Upcoming events

Former events

Workshop : Science and risk communication of GM crops - Ghent - December, 8 2011. A workshop with international experts including media training from Frank Burnett.   Program

Symposium : Sustainable Agriculture for an Innovative Economy: Opportunities for Brazil and Belgium. - Ghent -October 7, 2011.  IPBO, founded by biotech pioneer Marc Van Montagu, organized a symposium about cooperation between Belgium and Brazil in biotech. Aim is to foster the translation of fundamental plant science research into innovative applications for agriculture, cleaner chemical industry and mitigation of environmental impacts in both countries.  More info

International Conference and Exhibition : Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa: Fostering Innovation -  Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, 13-15 May 2011.  Speakers include JeffreySachs (Columbia University), Juma Calestous (Harvard University) and Professor Rober Paarlberg a Harvard Fellow.

4th Meeting of the Flanders-UNIDO Risk Assessment Research Network (FURARN) - Ieper: 27-28 April 2011.

One-day Symposium : The Plant- Microbial Fuel Cell - Ghent, February 10, 2011.  Organized by the University of Ghent, as part of one of their European collaborative projects. Venue : Auditorium OEHOE, Campus Coupure 653, Gent.
Open for participation to everybody who is interested in contributing with a poster or for who wants to interact with other colleagues.
Updates, information on invited speakers and other information can be found on the website: www.plantpower.eu

Workshop : Support systems for risk assessment of GM Crops - Buenos Aires: 19 November 2010     The Flanders-UNIDO Risk Assessment Research Network (FURARN) organised a workshop "Support systems for risk assessment of GM crops", at the 11th International Symposium of Genetically Modified Organisms (ISBGMO). This symposium is the yearly conference of the International Society of Biosafety Research (ISBR) which is presided by Dr. Patrick Rüdelsheim.

Stakeholder Meeting on bio-fuels and bio-materials - China: 1-3 November 2010 : The International Industrial Biotechnology Network (IIBN) in association with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Austria, held a Stakeholder Meeting on bio-fuels and bio-materials in Nanning, Guangxi, China.

more events >>

Scientific symposium : the contribution of recent scientific developments in the evaluation of risk assessments of GMOs - Brussels, October 22, 2010. Organized by The Division of Biosafety and Biotechnology of the Scientific Institute of public health (SBB) and held in the frame of the Belgian Presidency of the European Union. Detailed programme : http://symposiumRA.biosafety.be

Listen  to Marc Van Montagu's talk at the Académie Royale de Belgique on 18 Sept 2010, entitled: "De la sécurité alimentaire à l’industrie verte : contributions des sciences de la vie."

STCU Round table "Expert Workshop on Modern Genetic Engineering and Biosafety" - IPBO: 1-4 July 2010
A round table "Expert Workshop on Modern Genetic Engineering and Biosafety", was organized by the Institute Plant Biotechnology Outreach (IPBO, University Ghent, Belgium) and the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) and held at the Plant Systems Biology Department of the University Ghent, Belgium. read more

Talk by Prof. Marc Van Montagu :  FEBS Science and Society Committee - Biofuels are more than fuels" - Ghent, 27 June 2010. Prof. Marc Van Montagu talked about "A brief discussion on EtOH production".

Talk by Prof. Lieve Gheysen : “RNAi for research and applications in plant nematode interactions” - June 9, 2010, at the 12th World Congress of the International Association for Plant Biotechnology (IAPB) and the 2010 In Vitro Biology Meeting of the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB).

Presentation by Prof. Lieve Gheysen at the Dag van de Biotechnologie - Ghent, Saturday, June 26, 2010 "Toepassingen van plantenbiotechnologie, ook voor ontwikkelingslanden?"

Seminar : Pharma Research, Development and Innovation Related to Brazilian Biodiversity - IPBO: 10 May 2010
Em. Prof. Dr. A. Paes de Carvalho, Exec President and CEO EXTRACTA Moléculas Naturais S/A, gave a seminar entitled "Bio-diversity related bio-enterprise development in Brazil" (summary).  presentations

Talk by Prof. Lieve Gheysen : Genetic Enigneering - The Rotary club - May 3, 2010

Conference : Opening Lecture Prof. Marc Van Montagu : "GM-Plants as cornerstone for sustainable development" (mpg 600 MB) -  Managua, April 21, 2010. lecture for V CONGRESO NICARAGÜENSE DE BIOTECNOLOGÍA, V Nicaraguan Biotech Conference

Inauguration of the launch of IIBN, the International Industrial Biotechnology Network in Vienna, Austria.
March 29, 2010.

Mini-symposium : Trends in Communication and Regulation of Green Biotechnology  - Ghent, January 20, 2010.  presentations

Book : “More Sustainable Food: Genetically Modified Seeds in Organic Farming”. The book by Prof. Merxte de Renobales Scheifler (University of the Basque Country, Spain) was awarded in 2009 with the Bioethics Prize “House of Representatives of the Principality of Asturias – International Society of Bioethics (SIBI). It argues that organic farmers should embrace GM crops. It can also be downloaded in Spanish: "Alimentos más sostenibles": Las semillas transgénicas en la agricultura ecológica"

The Royal Society has published the report of a landmark study examining the contribution of the biological sciences to food crop production. Reaping The Benefits

Launch of the International Industrial Biotechnology Network. On 29 March the International Industrial Biotechnology Network (IIBN) was officially launched in Vienna, during a symposium organised by UNIDO and UGent. This network will facilitate the access to and development of biotechnology. Nobel Prize winners Richard Roberts and Werner Arber were also present at the launch.

