1. PlantLink Industrial Mentorship program -deadline extended to 8^th of March

2. Fascination of Plants Day: What to eat in times of crisis – the perspective of innovation and sustainability – 09 May, Lund

Join PlantLink on Fascination of Plants Day on the 9^th of May from 15:15 in the Auditorium “Forum” of Ideon Alpha in Lund! Experts will discuss what we should eat in times of crisis, emphasising innovation and sustainability. After initial panel discussion, the floor will be open to anyone who wants to join! Should we change the species we grow for food? How can we increase sustainability and resilience of crops? Save the date; more information is coming soon!

3. Sign up for the Final NordPlant Annual meeting: The future of plant phenotyping – 22-23 November, Båstad

NordPlant is coming to its sixth and last year! The previous years’ progress around plant phenotyping and modelling for future climates will be summed up, but we will foremost look into the future of plant phenotyping! Speakers and program will be announced later, but please sign up now for a non-binding declaration of interest!

4. Food Science Sweden conference: Research and Innovation for Food Security – 15 March

Food security is high on the agenda due to climate change, COVID-19, and war in Europe. A robust food system is urgently needed, and owners and researchers must collaborate to develop the best practises. Join the discussions at the Food Science Sweden Conference 2023 in Uppsala on the 15^th of March! Registration is closing on the 3^rd of March!
Complete program and sign-up form.

5. ScanOats – 2^nd Food Oats Conference: 19-21 June, Lund

The conference’s theme is Oat fibers, and it will contain sessions about genomics and breeding, processing, health and marketing. Confirmed keynote speakers are: Catherine Howarth (Aberystwyth University, UK), Emilia Nordlund (VTT, Finland), Rickard Landberg (Chalmers, Sweden) and Kristofer Cook (Carbiotix, Sweden). Save the date: 19-21 June in Lund, Sweden. More information is coming soon, follow the ScanOats webpage!

6. 4th PlantEd conference – 18-29 September, Porto

The 4th and final PlantEd conference will take place in Porto, Portugal and will be hosted by the University of Porto from the 18^th to the 29^th of September. More information is coming out soon! Before that, you can read the proposal here.

7. The Plant Biology Europe conference – 3-6 July, Marseille

The Plant Biology Europe conference (meeting of the Federation of European Societies for Plant Biology) will be in Marseille, France, from the 3rd to the 6th of July. There will be a broad range of plant/algal biology topics, including organellar biology and photosynthesis sessions. Don’t hesitate to propose a talk or a poster! Registration is open now!
More information.

8. 6th International Symposium on Gluten-Free Cereal Products and Beverages – 18-20 October, Rome

The GF23 is entitled “Gluten-Free Cereal Products and Beverages: Designing Food for Individual Needs and Choices” and aims to bring together scientists and representatives of academia and the industry working in all fields of gluten-free grain products. The latest findings on coeliac disease research will be presented, and on foods and beverages developed for people who benefit from or consciously choose a gluten-free diet.  The symposium will be in Rome, Italy, from 18 to 20 October, hosted by the Research Centre for Food and Nutrition of CREA, the Italian Council for Agricultural Research and Economics,  and co-organised by ICC.
More information.

9. Jeff Schell International Scientific Fellowships in Agricultural Sciences – deadline 10 April

The Bayer Foundation is seeking exceptional young scientists who aim to increase the impact of their research! Master & PhD students from all fields of natural or data science whose research has fundamental or applied relevance to the crop science industry are eligible for up to 10,000 € funding for an international placement or research projects of up to six months. Click here for more information, and use the application portal to apply. Deadline is the 10^th of April!

10. ELLS courses: MSc in Plant breeding and Postdoc scientific career development in EU

1. MSc course in Plant Breeding: From discovery to implementation – utilising genomics for plant breeding will be hosted by Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland, 11-16 September. The course will show how genomics-based research and the discovery of new genes can fuel plant breeding and biotechnology. Deadline: 18^th of June! More information.
2. Three days intensive courses organised by ELLS ST Research Support Office for junior Postdocs: Navigating Brussels with ELLS 2023 – How can the EU help you to develop your scientific career? 23 – 25 May, in Brussels, Belgium. Deadline: 10^th of March or until places are filled! More information.

