News published: 09 July 2025

The Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute (KoAGI), in collaboration with the Korea Forest Service and the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute, is pleased to announce the upcoming ‘International CWR Symposium: Towards Participating in Horizon Europe’, scheduled to take place from 9-11 July 2025. Under the theme of ‘Safeguarding the Future of Food Security through Green Biotechnology and Global Cooperation’, the symposium will highlight the conservation and utilization of Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs).

The event will open with keynote speeches by:
⦁ Lise Steffensen, former President of the European Genebank Managers Network and Head of PGRFA Section EUCARPIA, who will speak on “The Value of Crop Wild Relatives for the Future and Their Significance in Genebanks.”
⦁ Devin Dotson, Senior Communications Specialist at the United States Botanic Garden, presenting “The Role of Botanic Gardens in Crop Wild Relatives work.”

The symposium will feature three themed sessions:

Session 1: CWR Conservation in Europe
⦁ “The EcoSeed Project: Impacts of Environmental Conditions on Seed Quality” – Prof. Ilse Kranner, University of Innsbruck
⦁ “Conservation and Use of CWR in the Netherlands in a European context” – Dr. Theo van Hintum, Head of Plant Genetic Resource division, Centre for Genetic Resources, The Netherlands
⦁ “Eco-friendly Breeding Research on CWR in Europe” – Prof. Henrik Vlk Lutken, University of Copenhagen

Session 2: CWR Conservation in North America and Korea
⦁ “Conservation planning and Action for North American Crop Wild” – Colin Khoury, Researcher, New York Botanical Garden
⦁ “Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) Project in South Korea” – Dr. Chae-sun NA, Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute
⦁ “Breeding for Resilience: Utilizing Korean Crop Wild Relatives under Multiple Stresses” – Prof. Jae-yoon KIM, Kongju National University

Session 3: Panel Discussion
Topic: “Strategy for Horizon Europe Application with CWR”
Confirmed panelists include:
Kwanho KIM, Director, Korea Forest Service
Kyung CHOI, Senior Researcher, Korea National Arboretum
Byung Ohg AHN, Head, National Agrobiodiversity Center
Hoseok JEON, Director, National Research Foundation of Korea
Dr. Ilse Kranner, Dr. Theo van Hintum, Mr. Colin Khoury, and Dr. Tomasz Wierzbowski, Head of EURAXESS Korea

The symposium will be held from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (KST) and will be live-streamed via YouTube. The livestream link and detailed agenda can be accessed through the QR code and schedule provided below.

KoAGI President Sang-taek SIM commented, “I hope this symposium will serve as a valuable platform for both domestic and international experts to share research and field insights, ultimately strengthening global cooperation and practical action in forest-based CWR conservation and international joint research.”