Plenary Session
Chair: Prof. Liam Donnelly, Head of Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre.
Location: Boole 4

Eija Pehu, Senior Biotechnology Advisor, World Bank.
The World Bank’s role and activities in agricultural biotechnology  R & D

Coffee and exhibition


Parallel Session I: Crop breeding and genomics
Chair: Prof. Peter Jones, Department of Zoology, Ecology, Plant Science, University College Cork.
Location: Boole 1

Andrew Paterson, Director of Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia, USA.
Comparative genomics - Applications and opportunities for crop enhancement
Willem Stiekema, Director of Centre for Biosystems Genomics, The Netherlands.
The Solanaceae Genome Project (SOL) – biotechnological implications
Dan Milbourne, Plant Biotechnology Unit, Teagasc Crops Research Centre, Carlow, Ireland.
From genomics to breeding – developing and deploying markers for PCN resistance in potato
Ingo Lenk, DLF-TRIFOLIUM A/S, Denmark.
DLF Trifolium, grass genomics & plant biotechnology traits
Susanne Barth, Plant Biotechnology Unit, Teagasc Crops Research Centre, Carlow, Ireland.
Investigations into biomass yield in perennial ryegrass
Anker Sørensen, Manager Applied Research, Keygene N.V., The Netherlands.
Genomics as a service industry - Keygene


Parallel Session II: Plant biotechnology - industry and regulatory perspectives.
Chair: Prof. Fergal O'Gara, Microbiology Department and BIOMERIT Research Centre, University College Cork
Location: Boole 2

Alan Raybould, Syngenta, Bracknell, UK.
Environmental risk assessment of GM crops - an industry perspective
Andrzej Kilian, CEO of Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT P/L), Australia.
DArT- Novel technology & business model for high-throughput genome profiling
Martin Ganal, CEO of Trait Genetics, Germany.
Development and use of molecular markers for plant breeding in field crops and vegetables
Philipe Herve, Exelixis Plant Science, USA.
Does a flat world change the biotechnology fields?
Krista Thomas, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada.
Future Challenges in Agricultural Biotechnology Regulation- a Canadian perspective
Morakot Tanticharoen, National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Thailand.
The national ag-biotech research programme of Thailand


Parallel Session III: Animal genomics and biotechnology
Chair: Prof Dan Bradley, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Sponsor: Identigen
Location: Boole 3

Jerry Taylor, Wurdack Endowed Chair in Animal Genomics, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, USA.
Domestic animal genomes meet animal breeding – translational biology in the ag-biotech sector
Dermot Morris, Animal Bioscience Centre, Teagasc Athenry.
Steroidal and nutritional regulation of key uterine genes and proteins in the cow
Leif Andersson, Uppsala University, Sweden.
The Chicken Genome Project - chicken genomics & biotechnology
Ronan Loftus, Director of Global Commercial Development, Identigen, Ireland.
Animal genomics & diagnostics: DNA-based traceability systems
Alex Evans, Department of Animal Science, University College Dublin.
Applying biotechnologies to understand fertility in cattle
Ruth Hamill, Teagasc, Ashtown Food Research Centre, Ireland.
Analysis of gene expression level and SNP frequencies in crossbred cattle, characterised as divergent for palatability traits


Lunch and UCC hosting event for trade delegates


Parallel Session I: Molecular pharming
Chair: Prof. Philip Dix, NUI Maynooth.
Location: Boole 1

Nigel Jenkins, Principal Investigator,  National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Ireland.
Biomanufacturing in mammalian cells – challenges and opportunities
Charles Arntzen, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona, USA.
Molecular pharming in plants - a disruptive technology for the mammalian production-based  pharma sector?
Rainer Fischer, Executive Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Germany.
Plant cell culture-based production platforms - The IME experience
Lokesh Joshi, National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, NUI Galway, Ireland.
Molecular Pharming and Glycosylation
Gilbert Gorr, Greenovation Biotech Gmbh, Germany.
Molecular pharming of therapeutics in the moss bioreactor
Maurice Moloney, SemBioSys Genetics Inc., Canada.
SemBioSys: Novel approaches for commercial molecular pharming: Reducing the costs of human insulin   


Parallel Session II: Plant genetics and trait improvement
Chair: Dr. Charles Spillane, Genetics and Biotechnology Lab., University College Cork.
Location: Boole 2

Michael Metzlaff, Research Liaison Manager, Bayer Crop Science, Germany.
Bayer Crop Science biotech traits & technologies for future ag-sustainability
Oliver Ratcliffe, Vice President of Research, Mendel Biotechnology Inc., USA.
Mendel Biotechnology's R & D - genetic switches for enhancing plant growth, metabolism and stress responses
Ueli Grossniklaus, Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Genetics and epigenetics of apomixis technology development
Dani Zamir, Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Natural variation, QTLs & fruit biotechnology
Roger Hellens, Science Leader - Fruit Genomics, Hortresearch, New Zealand.
Improving fruit quality through plant gene discovery and functional genomics
Hagai Karchi, Co-founder of Evogene, Israel.
Genes controlling yield and yield stability - Evogene's ATHLETE (Agro Trait Harvest LEads TEchnology)


Parallel Session III: Ag-biotech and developing countries
Chair: Prof. David McConnell, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Sponsored by: European Action on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES)

Wayne Powell, Director of National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), UK & Chair of CGIAR Generation Challenge Program.
Crop Genomics & the CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme
Joe Tohme, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
Crop genetics & biotechnology for combating hidden hunger micronutrient deficiencies – Harvest Plus
Melinda Smale, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington DC, USA.
Crop biotechnology benefits to smallholders? - Perceptions and evidence
Robert Tripp, Overseas Development Institute, UK.
Transgenic crops and resource poor farmers. The case of Bt cotton
Ed Rege, Biotechnology Theme Director, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya.
Animal biotechnology research for poverty reduction in Africa
Noel Murphy, Molecular Parasitology Lab., NUI Maynooth, Ireland.
Strategic co-operation and new partnerships for combating diseases of poverty