ASSOCIATION FOR EUROPEAN LIFE SCIENCE UNIVERSITIES

14^TH ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2024

The Future of Agriculture and Forestry in Europe: implications for Life Science Universities

to be held on 25 and 26 October
at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia

1. The goal of the ICA’s Rectors and Deans Forums

This annual ICA Forum, for Rectors, Presidents, Deans, and senior academic and management staff in life science Universities in Europe, aims to provide these university decision makers from ICA’s member universities with the opportunity to meet, to discuss current issues in the bioeconomy and life sciences, and to exchange views on these issues with relevant stakeholders in industry, government and NGOs.

1. Forum Focus

Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, in January 2024 launched the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture (SDEU), a new forum mandated to shape a shared vision for the future of the EU's farming and food system. She posed four questions:

1. How can we give our farmers, and the rural communities they live in, a better perspective, including a fair standard of living?
2. How can we support agriculture within the boundaries of our planet and its ecosystem?
3. How can we make better use of the immense opportunities offered by knowledge and technological innovation?
4. How can we promote a bright and thriving future for Europe's food system in a competitive world?

This dialogue has been launched against the background of increasing pressure on farmers income and the challenge to farmers to adopt practices which support nature conservation.  Both these challenges are against the background of the policy to meet the net zero by 2050.  There are several policy documents arising from the EU Commission which aim to support this transition: the overarching Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Bioeconomy Strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy.  We are also challenged by the recent CoP 28 declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and climate action, the successor to CoP 21 in Paris,

Through interdisciplinary research endeavours, life science universities provide valuable insights into sustainable agricultural practices, biodiversity conservation, and the integration of emerging technologies like biotechnology and precision agriculture. Moreover, our universities develop the next generation of agricultural leaders, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of modern agriculture while emphasizing environmental stewardship and social responsibility. 

The aim of the Rectors and Deans Forum is to discuss and evaluate the outcomes of the SDEU for their impact on life science universities’ research, innovation and education programmes. In particular, to assess the relationship of the SDEU outcomes to the EU strategies to address climate change and bending the curve for biodiversity, in the context of supporting viable agricultural and forestry industries and ensuring food security.  In addition, the aim is to reflect on how universities currently engage with the EU Commission in the development of policy and how that engagement might be further enhanced.

1. Expected Outcomes

The delegates will take back to their universities’ prospects on:

1. How the outcomes of the SDEU may determine future policy at the EU level to support a viable agricultural industry and ensuring food security against the backdrop of moving to net zero emissions by 2050, bending the curve of biodiversity and implementing the forest strategy.
2. The opportunities for life science universities to engage in and support science based policy development and implementation at the European level
3. Developing successful partnerships with industry leaders to bridge the gap between academia and practical agricultural solutions, thereby enhancing the impact of research and education.
4. Target Audience

The forum is primarily aimed at Rectors, Presidents, Deans, and senior academic and management staff in life science universities relating to the sustainable circular bioeconomy.  In addition, academic/faculty staff and degree programme coordinators are encouraged to participate.

Stef Bronzwaer, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, IT

Webinar: Healthy People from the One Health perspective

Many recent global health threats are linked to zoonotic and (re)emerging infectious diseases (e.g. SARS, COVID-19, AMR, BSE, avian influenza), climate change and environmental sustainability. These health threats are complex and cannot be adequately addressed by any individual discipline acting alone. A comprehensive strategy and transdisciplinary collaboration on all aspects of health for people, animals and the environment is required: a One Health approach^[1].

In the coming decade, Europe will dedicate billions of euros to the necessary research and innovation (R&I) to support a transition to safe and sustainable food systems. EU Agencies are knowledge centres, bringing together know-how to inform policy makers, and can support the European research agenda. EU Agencies that have traditionally dealt with aspects of human health, animal health, plant health and ecosystem health in silos, now need to take a broader perspective and move towards a One Health approach^[2]. It is urgent to define transdisciplinary research needs and formulate a One Health research agenda. It is encouraging that EU Agencies have established a cross-agency task force on One Health that can support this.

