1st AAB-PlantEd Training School
August 4 - August 7
1st AAB-PlantEd Training School
4 – 8 August 2025, Düsseldorf, Germany
Scope of the training school
The 1st AAB-PlantEd Training School will offer theoretical and practical training on effectively
conducting targeted plant mutagenesis. This will encompass gRNA selection, vector
construction, isolation of immature barley embryos, protoplast isolation, and methods for
mutant selection, including PCR/RE and T7EI assays. Furthermore, distinguished scientists
(Laurens Pauwels, Ghent University; Katrijn van Laere, ILVO; Sadiye Hayta and Mark Smedley,
John Innes Centre) will lecture on the subject and its applications.
AAB (https://www.aab.org.uk), CEPLAS (https://www.ceplas.eu/en/home/), and the German
Society for Plant Biotechnology e.V. (https://www.pflanzen-biotechnologie.de/english-1/)
provide logistical and financial support for the conference.
Application and selection process
The Training School will accommodate 16 early-career researchers (ECRs). Applications should
include a cover letter explaining how the knowledge gained will directly advance ongoing
research or career development, a CV, and a statement indicating the applicant’s interest in
travel funding. The application deadline is 1 May 2025. Further information is available from
Götz Hensel (goetz.hensel@hhu.de). Members of the specialist group
committee (https://www.aab.org.uk/specialist-groups/planted/) will select the candidates.
Selection criteria are based on sound scientific practice, including the excellence of the
application, gender balance, and geographical distribution. Successful applicants will be
notified by 15 May 2025.
No registration fee is required; however, applicants are responsible for their travel and
accommodation expenses. We will provide several coffee breaks throughout the event, and
participants can access the Mensa, which offers meals at reasonable prices.