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A Breath of Fresh Air: First Joint Retreat of Value Plant and Agri-Explore 🌻
On August 19th, 2025, the lush greenery of the Botanical Garden at Martin Luther University in Halle (Saale) won’t just be home to exotic flora, it’ll also be the soil for a blooming collaboration. 🌿
We’re thrilled to kick off the first-ever joint retreat between the Value Plant and Agri-Explore projects.
This one-day event is more than a simple meet-and-greet. It’s a chance to break free from inboxes and lab benches 🔬, and finally put faces to names, as project scientists come together to present their work, spark conversations, and plant the seeds for future collaborations. With 10 exciting talks lined up from both projects, we’re set for a day full of knowledge exchange, new perspectives, and perhaps a few lightbulb moments. 🧬
And because no scientific retreat is complete without a bit of wonder, we’ll finish the day off with a guided tour through the garden itself, a chance to reconnect with the natural world and maybe even find inspiration for fresh ideas.
So bring your curiosity, your questions (and your walking shoes)..
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Timetable
Location: Botanical Garden, Am Kirchtor 1 – Lecture Hall
Date: 19 August 2025
Time: 09:00 – 16:20
Participants: PhD Candidates, Postdocs, PIs, Scientific Coordinators
🌿 Morning Program
08:45 – 10:30 | Session 1: Welcome & Scientific Talks (Part I)
- 08:45 – 09:00 | Welcome Coffee & Registration
- 09:00 – 09:20 | Opening Remarks
- Welcome by speakers and coordinators
- Introduction to the Value Plant and Agri-Explore
- 09:20 – 10:30 | Scientific Talks
- Supriya Gupta
- Vanessa Brückner
- Gregor Wittig
(15 min talk + 5 min Q&A each)
10:30 – 11:15 | Coffee Break & Networking ☕🍰
Enjoy coffee, tea and cake. Connect with fellow participants.
11:15 – 12:15 | Session 2: Scientific Talks (Part II)
- Marie Schomburg
- Lieselotte Rauh
- Maren Maruschewski
(15 min talk + 5 min Q&A each)
🥗 Lunch Break & Garden Tour
12:15 – 13:45
- Lunch
- Optional guided tour of the Botanical Garden
🌱 Afternoon Program
13:45 – 15:05 | Session 3: Scientific Talks (Part III)
- Nils Wörz
- Michael Zahn & Robin Schick (joint presentation)
- Sarlita Dwiani
- Ingo Heilmann
(15 min talk + 5 min Q&A each)
15:05 – 15:50 | Coffee Break & Group Photo ☕📸
- Informal networking
- Group photo session
15:50 – 16:20 | Session 4: Closing Discussion
- Wrap-up & reflections
- Open discussion: Future of the Projects & Retreats
Value Plant in media
April 15, 2025
Discover the Future of Crop Research in MDR Wissen
An exciting new article from MDR Wissen highlights groundbreaking research from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). The university’s “Value Plant” research project has secured 7.1 million euros in funding to explore the untapped potential of key crops like corn, rye, and rapeseed. This project aims to secure food supplies for the future, with real-world applications already in the works.
Read the full article here to learn more about this cutting-edge research and its potential impact on agriculture.