^[1] https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2903/j.efsa.2021.e190501
^[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771422000969

Annemarie Rebel, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research Institute, Wageningen University and Research, NL

Webinar: Healthy Animals from the One Health perspective

Global challenges, such as climate change, urbanisation, increase in food demand and international trade and travel give rise to challenges for society. These challenges can give serious risks to human, animal, and ecosystem health. Adequate response and preparedness for new and old challenges should therefore involve the development and implementation of research bridging different domains, integrating human, veterinary, wildlife and environmental expertise: One Health research.

In the Netherlands 3 academic partners started an initiative 7 years ago to combine human and veterinary science within the domain of One Health, the Netherlands Centre of One Health (NCOH). At this time 6 other academic partners have joined the NCOH. We work together in 4 interconnected themes: Tackling antimicrobial resistance, emerging infectious disease preparedness, Smart & healthy farming and Healthy wildlife & ecosystems. We have built an One health community that connect the different themes and professionals working in the different domains via for example science cafes and annual meetings. Most importantly we also encourage young researchers in the field to exchange experience via the Young NCOH PhD’ network.

WUR is working in a broad research programme Erraze@WUR (Early Recognition and Rapid Action in Zoonotic Emergencies) were water, environment and behavioral science  are integrated in this zoonoses programme.

We aim at working in new large research programmes on the intersection of prevention, detection, and preparedness. As well as increasing health in livestock and humans. The fact is that in the Netherlands this research is really hard to get financed, so we are mostly doing research in pillars, and combining it because we as researchers acknowledge the importance of the work done in this field.

Raf Aerts, Part-time Professor, KU Leuven and part-time researcher Sciensano, Belgian One Health Institute

Webinar: Healthy Environment from the One Health perspective

One Health is the interconnection between human health, animal health, and the environment.  From the perspective of an environmental scientist and epidemiologist, I will describe seven aspects that define a ‘healthy environment’ for plants, animals and people.  I will conclude this keynote by highlighting the multiple benefits of exposure to nature and green space on mental, physical and social wellbeing.

Matthieu Laneuville, Program Manager AI, SURF Innovation Laboratory, Utrecht, NL

Impact of AI on Teaching and Learning now and in the next 5 years

AI is a hard to miss concept these days. It impacts our lives and societies, but it is sometimes hard to grasp what is really happening. What is hype, what has concrete implications? What is part of a marketing narrative, what are true capabilities? In this talk, I will present a way to understand the ongoing innovations and their impact on teaching and learning. I will present common use cases, how they interact with existing practices and potential scenarios for the coming years based on decisions made by the sector today.

Alistair Nolan, Senior Policy Analyst, OECD’s Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, Paris, FR

Impact of AI on Research now and in the next 5 years

Accelerating the productivity of research could be the most economically and socially valuable of all the uses of artificial intelligence (AI). While AI is penetrating all domains and stages of science, its full potential is far from realised.

Based on recent OECD work, the following topics will be addressed:

• Why AI in science matters for science, society, and the economy.
• The rapidly growing scope of AI’s applications in science.
• What we know so far about AI and research productivity.
• The (future) importance of AI-enabled research assistants.
• The advent and use of large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, and the possible implications for science. Recent experiments on using LLMs and other forms of AI to aid research governance processes, for instance in supporting peer review.
• Possible impacts on the scientific workforce, including the impacts of AI on everyday scientific practice, such as human-AI teaming, work, and career trajectories.
• The narrowing thematic diversity of research on AI and implications for less well-resourced research centres.
• Developing specialised tools to enhance collaborative human-AI teams, and how to integrate these tools into mainstream science.
• Why broad multidisciplinary programmes are needed that bring together computer and other scientists with engineers, statisticians, mathematicians, and others to solve challenges using AI.
• Targeting areas of research where breakthroughs are needed to deepen AI’s uses in science and engineering, including in high-risk, speculative ideation.
• Possible dangers of the dual use of AI-powered discovery.

Robbert Boudewijns, One Health Institute, KU Leuven, BE

Report of the outcomes of the three webinars focusing on the science of the One Health Triad

Presentation is based on a reflection of the outcomes of the three pre-forum webinars.  So no abstract is available.

