The final conference is coming up! From 27-29 June 2022, MicrobiomeSupport will hold its final event in form of a 3-day on-site conference in Brussels before it officially ends its activities at the end of October. We are very excited to welcome you in-person after a long time.

In keeping with its mission to guide the creation of a sustainable and circular, microbiome-based bioeconomy, MicrobiomeSupport’s final conference entitled “Paving the Microbiome Way for Improved Food Systems” will provide unique insights into how microbiomes can deliver sustainable and innovative solutions that create significant positive impacts on our food systems.

The event will feature top speakers representing different stakeholder groups, including representatives from the scientific community who inform about the latest state of research in different types of environments (soil, plants, aquatic environments, animals, humans, etc.), as well as governmental and institutional representatives discussing new policy approaches and the economic and public health importance of microbiomes.

Furthermore, highlights from the project will be presented by the project coordinator Angela Sessitsch, and the four Microbiome Innovation Actions who have been working under the umbrella of MicrobiomeSupport will provide insights into the efforts that have been put into delivering greater impact on microbiomes in the food system.

Last but not least, with speakers and invitees travelling from across the globe, the event will offer a chance to engage in nationwide and global networking.

Register here

Programme

27 June, Monday

Microbiomes: The big picture

  • 16:00  Welcome and Opening, Angela Sessitsch, MicrobiomeSupport coordinator, Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria
  • 16:15  Plenary lecture: Microbiomes from an economic perspective. Justus Wesseler, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
  • 16:45  Plenary lecture: Food systems microbiomes and technologies for the Circular Biobased Industry. Lene Lange, LLa Bioeconomy, Denmark
  • 17:30  Networking reception

28 June, Tuesday

  • 09:00 Plenary lecture: Emerging Frontiers and Computational Challenges of Microbiome Research. Gail Rosen, Drexel University, USA

Microbiomes for primary production and environmental health

  • 09:30  R&I to tap into the potential of microbiomes in primary production. Gisela Quaglia, DG Agri
  • 09:50  Soil microbiomes in primary production and environmental health: challenges and opportunities. Alberto Orgiazzi, Joint Research Center, European Commission
  • 10:10  Plant microbiomes in primary production and environmental health: challenges and opportunities. Angela Sessitsch, Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria
  • 10:30  Animal microbiomes in primary production and environmental health: challenges and opportunities. Antton Alberdi, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 10:50  Coffee break

Microbiomes for food security, safety and implications on human health

  • 11:15  Development of microbiome health research funding from the EU political perspective.
  • 11:35  FAO’s perspective on the microbiomes for food security and nutritionKaren Callens, FAO
  • 11:55  Microbiomes and food security. Linda Kinkel, University of Minnesota, USA
  • 12:05  Microbiomes and food safety. Martin Wagner, FFoQSI, Austria
  • 12:45  Lunch break

Putting research into practice – MicrobiomeSupport & the Innovation Actions

  • 14:00  MicrobiomeSupport highlights. Angela Sessitsch, Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria
  • 14:30  From research to products: Microbiome innovation partnerships to solve major societal challenges. Magdalena Gajdzinska, European Commission, DG RTD
  • 14:30  Upcoming microbiome applications for better food systems
    • CIRCLES. Marco Candela, University of Bologna, Italy
    • HoloFood. Antton Alberdi, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
    • MASTER. Tanja Kostic, Austrian Institute of Technology, Austria
    • SIMBA. Anne Pihlanto, LUKE, Finland
  • 15:30  Coffee break

The role of food system microbiomes to address current challenges

  • 16:00   Food systems microbiomes to secure food self-sufficiency, resilience and sustainability
  • 16:15   Roundtable discussion
  • 17:10   Closure of day

29 June, Wednesday

Microbiomes for the blue bioeconomy

  • 09:10   Developments in the All-Atlantic Marine Microbiome. Margaret Rae, EU Co-Chair AORA Microbiome Working Group
  • 09:20   A dip in the blue: exploring fish microbiome for a sustainable future of aquaculture. Grazia Marina Quero, Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology, National Research Council of Italy, Italy
  • 09:40  The role of the microbiome in seaweed cultivation. Erik Malta, CTAQUA, Spain

Microbiomes for the bioeconomy

  • 10:10  Microbial consortia and biotech applications. Manuel Porcar, University of Valencia, Spain
  • 10:30  Making microbiomes robust for the bioeconomy. Hauke Harms, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany
  • 10:50  Coffee break

Global microbiome research: opportunities & challenges (IBF Session)

  • 11:20   USA
  • 11:35   Canada
  • 11:50   Australia
  • 12:05   New Zealand
  • 12:20   India
  • 12:35   Lunch break
  • 13:30   South Africa
  • 13:45   Argentina
  • 14:00   Brazil
  • 14:15  Closing lecture by John Bell, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
  • 15:00  Closure

More speakers to be announced soon!