Defining a new
industrial biology
paradigm.

Plant Cell Institute
Plant Cell Summit
Oxford, 29–30 September 2026

Discuss and define the future of plant cell production with the 100 leaders of the field. Join us in creating the Oxford Declaration on Standards in Plant Cell Culture.

Creating the foundations of plant cell culture

The Goal

Why this summit exists

Plant cell production is emerging as a credible industrial response to the resource constraints that will define the next decade. Science is no longer the question. The challenge is how the field organises into something investable, standardised, and scalable.

Join us in discussing the latest breakthroughs, investigate viable scale-up options, and find solutions to your plant cell culture challenges.

The PCI Plant Cell Summit convenes the people who can shape the industry and will create a tangible declaration to set a common standards for plant cell culture.

~100
Invited participants
20+
Countries represented
11+
Confirmed speakers
Oxford college green landscape

"The future of sustainable, scalable production begins with getting the science, standards, and industry aligned."

The Programme

A Summit for the Plant Cell Culture Industry.

Programme Draft · Oxford, 29–30 September 2026.

View full programme →
Radcliffe Camera, Oxford
Oxford · September 2026
Day 01 · Tuesday 29 September 2026
From Early Applications to Industrial Infrastructure.
  • Arrival, coffee & exhibition opens
  • Opening: State of the Sector — keynotes & fireside chat
  • Coffee break, exhibition & matchmaking
  • Cell Line Development: From Explant to High-Performance Cultures
  • Lunch & exhibition
  • Scale-up & Manufacturing: From Lab to Industrial Systems
  • Coffee break, exhibition & matchmaking
  • Troubleshooting Exchange: Industry Roundtables & Lightning Box
  • Conference Dinner in historic Oxford College
Day 02 · Wednesday 30 September 2026
From Science to Market.
  • Advancing Plant Cell Culture Through Science & Engineering
  • Coffee break, exhibition & matchmaking
  • Commercial: Bringing PCC Products to Market
  • Lunch & exhibition
  • Closing: Emerging Technologies, Innovation Stage & Pitches
  • Closing remarks & announcement of next edition
The Voices

Speakers.

Industries, scientists, investors, and policy leaders shaping the field.

Tal Govrin
Tal Govrin
CEO, Kokomodo
Israel · Industry
Frank Jaksch
Frank Jaksch
CEO, Ayana Bio
USA · Industry
Abhaya Dandekar
Abhaya Dandekar
Distinguished Professor, UC Davis
USA · Academia
Heiko Rischer
Heiko Rischer
Head of Plant Biotechnology, VTT
Finland · RTO
See all 11+ speakers
Tal Govrin
Tal Govrin
CEO, Kokomodo
Israel · Industry
Klaus Kienle
Klaus Kienle
Co-Founder & CPO, Food Brewer
Switzerland · Industry
Henrik Nausch
Henrik Nausch
Head of Department Bioprocess Engineering, Fraunhofer IME
Germany · RTO
Tom Clement
Tom Clement
Founder & CEO, New Dawn Bio
Netherlands · Industry
Yonatan Golan
Yonatan Golan
CEO, Brevel
Israel · Industry
Abhaya Dandekar
Abhaya Dandekar
Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis
USA · Academia
Frank Jaksch
Frank Jaksch
CEO, Ayana Bio
USA · Industry
Heiko Rischer
Heiko Rischer
Head of Plant Biotechnology, VTT
Finland · RTO
Davoud Torkamaneh
Davoud Torkamaneh
Professor, Laval University
Canada · Academia
Will Milligan
Will Milligan
Founder & CEO, Extracellular
England · Industry
Ashley Beckwith
Ashley Beckwith
CEO, Foray Bioscience
USA · Industry
TBA
To be announced
Senior academic, Plant cell science
Copenhagen · Science
Have Your say

The Oxford Declaration.

A shared roadmap, created by the people who shape the field, defining the direction and needs of plant cell production.

Objective 01
Industrialisation

Anchor a field designed for industrial-scale production.

