The final conference of the Cropinno project was organised and hosted by the members of the Climate Crops Centre within the Horizon Europe Cropinno project (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-02-01: Stepping up Scientific Excellence and Innovation Capacity for Climate-Resilient Crop Improvement and Production, CROPINNO, Grant Agreement No. 101059784) in Novi Sad, on June 25 – 27, 2025.
The event gathered researchers, project partners, and stakeholders (with special focus on the Western Balkans) to present and evaluate the outcomes of a multi-year initiative aimed at enhancing climate resilience in crops through integrative scientific approaches.
The programme included presentations of the project implementation results, as well as four scientific sessions on Soil and Climate, Breeding for Resilience, Omics Tools, and Future Trends. Highlights included the establishment of training schools, short-term scientific missions (STSMs), and collaborative workshops that strengthened institutional and individual competencies across partner institutions. Partners on the project are UNIVERSITÄT ROSTOCK (UROS) from Germany (Department of Plant Genetics), UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA (UNIPD) from Italy (Department of Agronomy, Animal Food, Natural Resources, and Environment), FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JÜLICH GmbH (FZJ) (Institute for Bio- and Geosciences: IBG-2: Plant Sciences) from Germany, and AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS – INSTITUTO DE AGRICULTURA SOSTENIBLE (CSIC-IAS) from Spain.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity to share results, exchange ideas, and discuss with colleagues. Discussions emphasised the importance of harmonising field-based physiological measurements with molecular data, and several talks explored the role of artificial intelligence and statistical modelling in unlocking hidden patterns of resilience. The conference also spotlighted regional and international collaborations, including contributions from multiple European research centres, along with the Climate Crops Centre, as the key legacy structures to support ongoing innovation and knowledge exchange.
Beyond the scientific programme, it was also a valuable occasion to connect, network, and strengthen collaborations. Overall, it was a truly inspiring and memorable gathering!
To learn more about the CROPINNO project final conference, check the Book of abstracts of the conference.