CEPLAS brings Crop IB to Germany for the first time

08/04/2025

CEPLAS members participated at the Crop Innovation & Business conference and interacted with experts from the agri-tech and agri-food community.

Speaker and participants in front of the CEPLAS booth

Ernesto Llamas at his pitch and the panel with Ricardo Godinez

Maria von Korff Schmising at the opening

Bart Thomma opened the conference dinner

Guido Grossmann moderated one of the sessions

Wolf Frommer as one of the CEPLAS speakers

For the first time, the international "Crop Innovation & Business Conference" (Crop IB) took place in Germany, with CEPLAS playing a key role in bringing the event to Cologne. As a partner of the conference for the past three years, CEPLAS was involved in organizing this year’s edition in the historic Wolkenburg venue from March 30 to April 1.

Several CEPLAS members actively participated in the conference, engaging in discussions with experts from the global agritech and agrifood industries. The event, now in its 14th edition, brought together leading breeding companies, academic researchers, agricultural technology providers, and industry professionals to explore innovative solutions to current agricultural challenges.

CEPLAS was present with an information booth, offering visitors materials and an informative video about its research and activities. Additionally, numerous CEPLAS members contributed to the event’s diverse program formats. Markus Stetter, Wolf Frommer, and Martin Lercher presented their research in dedicated talks. Maria von Korff Schmising welcomed participants on the first day and delivered a keynote lecture on the importance of exploring natural sources for developing traits for the future. Postdoctoral researcher Ernesto Llamas had the opportunity to pitch his startup idea, Plantman, while CEPLAS Innovation Manager Ricardo Godinez participated in a panel that engaged with the pitch contestants. Furthermore, Guido Grossmann moderated one of the sessions, and Günter Strittmatter took part in the final discussion evaluating the conference. A special highlight was the conference dinner, which was opened by Bart Thomma with a short and humorous speech.

Each year, the Crop IB conference gathers nearly 200 participants from the agri-food industry and academia, particularly in the fields of plant sciences, plant breeding, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and agronomy. It serves as a vital platform for presenting and discussing the latest innovations in these areas while fostering collaborations between academia and the agri-food sector.

Next year, the Crop IB conference will take place in Wageningen from March 29 to 31.

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