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Key topics to be addressed at the 2009 meeting include: New High Throughput technologies - sequencing and screening The continuous and rapid development of High Throughput technologies shapes the future of the agro-food industry. Genome sequencing, re-sequencing and the application of thousands of molecular markers speed up the development of new products and improve quality control. Explore these new technologies and business development strategies. Food quality, safety and nutrigenomics Consumer demand for safety and quality is one of the key drivers for innovation in the food industry. Genomics offer new opportunities for controlling food safety and quality. In addition nutrigenomics is playing a significant role in the growing market of nutraceuticals. Consumers interest in personalized nutrition is the key driver for this growth with new technologies and market applications. A dedicated session will focus on emerging technologies and market strategies in this field. Business models in the AgroFood Industry Business models are crucial factors for successful innovation and for achieving strong market positions. A session about successful business models addresses the question: “Can current models still be applied successfully in the future, or does the changing business environment in the agro-food sector call for alternative strategies? Plant-based economy and biofuels The Bio business is of increasing importance to the world’s economy, with a global market value of 600 billion euro and growth rates between 5-20% per year. Genomics holds the promise to revolutionize the development of new bio-products, such as bio-fuels and plant-based bio-pharmaceuticals. The application of genomics in this field creates exciting challenges and new business opportunities and will be addressed by experts from industry. DNA Diagnostics and biomarkers DNA-based diagnostics is entering a new stage. Every day new discoveries about the genetic base of traits and diseases are made. Progress in this field is fast and furious, and the number of new and complicated genetic and genomic tests for a wide variety of organisms is rapidly increasing. A session on this topic explores the latest technologies ready for commercialization. Enabling technologies that drive the Industry New developments in enabling technologies - from bio-informatics to novel gene technologies - are reshaping the market and play a major role in the future development of the agro-food sector. What implications do these revolutionary innovations have for your organization? Plant breeding traits for the future The knowledge of full genome nucleotide sequences of plant species offers opportunities for the plant breeding industry. Careful selection of genes makes it possible to design crop plants that thrive in particular environments, or have specific valued consumer characteristics. Within only a few years these options will be real. A dedicated session will address new research and commercialization strategies in this field. Health products Health is an important topic in new food trends worldwide and the health food industry is growing fast. Manufacturers and plant cultivation companies are seizing these new opportunities by developing new health products. Industry leaders from both the plant cultivation sector and the food sector will discuss the latest developments. |
