7-8th April 2025 | Beijing (in-person registration CLOSED, hybrid options still available)
Register to receive the live stream link and join us online: English language | Chinese language
Please note that we cannot accept any further in-person registrations for the event in Beijing. However, you can still join us! Register to receive a link to the live stream and follow the event online. Alternatively, sessions will be recorded and made available to replay on our YouTube channel.
Join us in Beijing, China on April 7th-8th 2025 for a groundbreaking event exploring the future of agricultural residues. Discover how cutting-edge science is transforming these materials into high-value bioproducts, proteins, and alternative materials for the agricultural and food sectors. Gather practical insights and get involved in our workshops, networking sessions and optional pre-event site visits (3rd-5th April).
The event and dinner is free to attend, however travel, accommodation and optional pre-event visits will need to be made at your own expense.
Why attend?
Be at the forefront of innovation:
Learn about new processes that could revolutionize residues from the agrifood industry.
Discover new revenue streams:
Benefit from insights into how you can create economic opportunities while improving sustainability.
Network with key stakeholders:
Connect with the leading academics, industry experts, and policymakers shaping the future.
Agenda
The full agenda can be found below or downloaded here.
A Chinese version of the agenda is available here.
The event kicks off in the afternoon of the 7th April and includes six sessions across two days. These will be led by academics, industry experts and policymakers, with a full rundown of sessions, themes, and speakers detailed below.
Optional pre-event activities including touristic, lab and industry visits are also available from Thursday 3rd April (details can be found further down this page).
Please note that all timings are China Standard Time (CEST+6)
Day one: Monday 7 April 13:00 – 17:30
Welcome and opening session
| 13:00 | Ceremony for the Sino-EU joint laboratory and demonstration base for low-carbon recycling of agricultural residues – Nathalie Gontard AgriLoop project coordinator, Research Director, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), France – Aimin Shi AgriLoop project co-coordinator, Professor, Institute of Food Science and technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IFST-CAAS), China |
Session 1: Circular economy vision and priorities in the EU and China and co-funding opportunities
| 13:10 | Introduction to the China-EU cooperation for science and technology –TBC Representative of Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), China |
| 13:30 | Policy and national practice in China for promoting circular economy and waste and residues recycling – TBC Representative of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), China |
| 13:50 | European policy on the circular economy – Luis Vivas-Alegre EU Delegation in China, DG Research and Innovation Agri-Food Chain |
| 14:10 | INRAE’s policy to strengthen agricultural collaboration and shared vision between France and China with a foreword from Thierry Caquet, Vice-President of International Policy, INRAE – Florent Chazarenc International Project Manager, INRAE, France |
| 14:30 | Cooperation between China and EU in agriculture – TBC Representative of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), China |
| 14:50 | Agricultural green circular science and technology cooperation for mutual benefit – Qiang WANG AgriLoop IAB Member, Professor, IFST-CAAS |
| 15:10 | Ceremony for the Sino-EU joint laboratory and demonstration base for low-carbon recycling of agricultural residues |
Session 2: Circularity and safety of innovative value chains of agricultural residues
| 15:40 | Early assessment of potential valorization pathways of agri-residues and associated environmental impacts – Jan Broeze Researcher, Wageningen Research (WR), The Netherlands – Gang Li Associate Professor, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), China – Miguel Mauricio Associate Professor, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain |
| 16:00 | Synergistic effects of net zero carbon transition on social, economic and environmental health climate – Guofeng Shen Professor, Peking University, China |
| 16:20 | Assessment of processing pathways and applications from an industry perspective, for side streams of agro-food processing industries – Ewoud De Gussem Owner, Impetus Company, Sustainability meet business, Belgium |
| 16:40 | Unlocking the new value of agricultural residues: circulation channel expansion and security guarantee strategy – Yuguang Zhou – Professor, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China |
| 17:00 | Biorefinery design with OUTDOOR: guiding efficient pathway exploration for bioprocesses – Lucas van der Hauwaert PhD, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain |
Day two: Tuesday 8 April 9:00 – 20:00
Session 3: Eco-efficient recovery of native functionality from agricultural residues
| 09:00 | Upstream proteins and chemicals recovery from agro-industrial biomass – Annalisa Tassoni Associate Professor, University of Bologna, Italy – Hui Hu Associate. Professor, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IFST-CAAS), China – Chahinez Aouf Research Director, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), Montpellier, France |
| 09:20 | Corncob cellulose nanospheres for eco-friendly detergent – Yuan Li Professor, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China |
| 09:40 | Cutin bioresin from industrial tomato processing by-products for sustainable applications – Tommaso Barbieri Chief Operating Officer, Tomapaint SrL, Italy |
| 10:00 | Value-added development and sustainable utilization of agricultural and cereal by-products – Lianhui Zhang Director of Grain Research and Development Center at COFCO Nutrition & Health Research Institute, China |
| 10:20 | From labs to markets: tools and institutional mechanisms – Alessandra Guidi Scientific Officer, Italian Embassy in Bejing, China |
Session 4: Bioconversion of agri-residues into microbial and fungal proteins and microbial polyesters
| 11:00 | A sneak peek at Agriloop´s biotechnological pathways for upcycling agri-residues – Maria Reis Professor, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Portugal – Wei Gao Associate Professor, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IARRP-CAAS), China – Ramon Ganigué Associate Professor, University of Gent, Belgium – Ruan Zhiyong Professor, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IARRP-CAAS), China |
