Keynote presentations, a panel discussion, and interactive World Café sessions provided insights into digitalization, consumer roles, and political frameworks for improving sustainability. The discussions highlighted that advancing sustainable food systems requires close collaboration among all stakeholders.

The PhenoRob Business and Stakeholder Networking Event Series offers an ideal platform to connect science and practice, initiate new projects, and explore current trends in digital crop production. The event also provided opportunities for informal networking over drinks and snacks.

Pictures: © Volker Lannert

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Following presentations on recent developments in closer integration and key interfaces, such as field robotics and sensor data processing, participants shared lunch together and had the opportunity to take a walk through the botanical gardens.

In the afternoon, parallel workshops focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration within participants’ respective fields of interest. The results were presented in concise wrap-up and flash reports at the end of the day. Overall, the workshop generated new ideas for potential joint projects and further strengthened networking, fostering improved information exchange and collaborative research.

Pictures: © PhenoRob, All rights reserved

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Jessika Roswall met with PhenoRob researchers to discuss current challenges and priorities in areas such as digital agriculture, sustainable food systems, and biodiversity conservation. PhenoRob presented its work on innovative cultivation systems and technologies, including robotics and artificial intelligence, aimed at developing future-proof solutions for agriculture.

Commissioner Roswall emphasized the importance of research for Europe’s food security, highlighting the relevance of PhenoRob’s work for the sustainable transformation of agricultural and food systems.

Pictures: © Barbara Frommann / Uni Bonn

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The International Conference on Digital Technologies for Sustainable Crop Production (DIGICROP 2025) took place as a fully remote event on July 8–9, 2025. Organized by DigiCrop.Net, a consortium of research groups dedicated to technology-driven solutions for sustainable agriculture, the conference brought together a global community of experts and innovators.

DIGICROP 2025 featured six keynote speakers and 49 scientific talks by researchers at the forefront of engineering, robotics, computer science, crop science, agricultural science, phenotyping, and economics. Delivered across three Zoom rooms, the program combined pre-recorded video presentations with live-streamed panel discussions to foster insightful exchange and interdisciplinary dialogue.

All recorded talks are available for public viewing on the PhenoRob YouTube channel.

Pictures: © PhenoRob, All rights reserved

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On May 9, 2025, the DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence PhenoRob, in collaboration with the University of Bonn’s Faculty of Agriculture, Nutrition and Engineering Sciences and the Theodor Brinkmann Foundation, hosted its second career fair in Bonn. The event focused on non-academic career paths for young scientists, drawing strong interest across disciplines. Around 30 companies and organizations, ranging from startups and ministries to international corporations, presented job opportunities in agriculture and related fields, such as autonomous driving, surveying, and nutrition. A highlight of the event was the “speed dating” session, where participants engaged directly with employers, gained career insights, and expanded their professional networks beyond academia. The career fair underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration in shaping future careers in sustainable agriculture.

Pictures: © PhenoRob, All rights reserved

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Three speakers were invited to give short keynote speeches, followed by an interactive discussion. After the break, participants were invited to take part in a World Café with three thematic tables to discuss policy frameworks, technological innovation and regional networks in smaller groups and to share future visions for biodiversity. The event ended with an open networking session and a PhenoRob poster presentation.

The PhenoRob Business and Stakeholder Networking Event Series thus provides an ideal platform to initiate new projects and stay ahead of the latest developments and trends in digital crop production and to learn about scientific solutions to real-world problems.

Pictures: © PhenoRob, All rights reserved

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During the three-day conference, researchers presented their work, developed new approaches and discussed topics related to “Agroecosystems in Transformation: Visions, Technologies and Actors”. Prior to the main conference, which consisted of 32 scientific presentations, participants had the opportunity to attend five workshops and three master classes. After the conference, two excursions were offered, one to the patchCROP landscape laboratory and the ZALF experimental station in Müncheberg, and a second to Uckermarck, a region located north of Berlin, including a visit to the Kerkow estate and the ZALF experimental station in Dedelow.

Group photo by © Tony Haupt Photo

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More information are available on the website of the NRW-USA Parliamentary Group.

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Top researchers from North Rhine-Westphalia presented their work on June 12, 2024, in the Citizens’ Hall of the Düsseldorf State Parliament. North Rhine-Westphalia is currently the most successful state in the Excellence Strategy nationwide. Of the 57 clusters of excellence already funded, 14 are in North Rhine-Westphalia.

During the parliamentary breakfast, the spokespersons of all clusters were invited to exchange ideas with the members of the parliament, but the exchange between the clusters was also important. Afterwards, there was an exhibition of the Clusters of Excellence, where every member of parliament and interested visitor could find out more about their research.

It was an informative day with many interesting conversations and exchanges about the work of the different Clusters of Excellence, ranging from, of course, agriculture and robotics, to quantum computing, market and public policy analysis – and they all conduct cutting-edge research. The highlight of the day was the visit of Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, who took the time to engage in a productive exchange and constructive discussion.

Find out more about Cutting-edge research Research “made in NRW” in the YouTube video below and the 14 Clusters of Excellence from North Rhine-Westphalia here.

Pictures: © Landtag NRW-Schälte, © MKW/Mark Hermenau and © PhenoRob, All rights reserved

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