Ireland to Host International Ag-Biotech Conference in 2008

The Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference will take place in Ireland for the very first time in August 2008. The conference provides a forum for internationally renowned speakers to address the challenges facing the global biotechnology industry.

A contract securing this event for Ireland has just been signed by Professor Jimmy Burke, Head of Teagasc Crops Research Centre. The conference will run from 24 – 27th August 2008.

Chairman of the 2008 Ag-Biotech conference, Jimmy Burke said: “This conference offers a great platform to showcase our growing life sciences industries. Various technology Foresight reports for Ireland have identified biotechnology as one of the core technologies which our country and Irish industry must now embrace. These reports have also identified the agri-food sector as one that can benefit significantly from the tremendous potential offered by modern developments in biotechnology.”

The conference is the largest agricultural biotech conference in the world and provides a unique opportunity for Irish academia and business sectors to discuss the issues, options and challenges being met by the biotechnology industry.

Jimmy Burke continued saying: “The four-day event will offer participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and hear from a distinguished line-up of internationally-acclaimed speakers. The conference combines the business of science with the latest discoveries and trends in research and technology development, and gives the research and business community opportunities to meet and exchange ideas. Sessions on the challenges and opportunities experienced in Australia, Europe, the US, China and Canada will bring a global perspective to the discussions.”

By its nature, biotechnology has many applications for almost all sectors of the economy, particularly the agri-food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and beverages sectors. It has also the potential to radically improve the entire food production chain and to transform the synthetic chemical manufacturing processes used by Irish-based pharmaceutical plants. The food industry in Ireland is already using biotechnological processes in a wide range of areas and this will increase over the next ten years.

“Environmental and biofuel applications of biotechnology are also very important. As a world class conference, ABIC 2008 is a must-attend event for the industry and those interested in it,” concluded Prof Burke.

The venue for next year’s Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) will be the UCC Campus in Cork City.