Objective 02
Standardisation

Establish a shared foundation for comparability.

Objective 03
Collaboration

Activate pre-competitive collaboration across the ecosystem.

Objective 04
Scale-up

Accelerate the translation from lab to market.

Objective 05
Commercialisation

Facilitate market access for plant cell-derived products.

Objective 06
Coordination

Shape a coordinated and investable global industry.

About the Declaration
The Audience

For Builders, Leaders and Investors of the Plant Cell Culture Industry.

INDUSTRY SCIENCE CAPITAL & POLICY Plant Cell Summit
Industry

Plant cell production companies, biotech operators, infrastructure providers, and corporate buyers with active mandates in the space.

Science

Senior academic researchers and translational scientists from research-active institutions with direct relevance to plant cell production.

Capital & Policy

Venture and strategic investors with active field mandates, alongside policy and standards stakeholders shaping the regulatory environment.

Who it is for

  • Operating leaders of plant cell production companies, founders, CEOs, CTOs, CSOs
  • Scientists with direct relevance to plant cell culture
  • Investors with active or imminent positions in the plant cell space
  • Policy stakeholders shaping the regulatory environment
  • Industrial buyers and corporates exploring plant cell-derived products.
Attendance by application · Reviewed and confirmed by programme committee
Highlights

More than just a conference.

People collaborating in workshop
Highlights
Working sessions

Challenge and co-develop the future of plant cell production in structured, outcome-focused groups.

Conference talks auditorium
Highlights
Talks

Focused interventions from leading stakeholders and scientists, held in the Digital Hub at Jesus College Oxford.

Conference dinner
Social
The Conference Dinner

An evening of networking and conversation in the historic, atmospheric setting of an Oxford college.

Oxford college quad
The Declaration
Outcome-driven

Every session contributes directly to the co-creation of the Oxford Declaration on Plant Cell Culture.

Oxford, September 2026.
Join the Plant Cell Summit.

29–30 September · By invitation · Applications open now
The Voices

Speakers

Industries, scientists, investors, and policy leaders shaping the future of plant cell culture.

11+ confirmed speakers.
More announced soon.

The Plant Cell Summit brings together the most important voices in plant cell production. Founders building the companies, scientists defining new boundaries, investors funding the technology, and policy leaders shaping the environment.

Industry

Plant cell production companies, biotech operators, corporate buyers

Science

Senior academic researchers and translational scientists

Capital & Policy

Venture investors, strategic partners, regulatory stakeholders

Tal Govrin
Tal Govrin
CEO, Kokomodo
Israel · Industry
Klaus Kienle
Klaus Kienle
Co-Founder & CPO, Food Brewer
Switzerland · Industry
Henrik Nausch
Henrik Nausch
Head of Department Bioprocess Engineering, Fraunhofer IME
Germany · RTO
Tom Clement
Tom Clement
Founder & CEO, New Dawn Bio
Netherlands · Industry
Yonatan Golan
Yonatan Golan
CEO, Brevel
Israel · Industry
Abhaya Dandekar
Abhaya Dandekar
Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis
USA · Academia
Frank Jaksch
Frank Jaksch
CEO, Ayana Bio
USA · Industry
Heiko Rischer
Heiko Rischer
Head of Plant Biotechnology, VTT
Finland · RTO
Davoud Torkamaneh
Davoud Torkamaneh
Professor, Laval University
Canada · Academia
Will Milligan
Will Milligan
Founder & CEO, Extracellular
England · Industry
Ashley Beckwith
Ashley Beckwith
CEO, Foray Bioscience
USA · Industry
TBA
To be announced
Senior academic, Plant cell science
Copenhagen · Science
Interested in speaking?

Share your expertise with the field.

We are actively curating our speaker programme. If you or someone you know would be a strong fit, we want to hear from you.

Get in touch
The outcome of the summit

The Oxford Declaration
for the Plant Cell Industry

Defining a new industrial biology paradigm for resilient supply of critical resources.

