BIOVEGEN, CAJAMAR and CTAEX bring together more than 40 experts to talk about genetic improvement in plant production

On March 9, 2017, the conference "Trends in genetic improvement in fruit and vegetable production" was held, organized jointly by CTAEX, CAJAMAR and BIOVEGEN. The event, which took place at the Extremadura Fair Institution – FEVAL in Don Benito (Badajoz), brought together more than 40 professionals from the sector, including researchers, companies and financing entities.

The event served to show the new technological trends in plant biology and its possibilities, the added value that research brings to the economic activity of the private sector of plant production and how this can stimulate the private sector to undertake R&D activities and collaborations. with public research centers. Financing and assistance tools in the development of R&D projects were also shown, such as those offered by CDTI and the BIOVEGEN platform. 

Furthermore, in order to strengthen science-business relations and the development of R&D projects to enhance the competitiveness of the sector, attendees had the opportunity to mobilize R&D proposals and hold bilateral meetings with interested companies or researchers. Several meetings were also held with an expert from the CDTI (the main Spanish public agency for financing business R&D) with the aim of analyzing the innovation interests of the companies requesting the meeting.

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Program and presentations of the day

10:00 a.m. Welcome

• José Luis Llerena Ruiz. Director of CTAEX
• Manuel Gomez Parejo. General Director of FEVAL
• José Luis Iglesias Quirós. Director of the Cajamar Caja Rural office in Mérida
• Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna Gutiérrez. BIOVEGEN Platform Coordinator

Block I FINANCING

10:15 a.m. BIOVEGEN as a catalyst for R&D projects

• Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna Gutiérrez. BIOVEGEN Coordinator

10:35 a.m. CDTI financing opportunities for companies in the plant production sector

• Carlos Franco Alonso. Department of Health, Bioeconomy, Climate and Natural Resources. CDTI

Block II APPLIED SCIENCE

10:50 a.m. Genetic improvement programs in crops in the Jerte Valley

• Margarita Lopez Corrales. Project coordinator in the fruit growing area. CICYTEX

11:20 a.m. R&D tools: Application of genetic improvement in the production of tomato, tobacco, almond trees and stevia

• Inocencio Blanco Martín. Responsible for R&D projects in the agriculture area. CTAEX
• Lorena Zajara Serrano. Responsible for R&D projects in the agriculture area. CTAEX

11:45 a.m. Rest

Block III COMPANY

12:00 p.m. Examples of public-private collaboration in genetics and plant improvement

• R&D in citrus fruits: CITRUSEQ-CITRUSGENN project. Carlos Baixauli. Cajamar Experience Center

• TANY NATURE. Mario Horrillo. R&D Department. Tany Nature

• FRUIT.  Andrew Stewart. R&D Department. fruitarian

1:00 p.m. Colloquium

1:30 p.m. Conclusions and closing