Mini-symposium : Trends in Communication and Regulation of Green Biotechnology - IPBO Wednesday,  January 20, 2010.  presentations 

International Workshop on the Toxico-Nutritional Neurodegenerations Konzo and Lathyrism - (poster) - Ghent -  September  21st and 22nd 2009. This international workshop was organized by Prof. Fernand Lambein in collaboration with Dr. Howard Bradbury, National  University, Canberra, Australia. The group photo of the participants is now available in jpg (240kb) or ppt (1.4mb) format.

International Workshop : the Toxico-Nutritional Neurodegenerations Konzo and Lathyrism - Ghent, September 2009.  This workshop was organized by Prof. Fernand Lambein. The group photo of the participants is now available in jpg (240kb) or ppt (1.4mb) format.
 

Advanced course :  Modern Breeding Techniques for Improvement of Leguminous Crops - IPBO Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - Friday, August 28, 2009. Organized in cooperation with Hogent and ILVO.

Forum de discussion : La patate douce modifiée génétiquement - Gand, Vendredi 17 avril, 2009.  Discussion organisé conjointement par l’Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Burundi (ISABU), le Centre International de la Pomme de Terre (CIP), et « Institut de Biotechnologie Végétale pour les Pays en Voie de Développement (IPBO), Gand, Hôtel Amahoro, de 14 à 18 heures, Vendredi 17 Avril, 2009. Programme

Co-operative Research Programme conference : Challenges for Agricultural Research,  Prague, April 7-8, 2009.  Talk of Em. Prof. Dr. Marc Van Montagu on April 7th on "Plants for the Future".
Preliminary Programme

EULAFF International Workshop : Opportunities for new functional food, healthcare and wellness products from Latin American Biodiversity - Ghent, December 8-9, 2008.

Postgraduate distance learning on Plant Biotechnology Biosafety - IPBO - started October 2007
IPBO joint the UNIDO led Biosafety Consortium intended to strengthen the capacity of national regulatory systems and industry to implement the provisions of international agreements and conventions relevant to biotechnology. Ghent University accreditation at postgraduate level.

Advanced Course in Modern Breeding Techniques - Ghent, August 14-23, 2007.
Chairman : Marc Van Montagu. Coordinators : Nancy Terryn, Godelieve Gheysen.

International Workshop Increasing Tolerance To Abiotic Stress In Plants “Drought Stress" - Gent -  October 30-31, 2006.

Third summerschool for Biosafety of Agricultural Biotechnology - Ghent, July 31 - August 11 2006.   Sponsored by VLIR (Flemish Interuniveristy Council).
Chairman Prof .em. Marc van Montagu
Organisers: Willy De Greef; Piet van Der Meer; Nancy Terryn The selection of the scholarships for this year’s summer course has been done. Again the response was overwhelming with close to 150 applications. Due to extra funding we are able to give 19 scholarships. Issues that have been taken into account for the selection where amongst others, the priority of your country for our donor development cooperation, an even distribution over the world of the scholarships, age, background, whether colleagues of your institute or lab had already been here for the course, etc.

Summer course 2005: ‘Biosafety Assessment and Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnology’, in collaboration with Cali (CIAT), Ghent, 2005 

Mini-symposium: ‘Therapeutics from plants’, in collaboration with PSB, Ghent, 2004

Summer course 2004: ‘Biosafety Assessment and Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnology’, Ghent, 2004

Mini-symposium: ’Plant Biotechnology and Developing Countries’, in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science, Brussels, 2003.

Session at the European Parliament, in collaboration with EuropaBio and EPSO, Brussels, 2003.

Inauguration IPBO on 13 June 2000

ISAAA's new biotech video "Clive James Speaks" articulates the staggering growth of biotech crops from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 134 million hectares in 2009  the 80-fold increase in adoption of biotech crops. The video features a clear trend in the growth of biotech crops in favor of developing countries as compared to industrial countries. In 2009, some 16 of 25 biotech crop growing countries were developing countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America which planted almost as large an area of biotech crops as the 9 industrial biotech crop countries.
"Clive James Speaks" shares the success of biotech crops in the first decade of commercialization of biotech crops from 1996 to 2005 and elucidates the path of achieving a target of biotech crop adoption to
200 million hectares by 20 million farmers in 40 countries by 2015  the second decade of commercializing biotech cropscoinciding with the UN Millennium Developing Goals (MDG). In the same vein, the video also
highlights the adoption, impact and future of biotech crops globally.

PSB ranks number one among plant science centers worldwide.
In a benchmark study by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, Australia, the VIB Department of Plant System Biology, UGent came out as the best plant research institute, worldwide.

IIBN was featured in the global news section of University World News, an online global higher education publication focusing on international higher education news and analysis, developments, events and announcements based in the UK.