Jesus College Oxford
Signing declaration document

"A shared direction for the plant cell production industry."

The Plant Cell Institute convenes the innovators, scientists, investors and policy stakeholders shaping the future of plant cell production. Its purpose is to align the field around a shared direction.

The Oxford Declaration is the outcome of that process, a short document co-created with participants and signed at the close of the summit. A draft is shared in advance, and discussions during the summit are used to refine and align on its content.

The Declaration is deliberately concise. It is not a research agenda, a market forecast, or a policy paper. It sets out a small number of principles that define how the field will organise itself to become credible, investable and globally coordinated.

Participation does not require significant preparation. Attendees are invited to react to, challenge and improve an existing draft, rather than create something from scratch.

The Declaration is a statement of shared intent. It is non-binding and does not create any legal obligations or financial commitments for its signatories. Draft available below.

Objective 01

Industrialisation

Anchor a field designed for industrial-scale production.

The field will not reach its potential by retrofitting laboratory science to industrial realities. Processes, infrastructure and standards must be designed with scale as the primary goal, not an afterthought.

Objective 02

Standardisation

Establish a shared foundation for comparability.

Without comparability across institutions, trust cannot be established with investors, regulators or buyers. A shared evidence framework must be defined, starting with the highest-priority definitions and evolving iteratively.

Objective 03

Collaboration

Activate pre-competitive collaboration across the ecosystem.

Shared challenges should not be solved in isolation. Pre-competitive collaboration must focus on removing common barriers while preserving competitive differentiation.

Objective 04

Scale-up

Accelerate the translation from lab to market.

The gap between scientific potential and market deployment is too large and too costly. Translation must become systematic, with a clear focus on removing the bottlenecks between discovery and commercial operation.

Objective 05

Commercialisation

Facilitate market access for plant cell-derived products.

Scientific progress without market access does not translate into impact. Friction between innovation and adoption must be reduced through alignment with buyers and regulators.

Objective 06

Coordination

Shape a coordinated and investable global industry.

A field that speaks with fragmented voices will not be taken seriously by capital, policy or markets. Coordination and a unified voice can facilitate this and the Declaration will guide its implementation.

Governance

How the Declaration is maintained.

The Declaration is maintained by the Plant Cell Institute on behalf of its signatories. It is reviewed annually at the Plant Cell Summit. Proposed amendments must be submitted no later than two months before each summit. Adoption of amendments requires a two-thirds majority of signatories present and voting.

The Declaration is non-binding and does not create any legal obligations or financial commitments for its signatories.

Pre-publication draft

Download the Declaration

Final version signed at Oxford, September 2026. Pre-publication draft available on request.

Request draft (PDF)
Plant Cell Institute, The Oxford Declaration on Plant Cell Production, Oxford, 2026.
The agenda

Programme

Two days in Oxford to impact the future of plant cell culture.

Plant science
Plant Science
Oxford venue
Oxford · Sept 2026
Lab plants
Biotech & Industry

From Early Applications to Industrial Infrastructure.

Tuesday 29 September 2026 · Draft programme, subject to confirmation.

Arrival & Coffee

Networking Exhibition

Opening: State of the Sector

Plenary Objective 01

Coffee Break & Exhibition

Networking Exhibition

Cell Line Development: From Explant to High-Performance Cultures

Technical Objective 02

Lunch & Exhibition

Networking Exhibition

Scale-up & Manufacturing: From Lab to Industrial Systems

Technical Objective 03

Coffee Break & Exhibition

Networking Exhibition

Troubleshooting Exchange: Solving Industry Bottlenecks

Interactive Objective 04

Conference Dinner

Pre-dinner drinks and traditional
Oxford Formal Dinner in the historic Jesus College Hall.

Networking Formal

Bar Social

Networking

From Science to Market.

Wednesday 30 September 2026 · Draft programme, subject to confirmation.

