A successful kick-off in Lucerne for research on plant breeding

On 17 September 2025, NRP 84 brought over 50 participants together at the KKL in Lucerne for its official launch. The audience was composed of 11 research teams, members of the Steering Committee, delegates from the Federal administration, a journalist, SNSF Office members, as well as a special guest speaker, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Lehmann from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). During his keynote lecture, Dr. Lehmann provided valuable insights into the role of plant breeding in the future of Swiss agriculture.

The kick-off further included presentations and poster sessions and was crowned with a podium discussion featuring Bernhard Lehmann (FiBL), Bettina Hitzfeld (Federal Office for the Environment), Anke Fossgreen (Tages Anzeiger) and John Pannell (President of NRP 84). Moderated by Mirko Bischofberger (Head of Knowledge Exchange), the panel stimulated a lively discussion on the aims of the programme, the roles of its different actors and the way forward.

Building connections and exploring ideas

This first get-together had three goals: social, strategic and formal. Participants from diverse disciplines and backgrounds were encouraged to get to know each other, identify possible collaborations and reflect on the timeliness of NRP 84 and its potential contributions. Formal sessions provided facts and guidelines on the programme to ensure that all teams were well prepared for the work ahead.

Discussions among participants highlighted several promising directions for the programme. Researchers explored the viability of new forms of plant breeding, focusing on approaches that avoid transgenic outcomes. The societal and legal implications of new techniques were discussed, with many participants acknowledging the regulatory challenges that lie ahead. The film “Mais im Bundeshuus”, a Swiss documentary from 2003, was frequently cited as a reference point for the political context surrounding debates on plant breeding in Switzerland.

Towards the Annual Meeting 2026

Looking ahead, the next steps include the announcement of additional projects, tackling research questions such as societal acceptability of and regulatory considerations for new genetic tools in plant breeding that might complement the existing grants, as well as planning the first Annual Meeting, which will take place on the 25-26th of August 2026. Having made a strong start and established a clear sense of direction, NRP 84 has laid the foundation to act as an impactful honest broker, with a view towards building bridges between science, society, and policy.