Cultivating Sustainable Futures
in a Changing Climate
Join researchers, students, producers and stakeholders for a one-day symposium exploring plant science, biotechnology, sustainable agriculture and food innovation in a changing climate. The programme features invited speakers, short research talks, a round-table discussion and a closing presentation on Serra da Estrela cheese.
Register here!
Connecting Science, Sustainability and Innovation
Cultivating Sustainable Futures is an interdisciplinary symposium bringing together researchers, students, producers and stakeholders to discuss how biotechnology, agriculture and food science can contribute to more resilient food systems under climate change.
The programme features invited speakers from several research groups, selected short talks, a round-table discussion on agricultural and food biotechnology in a changing climate, and a final presentation on the relationship between stress and the characteristics of Serra da Estrela PDO cheese.
Venue
GreenUPorto - Vairão Campus
Date
4 September 2026
Schedule
9:30h - 16:00h
| 09:30 | Welcome session and ProCardo Project Cláudia Pereira (GreenUPorto/FCUP) |
| 09:45 | Does climate change affect the expression of cardosins and cheese quality? João Neves (GreenUPorto/FCUP & ICBAS) |
| 10:10 | Exploring Plant Science, Sustainability and Innovation Lia Dinis (CITAB) |
| 10:30 | Chestnut tree for the future: the potential of stress priming and mycorrhization Filipa Sousa (GreenUPorto/FCUP) |
| 10:50 | Poster session & Coffee break |
| 11:45 | Short Talks Olive4Cereal - Valorising an olive mill by-product as a biostimulant to enhance drought resilience in cereals — Maria João Martins (GreenUPorto/FCUP) Decoding Tomato Responses to Silver: From Plant Stress Physiology to Crop Biotechnology — Leonel Soares (GreenUPorto/FCUP) Propagation and intelligent conservation of Quercus lusitanica — Anthony Rodriguez (FCUP) Female Signalling in the Transmitting Tract: Insights from Arabidopsis to Tomato — Júlia Trancho (REQUIMTE/FCUP) |
| 12:45 | Lunch Break |
| 14:00 | Plant Biotechnology for Climate Resilience: Selected Case Studies Jorge Canhoto (U.Coimbra/TERRA) |
| 14:20 | PrOryza: development of thermotolerant Luso rice – genetic and reproductive analysis Diana Moreira (REQUIMTE/FCUP) |
| 14:45 | Roundtable: Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural and Food Biotechnology in a Changing Climate Chaired by Fátima Duarte (CEBAL/MED/CHANGE) |
| 15:45 | Closing Remarks Ruth Pereira (GreenUPorto/FCUP) |
| 16:00 | PDO Serra da Estrela Cheese: The signature of stress from texture to flavors Paulo Barracosa and João Madanelo (UPV/CERNAS) |
Secure Your Place
Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required due to limited seating.
We look forward to welcoming researchers, students, producers and members
of the wider community interested in sustainable agriculture and food innovation.