Advancing Plant Cell Culture Through Science & Engineering

Science Objective 05

Coffee Break & Exhibition

Networking Exhibition

Commercial: Bringing PCC Products to Market

Commercial Objective 06

Lunch & Exhibition

Networking Exhibition

Closing: Future Perspectives

Emerging Technologies and Future Applications in Plant Cell Culture

15:00 – 15:45 · Innovation Stage
15:45 – 16:00 · Fireside Chat
16:00 – 16:30 · Panel Discussion
16:30 – 16:40 · Closing Remarks
Plenary Closing

Draft programme · Subject to confirmation · Final joining instructions sent to confirmed participants

Sponsorships

Mark your presence.

Sponsor the Plant Cell Summit and support the future you want to shape.

Sponsorship

Support the Summit.

Sponsorship Enquiry

We offer a range of partnership tiers, each designed to give your organisation meaningful presence at a landmark event in the plant cell culture field.

Benefits include delegate passes, logo placement, Conference Dinner access, swag bag inclusion, press coverage, and more — tailored to your level of engagement.

Enquire
Oxford college green roof
Promote your Brand

Exclusive sponsorships.

One partner per opportunity unless noted. Available on first-come basis. Sold separately to tier packages.

Exclusive · One partner

The Conference Dinner

Naming rights, short address, branded menu cards, and table plan. The summit's defining social moment.

Enquire
Exclusive · One partner

The Pre-Dinner Reception

Naming, signature drink, branded coasters. The hour before the dinner begins.

Enquire
Multiple · Open

Student Seats

Full scholarships for postgraduates and early-career researchers. Three seats available per summit.

Enquire
Exclusive · One partner

The Coffee Breaks

Branded service area and barista station across all breaks over both days.

Enquire
Exclusive · One partner

Swag Bag & Promotional Material

Place your branded materials and products in the delegate swag bag, distributed to all participants at registration.

Enquire
Exclusive · One partner

The Notebook and Pen

Official notebooks and pens, branded and distributed at registration.

Enquire
What we offer

Positioned next to the field.

Not visibility. Position. Every sponsor is chosen for alignment, not budget.

Connect with 100 field leaders

Founders, CSOs, investors and researchers in one room. Two days of shared sessions, networking, and the Conference Dinner.

Brand presence at a landmark event

On-site visibility, digital presence, and inclusion in all summit communications, including website, programme, and post-summit report.

Post-summit report

Included in the annual post-summit report distributed globally to participants, press, and partners.

Swag bag & promotional placement

Selected tiers include placement in the delegate swag bag. Your brand in the hands of every participant.

Enquire

Ready to partner?

Contact the partnerships team to receive the full prospectus and discuss which partnership is right for your organisation.

hello@pci.bio
By application

Apply to attend.

Room capped at ~100 participants. Applications are reviewed by the programme committee within 10 working days. Confirmed participants receive joining details and access to year-round working groups.

Participation tiers

Three tiers of participation.

All tiers include full 2-day access, all working sessions, Oxford Formal Dinner in a college hall, and the post-summit report.

Startup Pass
Reserved for early-stage startups with no more than 3 full-time employees.
£400
Apply
Academia Pass
Reserved for universities, professors, academic researchers, and research and technology organisations (RTOs).
£550
Apply
Standard Pass
For industry operators, corporates, infrastructure providers, investors, and all applicants not eligible for the Startup or Academia passes.
£800
Apply
Application

The application form.

Reviewed by programme committee within 10 working days.

Press accreditation is handled separately through the press programme.

Oxford

The venue and the city.

Two days in the heart of Oxford. The summit is hosted within a historic college, offering a setting shaped by centuries of academic and intellectual exchange.

The venue

Digital Hub,
Jesus College Oxford.

The Conference Venue is in the heart of Oxford, in walking distance to colleges, libraries, and Oxford train station.

Access

Venue fully accessible. Specific requirements should be noted on application form and will be addressed directly by the organising team.

Address

Full address and joining instructions sent to confirmed participants.

Radcliffe Camera, Oxford
Jesus College Oxford quad
The College

About Jesus College Oxford.