| 11:20 | Utilizing beneficial soil microbial resources to promote green and high-quality agricultural development – Bin Zhao Professor, HuaZhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China |
| 11:40 | Harnessing nature’s solution to plastic pollution: scaling up PHA production as natural alternative for plastic from organic residues – René Rozendal Managing Director, Paques Biomaterials Company, Balk, The Netherlands. |
| 12:00 | Novel microbial cell factory: Zymomonas mobilis – Mingxiong He Professor, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (BIOMA-CAAS), Chengdu, China |
| 12:20 | PHA production from non-food source substrates – George Chen Professor, Tsinghua University, China |
Break for lunch
| 14:10 | Genetic basis of protein content variation of Agaricus bisporus – Rui-Lin Zhao Professor, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China |
| 14:30 | KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet™: biodegradable PHBH as conventional plastic alternative – Takeshi Sugise, Kaneka Company, Japan |
Session 5: Upscaling biorefineries from and for the farming sector in frugal conditions
| 14:50 | From the bench to pilot scale applications for agricultural residues valorization in the Agriloop framework – David Bolzonella Professor, University of Verona, Italy – Xiaolong Yao Associate Professor, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), China |
| 15:10 | In the era of frugality, agriculture and bio-refinery synergistic upgrade strategy – Yeqing Li Professor, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China |
| 15:30 | Designing agricultural vegetal supplies as alternative to plastic to improve farmer’s lives – Thomas Guillard Industrial Design, La Moricière, France |
Session 6: Networking and brokerage session for business, science and policy, with a special workshop for young stakeholders
| 16:30 -18:30 | Session 6a. Sino-European young stakeholders connecting session The upcoming generation will exchange views during a dynamic session that gathers young actors from academic and professional sectors in Europe and China. This is a rare networking opportunity, bringing together a broad range of young professionals to share their work projects, current R&D ideas, experiences and build contacts for future collaborations. Moderators: Xiaojie Ma (IFST-CAAS, China), Xin Guo (Shenyang Agricultural University, China), Isabelle Dedieu (INRAE, France), Shinuo Cao (IFST-CAAS, China), Lucas Van Der Hauwaert (USC Spain). – Presentations and key notes (30 min) – Dynamic Sino-European connecting activities, mini-project competition (60mins) – Debate, prospects and conclusion (30 min) |
| 16:30 -18:30 | Session 6b. Networking session for business, science and policy This is a unique networking opportunities to explore business and research collaboration between Europe and China. You will network with industry, researchers and government officials, and explore policy and support measures. You may also make a short presentation about your business or research ideas and arrange business-to-business meetings. Moderators: Burkhard Schaer (ECOZEPT, France), Gang Li (BTBU, China), Anne Verniquet (DSS+, Switzerland), Jan Linck (ECOZEPT, France) |
A networking dinner to close the event will be held following session 6
Optional pre-event visits and activities – registrations now closed
If you are arriving in Beijing ahead of the event, we have a range of exciting pre-event activities that you can join including lab and industry visits, as well as tours to some of China’s most famous landmarks. Please note that these do incur additional costs which are detailed below. You can indicate your interest when completing the registration form and further details will be supplied closer to the event.
| Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | |
| Visit China’s top university, explore the mushroom super factory, as well as experience Beijing’s historical landmarks and the birthplace of Confucianism | Tour the Great Wall UNESCO World Heritage site, taste cutting-edge plant-based products at IFST-CAAS, see the full production process at the peanut factory and visit the Peanut History Museum | Visit the Fermentation Bioconversion Lab in the IARRP-CAAS, tour the advanced PHA factory, and explore China’s royal garden and the first bridge in China which is over 1,400 years old | |
| Thursday 3rd April (touristic tours) | |||
| Full day | Beijing Summer Palace | Great Wall UNESCO World Heritage site | Beijing Summer Palace |
| Friday 4th April (laboratory tours) | |||
| Morning | Peking University/ China Agricultural University | Lab visit to the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) | Lab visit to the Institute of Agricultural Resources & Regional Planning (IARRP), CAAS |
| Afternoon | Beijing Houhai/ Temple of Heaven | As above | As above |
| Saturday 5th April (industry tours) | |||
| Morning | Shandong Youhe industry (mushroom production) | Shandong Jinsheng Grain & Oil Group (peanut processing and by-product utilization) | Hebei NACOL Biotechnol. Co., Ltd (PHA production) |
| Afternoon | Confucius Temple | Peanut History Museum | Zhaozhou Bridge |
| Estimated cost (including entrance and travel) | |||
| 793 RMB (105€) | 828 RMN (109€) | 412 RMB (54€) | |
Travel information
Travel to the event and accommodation in Beijing are not covered and will need to be made at your own expense. Additionally, please ensure you check any visa and entry requirements.
The following countries have visa exemptions for stays of less than a maximum of 15 days (30 days for some countries) during the period of the event:
France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Japan, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Liechtenstein and South Korea
For all other countries, an invitation letter may be required to apply for the visa. Please state on the registration form if an invitation letter is required and we will get in contact to make the necessary arrangements.
Can’t join us in China?
All sessions will be streamed live, recorded, and made available post-event enabling you to participate in various ways. If you can’t join us in China but would like to be updated as further information and links to follow the sessions become available, please indicate your interest using the registration form linked below.
Book your place
Places are limited, so booking is essential. Register your place at the event and book any pre-event visits using the links below.