11. Congratulations! SASI-SPI grant to the LTV faculty at SLU Alnarp

“Sustainable Agri-Food Systems Intelligence – Science-Policy Interface” (SASI-SPI), is a SLU-led 11.6 M€, a 5-year project for the European Union External Actions represented by the European Commission using a service contract with Agrinatura. This project is part of an initiative co-led together with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where SASI-SPI serves as an academic/scientific interface in the area of sustainable aquatic and agricultural food systems. The project is led by Konstantinos Karantininis from the Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology and Rodomiro Ortiz from the Department of Plant Breeding. The initiative aims to consolidate the results of the agrifood systems assessments and dialogues by providing additional, in-depth, crosscutting analyses and developing innovative approaches, methods and tools but also reinforces multi-stakeholder collaboration vehicles for transitioning to sustainable agrifood systems. Congratulations!

12. Three plant-related events in SASUF Research and Innovation week

South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF) 2030 is a transformative project uniting 40 universities across Sweden and South Africa. See the events below, where PlantLink’s researchers are involved!

1. Monday, March 27 • 11:00 – 16:00 Satellite Event: How can pollinators help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals? (Cape Town – Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gard). More information.
2. Tuesday, March 28 • 09:00 – 12:00 Satellite Event: The status of agricultural biologicals in Southern Africa (Stellenbosch). More information.
3. Thursday, March 30 • 11:45 – 13:00 Remote sensing to meet the UN’s SDGs. More information.

13. Food innovation strategies: perspectives of Sweden Food Arena and Good Food Institute Europe

There is an urgent need to enhance research on plant-based products. PlantLink is happy to announce a newly started collaboration with Sweden Food Arena and Good Food Institute Europe to support research and development in the growing sector of plant-based foods in Sweden. Are you interested in what happened in this field last year? Read the “The Plant-based food chain’s need for investment in innovation and research 2022” by Sweden Food Arena. If you want to know more about animal protein alternatives such as plant-based, cultivated meat and fermentation-made foods, read the Good Food Institute Europe article.

14. Plant-related Docent lectures at SLU Alnarp – 2 March

Kl. 11.00 – Title: Fruit and vegetables – an appetite for sustainable food. The lecture is given by agr.dr. Sara Spendrup, Department of People and Society.

 Kl. 13.30 – Title: On horticulture and sustainable food systems – are details enough? The lecture is given by agr.dr. Fredrik Fernqvist, Department of People and Society.

Click here for more information.

15. Open positions – SLU, Copenhagen, Umeå

SLU
Postdoc in plant-insect interaction.
More information
Licentiate student in agricultural Sciences.
More information
PhD-position in silviculture to evaluate forest regeneration chains.
More information
Postdoc in Sensorik project.
More information
Postdoctoral position in bee behaviour, crop pollination, and biocontrol.
More information
Postdoctoral position (2 years scholarship) within Plant physiology and molecular biology.
More information
Postdoctoral position on Small-RNAs role in Plant-microbe interactions
More information
 
Copenhagen University
Postdoc in plant protein Functionality. More information
Postdoc in plant Proteomics. More information

Umeå University
“Excellence by Choice” Postdoctoral Programme in Life Science. More information

16. Story of success – SolEdits

Mariette Andersson introduces SolEdits, a unique company focusing on potato breeding using CRISPR-Cas9. How does the method work, and who can benefit from the company’s service? Read the interview!

17. PlantLink Researcher in Spotlight – Allison Perrigo

Allison Perrigo is the new director of the Botanical Garden in Lund. Through her fascinating career, Allison experienced various leading positions linked to biodiversity inside and outside academia. What led her into the current position, and what are her future plans in Lund? Read the interview!