Susanna Sternberg-Lewerin, Programme Director, SLU Future One Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, SE

The challenge to develop interdisciplinary education programmes focusing on One Health

Historically, the One Health concept focused on zoonotic diseases, then developed to encompass other challenges facing people and animals alike but considering the environment mainly as a backdrop. Today, the One Health Triad could be seen as consisting of four elements within an ecosystem, using the global quadripartite (WHO, FAO, WOAH and UNEP) definition of One Health as “an integrated, unifying approach… that recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment are closely linked and inter-dependent”.

However, the variety of interpretations of One Health, as well as new similar concepts like One Welfare and Planetary Health makes it difficult to decide what to include in One Health education. As the concept inherently requires an interdisciplinary approach, the institutional host of such education programmes is not immediately obvious but usually influences the content of the programme offered. In addition, the interdisciplinary aspects may be challenging to students and researchers in their early career, before they have acquired skills and experience within one discipline.

A number of One Health educations are already available, ranging from short courses to longer programmes, on MSc or PhD level. Some focus on zoonoses and/or other health challenges shared by people and animals while others take a broader approach to also cover environmental aspects, biodiversity, welfare and sustainability.

The main challenges in developing One Health education lie in the wide number of subjects and disciplines that could be included, and how to achieve an appropriate level of in-depth knowledge in these so that a thorough understanding of their relatedness can be obtained.

Stef Bronzwaer, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, IT

Stef Bronzwaer is a medical doctor who serves as a Research Coordinator at the European Food Safety Authority in Parma, Italy. His domains of expertise include One Health, scientific cooperation, antimicrobial resistance surveillance, research, communicable diseases and food safety. He has previously worked in the Infectious Disease Unit of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome, Italy, and in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands, where he helped establish the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS). Before he joined EFSA in 2006, he worked at the European Commission in Luxembourg where he held responsibility for the proper functioning and coherence of a number of European surveillance networks on communicable diseases and coordinated the implementation of the Community strategy against antimicrobial resistance. 

Annemarie Rebel, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research Institute, Wageningen University and Research, NL

Annemarie Rebel holds a special chair as professor at the Adaptation Physiology group, she studies resilience of animals, the possibility to optimize the intrinsic capacities will lead to animals that are able to cope with challenges. At present, she is chairperson of the Netherlands Centre or One Health (NCOH), a collaboration in which several scientific partners in human and animal health participate to improve research in the area of One Health, both in a national and international context.

Annemarie gained my doctorate from Erasmus University Rotterdam for the human medicine subject ‘Recurrence rate of bladder cancer’. Subsequently did research at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on metastasis of prostate cancer. Following a switch to research in livestock she started at Infection Biology within the Central Veterinary Institute.  As head of the department of animal health and welfare at Wageningen University and Research she was responsible for research into the interaction between animals and the environment, such as nutrition, pathogens, microbiome, and stress. With the aim to improve animal health, intestinal health and welfare.

Raf Aerts, Part-time Professor, KU Leuven and part-time researcher Sciensano, Belgian One Health Institute.

Raf Aerts holds a Master and a PhD (2006) in bioscience engineering in land and forest management from KU Leuven.  For his PhD he investigated the restoration ecology of dry Afromontane forest in Ethiopia.  Recently Raf obtained a second PhD, in biomedical sciences (2022), from Hasselt University and Maastricht University with a dissertation on green space and biodiversity in relation to health in Belgium.

Raf Aerts is currently an environmental epidemiologist at Sciensano, the Belgian OneHealth institute, and is a part-time professor in biodiversity and health at the Biology Department of KU Leuven.  Raf also serves as an officer with the Belgian Armed Forces and in that capacity helps to design sustainable management plans to conserve and restore the exceptional biodiversity in military training areas.

Matthieu Laneuville, Program Manager AI, SURF Innovation Laboratory, Utrecht, NL

Matthieu is the program manager for AI within the innovation department of SURF. Matthieu obtained a PhD in geophysics from IPG Paris in 2023 and went on to Japan as a researcher for 7 years. During that time, as the impact of AI on research practices grew, he explored how those new methods could shed light on various research problems. Coming back to Europe, he joined SURF (the cooperative organization for in Dutch education and research), to help with the organization of their AI efforts. Since then, he helped develop public values driven AI activities for research and education.

Alistair Nolan, Senior Policy Analyst, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD Paris, FR.

