ICA General Assembly and Rectors and Deans Forum 2022, Kaunas, Lihuania

03rd November 2022
by secretary

Agrinatura News

On 19th October Agrinatura was invited to attend ICA (Association of Life Science Universities) annual General Assembly (GA) meeting hosted by Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas, Lithuania. Followed by the Rector and Deans Forum (20-21 October 2022) focusing on very urgent topics of “Bending the Curve for Biodiversity: challenges and opportunities for life science universities & Life science universities addressing Knowledge Security.

Approximately 60 members of the ICA network met during the 3-day intensive meeting to discuss current burning issue of biodiversity and knowledge security. Within the annual General Assembly changes in the Board were announced and approved. And very important communique “Life Sciences Universities addressing the urgent need to bend the curve of biodiversity loss” was approved for publishing. Highlighting the urgent need to address the issue of loss of biodiversity and position of European Life Science Universities. You can read full communiqué HERE. Agrinatura was invited among other eight ICA Standing committees to present report for the activities of past year.

Following the Annual General Assembly two-day Rectors and Deans Forum 2022 took place. Frist day was dedicated to addressing the biodiversity loss. After welcoming by the president of ICA, Arthur Mol (Wageningen Research and University) and the representatives from Astrida Miceikiene he Chancellor of Agriculture Academy at VMU. Minister of the Environment, Republic of Lithuania presented challenges and achievements of biodiversity policy implementation in Lithuania. Followed by David Leclère, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA); Laxenburg; AT and Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge, UK as well as position of European Biodiversity Partnership (Biodiversa+), Paris, FR, represented by Claire Bléry. Afternoon sessions were dedicated to shorter presentations and round table discussion.

Frist day of the Forum was closed by the first ICA Excellence Award 2022 Ceremony. The purpose is for ICA to recognize individuals who have achieved excellence in furthering the values and mission of ICA. This year winner was Professor Dr. hab. Marek Stefan Szyndel, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland. Marek Szyndel’s academic work is in the area of horticulture and plant virology. He is a specialist in the field of immunoelectron-microscopy techniques for the detection and identification of plant viruses and in the study of serological relationships of viruses, and the biological and molecular variability of plant viruses. He has published over 100 peer reviewed papers, a number of textbooks, and has published the sequences of both nucleotides and proteins of plant viruses in international data bases.

Second day Forum topic focused on addressing the knowledge security. After presentation by President Artur Mol (rector Magnificus Wageningen University and Research, NL) two keynote speakers shared their experience from their institutions: Laurent Buisson, Directeur Général AgroParisTech, Paris, FR and Mait Klaassen, Rector Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMÜ) EE. Presentations were followed by round table discussion to provide space to the participants to share their experience and brainstorm about “do’s” and “don’ts” in terms of assuring knowledge security at higher education institutions.

ICA General Assembly and Rectors and Deans Forum 2022, Kaunas, Lihuania

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