSA

5:15 p.m. Closure

• GENERALITAT VALENCIANA. Eduardo Pascual. Regional Secretary for Innovation
• CDTI.Pilar González. Head of the Department of Institutional Promotion and Territorial Cooperation