Alistair Nolan currently coordinates various strands of OECD work on artificial intelligence (AI), most recently on AI in science and on the diffusion of AI and other advanced technologies in the business sector. Working with a team of scientists and AI experts he edited and co-authored the 2023 OECD book Artificial Intelligence in Science: Challenges, Opportunities and the Future of Science. He is currently working on a publication reporting the findings of a new survey of AI adoption in firms in G7 countries.

Prior to the OECD, Mr. Nolan spent nine years with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation working on technical assistance and policy analysis to support industrial development in Africa and Latin America.

John Walker, Emerging Tech Advisor, SURF Innovation Laboratory, Utrecht, NL.

John Walker is an emerging technologies advisor at SURF investigating the role of new technologies in education and research. His educational background follows from the University of Montana to the University of Twente on the philosophical explorations of technologies in science, society, and design. John’s work on AI and XR reveal considerations for responsible technological advancements, placing emphasis on ethical considerations. At SURF, John’s work focuses on the importance of aligning technological innovations with our public values and responsibilities.

Robbert Boudewijns, One Health Institute, KU Leuven, BE

After a Master’s in biochemistry & biotechnology, Robbert Boudewijns obtained his PhD in biomedical sciences in the field of virology and vaccine design, at the Rega Institute of KU Leuven. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was involved in setting up a small animal model for pre-clinical development of COVID-19 biologicals, and characterizing the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in this model.

Since 2022, he is coordinator of One Health activities at KU Leuven, where he is leading the effort of setting up a One Health institute, to strengthen transdisciplinary collaboration across the university and beyond.

Susanna Sternberg-Lewerin, SLU Future One Health, SLU Future One Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE

Veterinarian, who after a few years of clinical practice, moved into research and work on national level. PhD in Veterinary Bacteriology, EBVS Specialist in Veterinary Public Health. Professor in Epizootiology & Disease Control. Has worked as an expert on animal disease control and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at Swedish and EU level. Conducts research on contagious animal diseases and AMR in Sweden, Europe and Africa. Teaches disease control, veterinary public health and One Health to veterinary and animal science students in SLU as well as in some programmes in other universities. Since 2021 programme director of the transdisciplinary research platform SLU Future One Health.

Book your hotel

The Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb have reserved rooms at the Hotel Dubrovnik just off the central square in Zagreb.

The following rooms have been reserved until 6 September

* Standard single room - €101 room/night - breakfast included
* Standard double room/single use - €123 room/night - breakfast included (if the room was used by two people, the price would be €135 room/night
* Deluxe double room/single use - €135 room/night - breakfast included (if two people would use the room, the price would be €147 room/night

PLUS taxes per night per person 1,59 €

Please complete the Dubrovnik Hotel reservation form - download here

There are other hotels which you may like to consider

1) Canopy by Hilton: https://www.hilton.com/en/

2. Hotel Sheraton: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/zagsi-sheraton-zagreb-hotel/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

3. Esplanade Zagreb: https://esplanade.hr/

4. Garden hotel: https://www.gardenhotel.hr/en/

5. The Westin: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/zagwi-the-westin-zagreb/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

6. Amadria Park: https://amadriapark.reserve-online.net/property/AMADRIAPHC

PLEASE CONTACT

Dr Simon B Heath
ICA Deputy Secretary General
Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA)

Tel: +33 4 67 76 32 68
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Register online for the Webinars & the ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2023

Please click here and complete the Registration Form for attendance. 

There are no registration fees for the Webinars and for the JUNIA Roundtable on Friday afternoon 20 October

Registration fee for attendance at the Forum in Lille

The Registration fee includes:
All meals from the start of the Forum in JUNIA from lunch on Thursday 19 October until and including lunch after the end of the Forum on Friday 20 October.  There is no registration fee for the Friday afternoon roundtable session with staff from JUNIA (coffee will be provided but catering on Fiday evening is your responsibility).

For ICA members The Registration fee for ICA Members is 400 €.  For a second registration from the same institution the fee is 375€

For non-ICA members the registration fee is 550 €. If a registered non-member’s institution becomes a member of ICA in 2024 the membership subscription for 2024 will be reduced by 150 €.

The deadline for registration is Thursday 12 October. Registration can be cancelled free of charge before Thursday 12 October.

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