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1) Register for PlantLink Day – 4 December, Lund
Curious about how plants shape our future – and how our perception of them shapes us? Join us for PlantLink Day 2025: From Blindness to Awareness – Plant Research and Communication for a Greener Future, where leading voices in research, innovation, and communication will gather to explore the role of plants in building a more resilient and sustainable world.
Speakers: Roman Ulm, Université de Genève; Fernando Geu-Flores, University of Copenhagen; Dawn Sanders, University of Gothenburg; Louise Isager Ahl, Copenhagen University, and others.
Join us for the science, stay for the discussions, and leave with fresh perspectives on how plants can inspire a greener future! Participation is free of charge, with lunch, fika, and light refreshments included. Please register by 25 November!
When: 4 December, 12-16:30
Where: Blå hallen, Ekologihuset, Lund University
2) Olivier Van Aken elected to the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund
PlantLink’s director, Olivier Van Aken, was nominated and elected as a fellow of the Royal Physiographic Society of Lund (Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund). He is joining officially on the 8th of October.
More information on the history, goals, and present fellows
3) Plant Biologicals Network Symposium 2025 – 11 November, Copenhagen
The Plant Biologicals Network Symposium will be held as a one-day event including session topics: Hot topics in biologicals, Hands-on experiences, Lab to field transmission, and Regulation.
Confirmed speakers: Raffaella Balestrini, National Research Council of Italy; Roeland Berendsen, Utrecht University; Rasmus Emil Jensen, SEGES Innovation; Alberto Acedo, Biome Makers; Tomislav Cernava, University of Southampton; Nina Cedergreen, University of Copenhagen; Anne Louise Gimsing, Danish Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality.
The registration is free of charge and closes on 28 October!
4) Join the Annual NBPPN Workshop – November 20–21, Båstad
This year’s Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network’s (NBPPN) program promises exciting scientific discussions, networking opportunities, and outstanding keynote speakers such as Andreas Hund, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Brad Zamft, Heritable Agriculture, USA; Erik Alexandersson, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark; Guido Van den Ackerveken, CropXR institute, Netherlands.
Registration deadline: October 31
5) EPSO statement: Contributions from plant research and innovation to the EU call for evidence for the EU Life Sciences Strategy
Europe’s open culture and innovative spirit would be highly attractive for scientists and entrepreneurs if funding allocation to plant sciences within the European framework were strengthened.
In its statement, EPSO provides suggestions on how to substantially improve the funding and framework for plant sciences in Europe as an intrinsic part of Life Sciences to attract the best minds, benefit knowledge creation and development of products for a sustainable, competitive European economy (from agriculture to food, feed, human health and wellbeing, materials) and society.
6) SciLifeLab Lund Day 2025 – 23 October, Lund
Join this dynamic day that brings together researchers, technology platforms, and strategic research initiatives to spotlight the powerful synergies driving life science forward in southern Sweden!
Highlights of the program:
– Opportunity to interact with SciLifeLab cutting-edge technologies and national resources.
– A spotlight session on Lund University’s Strategic Research Areas (SFOs) and their collaboration with SciLifeLab platforms. SFOs confirmed: EXODIAB, Stem Therapy, BECC, Multipark, LUCC.
– A session highlighting alternative career paths in science: key roles in research infrastructure, data science, and scientific coordination.
– Teaming up with LU innovation, LU ventures and SmiLe Incubator, we will explore how academic research can be translated into real-world innovations.
Where: LUX Aula, Helgonavägen 3, Lund
When: Thursday 23 October 2025
There is no registration fee! Secure your spot no later than 8 October!
7) NKJ network – join online workshop: Adapting Winter Wheat for Harsh Winters – 28 Octobe
Join the online workshop organised by the NKJ network “Fimbulwinter wheat”. The participants will, together with several knowledgeable speakers, delve into, for example, the role of VRN2 in cold adaptation, freezing tolerance, winter wheat from Finland’s perspective, and a lot more.
Speakers: Dr. Dominique Hirsz, IPK, Germany; Dr. Sebastian Michel, Boku, Austria + additional speakers of the research network. Together they will form the two sessions “Understanding the trait of winter hardiness” (morning), and “The role of winter hardiness in breeding, different country perspectives” (afternoon).
