📅 Date: 26 March 2024
⏰ Time: 09:00 – 10:30 CET
📍 Online Event

As climate change accelerates and food demands grow, ensuring climate-resilient crops is essential for feeding the world while protecting the planet. But how can we harness innovation to make agriculture more sustainable?

New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) offer a fast, precise, and powerful alternative to traditional breeding. They have the potential to:
🌿 Develop resilient crops that can withstand climate challenges
♻️ Reduce the environmental impact of farming
🧬 Act as biological factories for valuable molecules, such as therapeutic proteins

However, beyond the science, consumer perception is key. How do people feel about gene-edited food? What can be done to build trust in these emerging technologies?

This B-Trust Masterclass, organised in collaboration with the DARWIN Project, will explore both the scientific advancements and the societal dialogue needed to ensure acceptance and transparency in biotechnology.

🔎 Programme Overview

🔹 09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome & Introduction
Susanne Baden Jørgensen, Senior International Manager, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark

🔹 09:05 – 09:25 | Can New Genomic Techniques Foster a Sustainable and Fair Food System?
Presentation of the DARWIN Project and its work on detection methods for NGT products.
🗣️ Odd-Gunnar Wikmark, Research Director, Gene Technology, Environment and Society at NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, and Project Coordinator of the DARWIN Project

🔹 09:25 – 09:45 | New Breeding Techniques (CRISPR) – New Frontiers of Seed Innovation
🗣️ Nils Elmegaard, Senior Consultant, Danish Agriculture & Food Council/Danish Seed Association

🔹 09:45 – 10:05 | Exploring Consumer Acceptance of Food from New Genomic Techniques
Findings from a DARWIN survey in Germany and Spain.
🗣️ Laura Krumm, Doctoral Researcher, Justus-Liebig Universität, Germany

🔹 10:05 – 10:25 | Takeaways from Co-Creation Workshops in B-Trust
How stakeholder engagement is shaping biotechnology governance.
🗣️ Veerle Rijckaert & Charlotte Boone, Co-Founders, Alice Down the Rabbit Hole

🔹 10:25 – 10:30 | Wrap-up & Closing
Susanne Baden Jørgensen, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark

At B-Trust, we believe in fostering public trust in biotechnology through co-creation and transparent communication. This Masterclass, in collaboration with DARWIN, is an opportunity to explore cutting-edge innovations while addressing societal concerns about gene-edited crops.

🔗 Register here

📢 Join the conversation and help shape the future of food and farming! 🚀🌾