𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟮

In this final episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, we explore a fascinating model of agricultural innovation — where farmers lead the entire value chain, from breeding to global markets.

Hosted at the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), this conversation with Marleen de Rond-Schouten (Director of Agro & Strategy at Royal Avebe) and Nuria Fernández Urquía (Vice President of the CPVO) reveals how a fully integrated, grower-owned cooperative approaches breeding, sustainability and innovation.

From developing disease-resistant and climate-adapted varieties to reducing inputs and exploring new genomic techniques, the episode highlights how combining science, strategy and collaboration can drive long-term impact in agriculture.

It also examines how business models, intellectual property and global demand shape the future of plant breeding — showing that innovation is not only about technology, but about how the entire system works together.

In this episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, Alanna Rennie (Chief Legal Officer at BLOOM FRESH) and Montserrat García - Moncó (Head of Unit Legal and Governance at the Community Plant Variety Office) discuss what it takes to bring new fruit varieties to market, from long-term breeding investment to global licensing and enforcement.

From flavour innovation and disease resistance to harvested material protection, provisional protection challenges and the role of DNA testing in court, the discussion offers a practical look at how the plant variety right system operates — and where it may need to evolve.

A conversation about long-term investment, legal certainty and making intellectual property effective across border

In this episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, CPVO trainees Sara Juarez (Communication) and Sofia Savoldi (Legal) share their experience of working inside a European agency.

The conversation explores daily life as a trainee, the projects they support, the skills they develop, and how communication and legal work contribute to the CPVO’s mission of supporting innovation in plant breeding across Europe.

A practical and personal insight into learning, responsibility and professional growth within an EU public service environment.

In this episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, Dr. Ana Wünsch Blanco (CITA Aragón / EEAD-CSIC), Dr. Afif Hedhly (CITA Aragón / EEAD-CSIC) and Juan Antonio Vives Valles (University of the Balearic Islands, seconded to the CPVO) discuss the discovery of an “ever-growing” sweet cherry that does not enter winter dormancy.

The conversation explores the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind dormancy, chilling requirements in fruit trees, climate adaptation in Mediterranean production systems, and the implications for long-term breeding strategies.

A focused discussion on how fundamental research, climate pressures and plant variety protection intersect to shape the future of fruit innovation.

In this episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, Alain Meilland (Meilland International) and Jean Maison from the Community Plant Variety Office discuss how innovation in ornamental plant breeding is supported by long-term investment, creativity and plant variety protection.

The conversation explores how new rose varieties are developed from the first breeding idea to international commercialisation, the risks associated with unprotected or infringed varieties, and how licensing and enforcement are managed across global markets.

A focused discussion on how breeding expertise, intellectual property and market dynamics shape innovation in the ornamental sector.

In this episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, Nuria Urquia Fernandez (CPVO Vice-President), Peter Visser (Global Head of Crops R&D at BASF | Nunhems) and Peter Ogg (BASF | Nunhems) discuss how innovation in vegetable breeding is shaped by long-term strategy, market demands, plant variety protection and new genomic techniques.

The conversation explores genetic diversity and resilience traits, enforcement challenges, access to genetic resources and the evolving role of NGTs in breeding.

A focused discussion on how science, regulation and industry collaboration are shaping the future of vegetable innovation.

In this new episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, CPVO accounting colleagues take us behind the scenes of what accounting really looks like inside a European agency — and why it matters far beyond “just numbers.”

The conversation explores how sound financial management supports CPVO’s mission; the role of controls, audits and risk management; how budgets are planned and executed; and how accounting contributes to transparency, trust and good governance across the organisation.

#CPVO #Accounting #EUAgencies #Governance #PublicFinance #Transparency #SeedsOfTomorrow

In this new episode of Seeds of Tomorrow – The Next Chapter, Annamaria Sideri, Head of the People & Resources Unit, and Tiago Sousa, Head of Human Resources at the CPVO, discuss what HR looks like inside a European agency working at the crossroads of innovation, science and intellectual property.

The conversation explores why HR is a strategic function in a specialised EU Office; how the CPVO attracts and retains talent with rare technical expertise; and how skills development and workplace culture support organisational performance and innovation in plant breeding across Europe.

In this new episode, Dr. Jocelyn Bosse, Intellectual Property expert at Queen’s University Belfast, sits down with Montserrat García-Moncó Fuente, Head of the Legal Unit at the CPVO, to unpack the legal dynamics shaping plant variety protection today.The discussion touches on current legal challenges in enforcing and interpreting plant variety rights; how IP frameworks encourage innovation and support breeders across Europe; and emerging trends in IP law — from new breeding technologies to digitalisation — and what they may mean for plant breeders and the CPVO. An insightful exchange between two experts on how law, innovation, and plant breeding continue to evolve together.

In today’s episode, Pat Fitzgerald, an Irish ornamental breeder and entrepreneur, shares his journey from the greenhouse to the global market — and how decades of plant breeding experience have shaped his view of innovation and protection.We will explore the following questions: What does it take to bring a new variety to life? What are the challenges that breeders face in a competitive and fast-changing environment? How intellectual property can help transform ideas into lasting impact? Today’s guests:

Pat Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO of Beotanics;

Nuria Urquia, Vice President at the CPVO;

Alessio De Laurentiis, Communication Officer at the CPVO (Moderator).