This year the annual symposium of the BeNeLux Society for Horticultural Science (BNL SHS) will be devoted to Intellectual Property Rights in Horticulture. It will be held on 26 May 2011 in the Scelta Institute in Venlo, in the south-east of the Netherlands.
Convener is Dr. Niels Louwaars (Wageningen UR).
The morning session will focus on breeder’s rights in international perspective; speakers will be Bart Kiewiet, President of the Community Plant Variety Office, Angers; Jaap Kras, editor of FloraCulture International, Amsterdam; and ArndJan van Wijk, senior project manager, Variety-Testing Department, Naktuinbouw, Roelofarendsveen.
The afternoon session will concentrate on breeder’s rights versus patent rights with presentations by Niels Louwaars, biopolicies specialist of the Centre for Genetic Resources The Netherlands, Wageningen University and Research Centre; Anke van den Hurk, Plantum.nl; and Joep Lambalk, managing director of Enza Seeds Research and Development.
Orlando de Ponti, immediate past-president of the International Seed Federation, will chair the symposium.
Following the symposium a visit by bus and chair lift to the grounds of Floriade 2012 will be possible. Paul Beck, director of Floriade, will give an introduction to this visit. Floriade is the World Horticultural Expo staged once every ten years in the Netherlands. During the period from April until mid-October 2012, the sixth edition of Floriade will be held in Venlo. The Visitor Centre will open on 19 May 2011.
Download the Symposium Programme
Download a route description to the Scelta Institute
The cost of the symposium will be € 30 for members of the BeNeLux SHS and students and € 50 for non-members, lunch included. In addition, the visit to the Floriade will cost € 10.
If you are interested in attending the symposium we kindly request you to register by downloading and filling out the Registration Form and sending it to the secretary of the BeNeLux SHS, Prof. Monique Bodson, at monique.bodson@ulg.ac.be, not later than 2 May 2011.
We hope we may have the pleasure of welcoming you on 26 May in Venlo.
Robert J. Bogers
President
rjbogers.ishs@kpnplanet.nl
Monique Bodson
Secretary
monique.bodson@ulg.ac.be
Hector Willocx
Treasurer
Hector.Willocx@lv.vlaanderen.be