When: October 28, 09.00-16.30 EET (UTC+2)
Where: Online (Teams) – link will be shared with registered participants
Registration deadline: 26 October
8) EPSO online workshop: Induced resistance in plants: from mechanisms to applications in crop protection – 21 October
The EPSO Plant Health Working Group is inviting registrations and talks for its online workshop on the 21st of October. Induced resistance (IR) enhances a plant´s own immune system to increase resilience against pests and pathogens. This online workshop will discuss recent advances in basic and translational research on IR, including novel findings on the mechanisms underlying biologically and chemically elicited IR, the knowledge gaps, and examples of successful IR application in crop protection management programs.
Keep up to date – visit the EPSO Events page regularly!
9) ELLS Scientific Student Conference 2025 – 14-15 November, SLU Ultuna
The SLU organising committee, together with Euroleague for Life Sciences, is pleased to invite you to the 17th Scientific Student Conference: Living the ELLSperience – Cultivating Scientific Innovation, which will take place on 14-15 November 2025 in Uppsala, Sweden.
Registration deadline – 10 October!
More information and registration
10) Nationella växtskyddskonferensen 2025 – 12-13 November, SLU Alnarp
At the Swedish Plant Protection Conference, researchers, interest groups, authorities, companies and others with an interest in plant protection/forest damage meet to learn about current research, exchange experiences and discuss solutions for plant protection in horticulture, agriculture and forestry in Sweden. The theme of this year’s conference is “Forestry, horticulture and agriculture in a changing climate – new ideas for a sustainable future”.
The main language of the conference is Swedish. However, some sessions will be in English. Registration has closed. Please contact the organisers if you are still interested in joining.
11) Save the date: Spot on Food 2026 – 10-11 March, Kristianstad
How do we build a food system that regenerates soils, nurtures people, and makes smarter use of every resource – all while remaining economically viable? And who’s willing to invest in the transition?
At Spot On Food, we explore Resilient Food Systems through three lenses:
Vital Resources – How can sustainability and profitability align?
Transitional Costs – Who funds the transition to a resilient food system, and how?
Grit Mentality – What mindset shifts and strategies helps not just to survive – but thrive?
The international conference Spot on Food is organised by Krinova.
12) Save the date: 4th International Barley Mutant Workshop – 20-22 July 2026
The 4th International Barley Mutant Workshop will bring together researchers at all career stages who use barley mutant resources to explore fundamental aspects of cereal biology. The workshop will provide a platform to share scientific discoveries, showcase innovative approaches, and foster collaborations that advance barley as both an important crop and a model plant.
The workshop is organised by Lund University and SLU in collaboration with NordGen and Lantmännen. The registration and abstract submission will close on June 15; abstract submissions for oral presentations will close on March 15.
13) Increased government support for SLU Grogrund
The Swedish government has announced an additional investment of 10 million SEK per year in SLU Grogrund, starting in 2026. This brings the permanent annual funding to 45 million SEK. In addition, 3 million SEK per year will be provided through the National Food Strategy until 2030.
The goal is to strengthen long-term Swedish food production with crops well-suited for cultivation in Sweden.
14) Lund University’s largest-ever international recruitment drive attracts great interest
Over 1,300 people have applied for the 25 positions advertised in Lund University’s largest ever international recruitment drive. The call for applications refers to 15 assistant professor (associate senior lecturer) positions and at least ten visiting professor positions.
Among the applicants are researchers from ETH Zurich, Max Planck Institutes in Germany, KU Leuven, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford in the USA.
Lund University is now moving on to the selection and appointment stages. The aim is for all the positions to be filled by late 2025 or early 2026.
15) Open positions
SLU Alnarp
Assistant Professor in crop cultivation technology
Senior Lecturer in Chemical Ecology with a focus on Disease Vectors
PhD student position in climate change adaptation of forest ecosystems
PhD position in Biology
Lund University
Doctoral student in organic chemistry
16) Charles Melnyk awarded Rising Stars in Plant Sciences 2025
Charles Melnyk, Professor of Plant Physiology at the Department of Plant Biology, and a grafting expert at SLU, has been selected as one of five winners of the
. The award is co-hosted annually by Molecular Plant and its sister journal, Plant Communications. Congratulations!
Charles’s work focuses on answering questions regarding the biology of plant grafting and parasitic plant interaction. His team uncovers how tissues fuse and vascular systems reconnect, identifying key molecular players in plant healing and regeneration.
17) Olov Sterner – In Memoriam
With great sadness, we share that Olov Sterner, former Head of the Department of Chemistry and Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Lund University, has passed away at the age of 72. Olov was among the key people involved in the establishment of PlantLink in 2009–2010.