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ANNOUNCEMENTS


I.
 
Detailed conference program 
below
 





Speakers



Assoc. Prof. Marcin Kadej, University of Wroclaw
Head of the Department of Invertebrate Biology, Evolution and Conservation, Dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Poland
Scientist and university teacher, engineer of marketing and management, Head of the Department of Invertebrate Biology, Evolution and Conservation, Dean of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Chairman of the Council of the Scientific Discipline of Biological Sciences, Head of the Forensic Biology and Entomology Laboratory at the University of Wrocław. In his work in the Laboratory of Conservation Biology and Invertebrate Conservation at the University of Wrocław, he focuses on conservation biology, biodiversity conservation, and valuation and assessment of natural resources. He cooperates with the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow. He is a member of numerous organizations, including the Regional Council for Nature Conservation in Wroclaw, the Scientific Council of the Góry Stołowe (Table Mountains) National Park, the Central Pomeranian Forests - Forest Promotional Complex, and “Forests of the Barycz River Valley”. He is an expert of the Polish National Committee of the IUCN. He is also a member of the European Association for Forensic Entomology and the Polish Entomological Society. He has conducted and coordinated research in the fields of taxonomy and systematics, as well as biology and ecology of dermestid beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera: Dermestidae) around the world.


Assoc. Prof. Karol Barragan-Fonseca DVM, PhD
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, director of Terrestrial Arthropod Research Center. Departamento De Producción Animal, Facultad De Medicina Veterinaria Zootecnia, La Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Professor is an experienced Veterinarian specializing in conservation and sustainable wildlife production systems, holds a Master's in Biology and a Ph.D. in Entomology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She is the founder of the Terrestrial Arthropod Research Centre (CINAT) at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL). As an Associate Professor, she coordinates the Insects for Peace initiative, aiming to drive social transformation and sustainability in agrifood systems through insect utilization. Additionally, she serves as the coordinator of the Insect Production Network at the Latin American Animal Production Association (ALPA), contributing significantly to insect-related initiatives in the region.


Remigiusz Gałęcki DVM, PhD
Assistant Professor at the Department of Veterinary Prevention and Feed Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
His primary research interests revolve around veterinary entomology, specifically focusing on edible insects, pests, and ectoparasites. His current research focuses on the possibility of using edible insects in the agri-food sector, with a particular emphasis on the yellow mealworm and assessing the impact of this insect on animal health. The scientific goal of the adopted assumptions is the implementation of edible insects in the broadly understood veterinary medicine. He has completed scientific internships at the One Health Center, Berry College, USA (2018), and the National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan (2019, 2023). He has contributed to four R&D projects, including the “Gospostrateg” project, which aimed to develop a strategy for utilizing alternative sources of insect protein in animal nutrition, and the “UpWaste” project, focusing on sustainable agricultural residue conversion. He leads the project “Development of an insect protein feed for companion animals with food-responsive enteropathies”, financed under the “LIDER XII” program by the National Center for Research and Development.


Marian Peters, BSc, MBA
CEO of New Generation Nutrition B.V. (NGN)
Studied Applied Sciences in Wageningen. In 2012 she earned her MBA degree in Business Creation in Food and Health. Marian has 15 years of experience initiating and executing (commercial) employment projects (Randstad) and innovative projects (including EU projects). She initiated and was responsible for drafting policy, labor, economic and agricultural innovation projects. Since 2004, Marian is an entrepreneur and a co-founder of Venik (Association of Dutch Insect Producers) and the International Insect Center (Cooperative, 2013) cooperation and business creation network in the insect supply chain. Her work is dedicated to the promotion and introduction of insects for human consumption and the development of new and safe products.


Assoc. Prof. Tadeusz Bakuła,  University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
President of the Polish Association of Insect Breeders and Producers. Retired university teacher at the Department of Veterinary Prevention and Feed Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.
Expert in the fields of veterinary prevention and feed hygiene, disinfection, pest control, and rodent control. He has been involved in pest control for many years. He has participated in numerous conferences and workshops on insect farming for feed and food, including the International Conference “Insects to Feed the World” (Wageningen, the Netherlands 2014, Wuhan, China 2018, Quebec, Canada 2022), INSECTA (2016, 2017, 2022). As a member of the consortium comprising the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Veterinary Research Institute – State Research Institute in Puławy, and researchers from the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, he has contributed to the GOSPOSTRATEG research project aimed at developing a strategy for utilizing alternative sources of insect protein in animal nutrition and promoting insect protein production in the territory of the Republic of Poland.


Francis Maugère
Political Adviser at Eurogroup for Animals, Insects Political Adviser
Political Adviser in charge of insect farming issues at Eurogroup for Animals, the pan European organization dedicated to animal protection. Eurogroup for Animals and its member organizations, having a great interest in animal farming and sustainable food transformation, are attentive to the development of the insect farming sector and have started taking it into account in their advocacy and representative work in the EU. Mr. Maugère is here to bring his perspective on the challenges facing the sector, and on how it is regulated at EU level, as the representative of an organization operating in the Brussels ecosystem for over 40 years and at the forefront on animal welfare policies.


Nils Th. Grabowski DVM, PhD
Dr. med. vet. Head of Department at the Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany
He studied veterinary medicine and animal production at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Cuautitlán, Mexico in 1988-1993. He worked as a practitioner in several large and small animal clinics in Germany. He earned a doctorate in milk hygiene at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (TiHo) in 2000. During his employment at the University, he became head of the department, specializing in milk hygiene and academic teaching. He has been working with productive insects since 2006. In 2019, he became head of the newly established Department of Hygiene and Technology of Productive Insects at the Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety (LMQS), TiHo. He was an audit expert on edible insects for EFSA and German public health authorities.


Wojciech Zahaczewski MSc, PhD
Founder of OVAD Co. Ltd.
Founder of one of the first insect companies in Poland - OVAD Co. Ltd., dealing with breeding and processing mealworms for the pet food market. Previously an academic teacher - he earned a doctorate in humanities at the University of Warsaw where he focused on literary studies, cultural studies, and philosophy. Publicist and translator. His interests include anthropology, nature and the environment, and human-environment interactions as affected by the cultural imaginarium. His professional activities include marketing and business development. He has devoted his expertise to the insect industry, seeing this as an opportunity to reduce the environmental impacts of food production.




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