ICABR Conference 2026 - Call for Abstract Submissions

30th Annual Conference

The Bioeconomy Transformation in Transition:
Past Successes, Current Challenges, and Future Prospects

In 1997, a small group of academics and officials of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened to discuss the emergence of agricultural biotechnology and the role and impact of intellectual property rights. The following year, a larger group was invited to participate in further discussions on intellectual property rights and agricultural biotechnology innovations. Recognizing the importance of continuing these conversations and discussions resulted in the formation of the International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research, which organized annual conferences under this name until the name was changed in 2010 to the International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research.

Thirty years of conferences, conversations, and discussions have provided an incredible wealth of evidence, information, and knowledge. Indeed, a 2014 research collection of the Top 50 articles on biotechnology, agriculture, and development identified that 47 of the 50 were publications that were first presented at ICABR conferences. The ICABR has a wealthy history of cutting edge presentations and looks to continue that with the 2026 conference.

The 30^th ICABR conference will offer numerous expert keynote presentations. Confirmed speakers include:

Standford Blade – Deputy Director General-Research and Innovation of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, India
Carlo Carraro – President Emeritus at the University of Venice, Italy
Louise Fresco – Former President of Wageningen University, Netherlands
Mary Maxon – Executive Vice President at Carnegie Sciences, USA
Emily Rees – President and CEO of CropLife International, USA
Johan Swinnen – Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute
Riccardo Valentini – Nobel Laureate at the University of Tuscia, Italy

In addition to these speakers, panel sessions on the following topics are being planned:

Access and benefit sharing regimes within the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Convention on Biological Diversity
Funding scientific research and development
Future of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Scientific fraud and publication retractions

The 2026 ICABR conference promises to be interesting and informative. To complement the keynote speakers and panel sessions, the conference invites the submission of research papers and panel proposals that relate to the following themes.

Conference Themes

1. Innovation at Work

For economies to be able to advance and grow, innovations have to be economical and efficient. Bioeconomy and biotechnology innovations have continually entered some markets over the previous decades, but been prohibited in other markets. For innovation to flourish, the efficiency of multiple factors along the innovation pipeline is required. Submissions within this theme could include, but are not limited to, the following:

Examples of successful public-private R&D or commercialization partnerships.
Barriers that restrict innovation pipeline efficiency or reduce commercialization.
Integrating emerging technologies into successful innovation, such as AI, big data analysis, gene editing, etc.
Evidence of successful bioeconomy or biotechnology product or process adoption.

2. Challenges Facing Innovative Research

Innovation pipelines are fraught with challenges, from declining funding to outdated regulations to consumer concerns. Declining public sector funding is an increasingly common challenge in most countries, while regulatory uncertainty restricts private sector investments. Challenges exist along the entire innovation pipeline. Submissions within this theme could include, but are not limited to, the following:

Policy and regulation revisions that could contribute to improved innovation successes.
Impacts of tariffs on commodity markets and trade.
Movement away from rules-based trade.
Role of bilateral agreements.
Impacts of deliberate misinformation and disinformation campaigns.

3. Opportunities for Improving Innovation

Innovations range from incremental to transformative, but regardless of their impact, without them, improvements become virtually impossible. Past reflections and analysis of previous policies and innovations confirm the beneficial outcomes. Navigating the advancement of innovations is only going to increase in importance. Submissions within this theme could include, but are not limited to, the following:

Rising the role and dynamics of international agreements and institutions.
Increased integrations between food and health.
Areas where harmonization contributes to improved efficiencies.

Submission Formats

I. Selected papers

Rising the role and dynamics of international agreements and institutions.
Increased integrations between food and health.
Areas where harmonization contributes to improved efficiencies.

II. Case Studies

Case studies should assess a discrete technology, within a defined setting, providing for a robust assessment of the resulting impacts. Case study submissions should clearly outline what is being assessed, what the control is, the time frame and data collection method.

III. Panel Proposals and Organized Sessions

Submissions need to identify the focus and objective of the panel or the session, as well as confirmed or proposed panelists/speakers. Submissions should identify what each panelist/speaker will be presenting. Abstracts of up to 400 words should be submitted, highlighting the objectives of the session and the importance of the information. Proposals that do not reflect a diversity of panelists will be rejected.

Important Dates & Information

Conference fees

	Early Bird (Until April 30th)	Full Rate (as of May 1st)
Academic	€600	€750
Developing country attendee	€300	€400
Grad student	€300	€400
Accompanying person (includes Welcome Reception and Gala Dinner)	€200	TBA

Submissions will also be invited for oral presentations of 15-20 minutes in length. Presenters will only be allowed to make one presentation.

Colleagues are encouraged to submit abstracts of 200 words, for posters, papers or proposals for organized sessions (3-4 presenters) by logging into or creating an account on ConfTool.