Founded in 1571, Jesus College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It has a distinguished history of scholarship and was among the first Oxford colleges to admit women, marking a pivotal moment in the university's commitment to equal access.

The Digital Hub is one of the college's newest buildings, designed as a modern space for innovation, collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange — making it a fitting home for the Plant Cell Summit.

Where to stay

Recommended accommodations.

PCI recommends staying in college accommodation or nearby hotels. More details are shared with confirmed participants.

Experience

College accommodation

Stay within the College to experience the summit in full, with accommodation and sessions in one setting, within Jesus College Oxford.

Request booking information
Premium

Central Hotels

Premium hotel options are available within a 5-minute walk of the college, including The Randolph and The Store Oxford, offering high-end accommodation close to the summit venue.

Considered option

Budget option

More budget-friendly options are available slightly further from the venue, such as the Holiday Inn Oxford, offering comfortable accommodation at a lower cost within a 15–20 minute drive of the college.

Getting here

Travel to Oxford.

By air

From London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW) & Birmingham (BHX)

Direct coach services run hourly from Heathrow and Gatwick to Oxford Gloucester Green (approx. 90 min). From Birmingham Airport, take a direct train to Oxford (approx. 1 hr 15 min).

By train

From London Paddington & via Eurostar

From London Paddington, approximately 1 hour by direct service with regular departures. Oxford station is a 15-minute walk or short taxi to the venue. From European cities, take the Eurostar to London St Pancras, then connect to Oxford via Paddington.

By road

From M40 motorway

Oxford is well-served from the M40. Note: central Oxford has limited and expensive parking. Arriving by public transport or using the Park & Ride is strongly recommended.

Detailed travel guidance sent to confirmed participants in joining instructions.

The convener

The Plant Cell Institute.

PCI is a global platform connecting industry, scientists and stakeholders to shape the future of plant cell culture.

Mission

What PCI does.

PCI focuses on three core functions:

  1. 1. Uniting a global network Bringing together leading companies, researchers, investors, and institutions to foster meaningful collaboration, align priorities, and support the development of a coherent plant cell culture ecosystem.
  2. 2. Lowering barriers to entry through shared resources Developing and providing access to knowledge, databases, and practical resources that enable new and existing players to navigate plant cell culture more efficiently and accelerate their entry into the field.
  3. 3. Coordinating cross-sector efforts on shared challenges Acting as a neutral coordination layer across organisations to identify bottlenecks, align efforts, and facilitate collective progress on key scientific, technical, and commercial challenges.

What PCI does not do

  • Invest in or endorse specific companies or technologies
  • Lobby for specific products or market outcomes
  • Certify technologies or products
The team

The people behind the Summit.

Organisers

Juliane Hitzel
Juliane Hitzel
Organiser
Lisa Zillig
Lisa Zillig
Organiser
Philippe Jutras
Philippe Jutras
Organiser
Governance

Built to coordinate.

PCI is operated by Aberland World, a company working with public and private leaders to design and deliver high-impact R&D partnerships in food and biotechnology.

PCI functions as a neutral coordination layer across organisations, aligning stakeholders and driving collective progress in plant cell culture.

Contact

Get in touch.

General enquiries

hello@pci.bio
For accredited media

Press

Accredited press attend the Oxford Summit under a separate programme. Accreditation reviewed on a rolling basis.

Accreditation

Apply for press access.

Open to working journalists, editors, and analysts covering industrial biology, climate technology, science, and policy. Access includes plenaries, panel discussion and the Declaration moment.

Press releases

Recent releases.

  • 07 April 2026

    Plant Cell Institute confirms inaugural Oxford Summit for September 2026

    The Plant Cell Institute has confirmed the date and format of its inaugural Plant Cell Summit, to be held in Oxford on 29-30 September 2026.

  • Forthcoming

    First speakers confirmed for Oxford Summit 2026

    Speaker announcements and further programme details to follow. Contact hello@pci.bio for advance notice.

Press kit

Downloads.

Brand assets, background materials, and advance copies of the Declaration available to accredited press.