Participation at CROP IB conference in Wageningen
© Guido Grossmann
CEPLAS members and TRANSPLANT innovation managers attended the Crop Innovation & Business Conference (CROP IB), where they engaged with an international community from the agrifood and crop innovation sectors. The conference brought together academia, CEOs, founders, executives, investors, researchers, startup representatives, and other industry experts, creating a valuable space for exchange across science, innovation, and business.
The 2026 edition of CROP IB took place from March 29 to 31 in Wageningen, the Netherlands, and was hosted by Wageningen University & Research. As a conference partner, CEPLAS helped organize the event, which was held under the theme, “New Frontiers: Exploring breakthroughs in technologies, talent, startups, and crops that will define the future of crop innovation.”
As an international conference at the intersection of science, technology, and business in plant breeding and innovative crops, CROP IB brought together more than 200 participants from academia and the agrifood industry, particularly in the fields of plant sciences, plant breeding, biotechnology, bioinformatics, and agronomy. The event provided an important platform for presenting new developments, discussing current agricultural challenges and opportunities for adoption, and strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
CEPLAS was actively represented throughout the conference. PhD student Kumsal Çolpan participated in the session “Engineering Plants of Tomorrow.” Thomas Hartwig contributed to the session “Domestication Reimagined: Speed Breeding and Novel Crops.” CEPLAS Postdoc Simon Zumkeller participated in the panel “AI and Machine Learning in Plant Breeding,” which was moderated by Ricardo Godínez Moreno. This session highlighted the productive exchange between startups, industry, and academia and showed how these communities are collectively advancing innovation in plant breeding.
From an entrepreneurial perspective, HHU scientist, and entrepreneur Milan Župunski presented AquaBoostNano during the plenary pitch program. The startup is closely connected to CEPLAS through contributions from Guido Grossmann and the support of Ricardo Godínez Moreno through TRANSPLANT.
These contributions, together with the CEPLAS-TRANSPLANT presence at the information booth at CRPOP IB, led by Christina Kothes, underscored the cluster’s active role in linking scientific research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Overall, CROP IB 2026 highlighted the importance of connecting science, innovation, and business to address the future of agriculture. CEPLAS’s strong presence at the conference as partner, contributor, exhibitor, and participant reflected its active role in advancing plant science, supporting entrepreneurship, and strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.