Virtual Coffee Mornings
Informal online sessions designed to support networking, community building, and ECR engagement across the OryzaNet network.
Dates and formats to be announced.
OryzaNet organises and supports a wide range of events designed to connect the rice research community, share knowledge, and build skills across career stages. These include conferences, workshops, training activities, networking opportunities, and events specifically focused on Early Career Researchers (ECRs).
This page lists upcoming and past events. Where possible, events will be recorded and made available here after they take place.
The best way to stay informed about OryzaNet events is to join the network and sign up to receive our newsletters and announcements.
Upcoming events
4th International Conference on Rice for the Future (ICRF2026)
Event Details
Dates: 23–24 November 2026
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Theme: One Health Rice: Transforming Food, Climate and Health
Submissions are now open for the 4th International Conference on Rice for the Future (ICRF2026)
This year the conference adopts the theme “One Health Rice: Transforming Food, Climate and Health Through Rice Innovation” to highlight the interconnected health of rice production systems, ecosystems, and society. This concept recognizes that healthy soils support healthy plants; healthy plants contribute to nutritious food; nutritious food promotes human well-being; and sustainable farming systems safeguard environmental and economic resilience.
ICRF2026 will bring together researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, farmers, and development partners to explore innovative solutions across the entire rice value chain. Topics will include climate-smart rice, low-emission production systems, sustainable crop protection, rice genomics and breeding, nutrition and functional foods, digital agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and policies that strengthen resilient food systems.
We are delighted to announce our OryzaNet Co-lead Julie Gray is a member of the organising committee and will be speaking at the conference in Thailand.
Through interdisciplinary collaboration and international partnerships, ICRF2026 aims to advance a shared vision of rice that not only feeds the world, but also contributes to healthier people, healthier ecosystems, and a more sustainable future for all.
Past events
OryzaNet Launch Event
Join us for the official launch of the OryzaNet Network at ISFRG26 hosted at The Royal Society in central London. The event will introduce the network's vision and activities, outline upcoming funding opportunities, and provide opportunities to network with researchers, institutional leaders, and partners interested in collaboration, skills sharing, and training.
ISRFG26 is being organised by the UKRI-funded OryzaNet network in collaboration with the Association of Applied Biologists, a scientific society that was founded in London in 1904 and supports researchers who are involved in many subjects area that aim to improve agricultural productivity.
International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics 2026 (ISRFG26)
Were pleased to share an exciting upcoming event for the plant science community:
🌾 23rd International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics (ISRFG 2026)
📅 8–11 September 2026
📍 The Royal Society, London
Rice feeds half the world’s population, and with global demand rising, advancing our understanding of rice biology is more important than ever. ISRFG 2026 will bring together researchers from across the globe to explore the latest developments in rice functional genomics, from fundamental discoveries to applications in climate resilience, sustainability, and crop improvement.
The meeting will feature keynote and plenary talks, workshops, poster sessions, and a final-day visit—offering a fantastic opportunity to connect with collaborators and showcase research in this vital field.
The event is organised by the UKRI-funded OryzaNet network in collaboration with the Association of Applied Biologists.
A great chance to engage with the global rice research community, right in the heart of London.
OryzaNet Webinar Series
OryzaNet will be supporting a regular webinar series showcasing research, tools, and perspectives from across the global rice research community.
The first webinar in our series was a great success entitled 'all aabout' plant sciences & sustainable agriculture focused on Rice, ahead of the abstract deadline for the 'International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics (ISRFG) 2026
Featuring...
Keynote - Ari Sadanandom (Durham University, UK): “Deciphering the SUMO code for stress responses in rice"
Early-Career SpotlightMoe Moe Kyi Win (Kasetsart University, Thailand):"QTL-seq identifies key gene important for Bacterial Leaf Streak (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola) resistance in rice"
Annals of Applied Biology Highlight - Guilherme Turra (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil):"Insights from controlled, comparative experiments highlight the limitations of using BSMV and FoMV for virus-enabled reverse genetics in rice"
If you missed it you can catch up by watching the webinar on the aab You Tube channel just follow the link below
Plant Epigenetics: From Model to Crop Species
We are pleased to share an upcoming opportunity from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded UK Plant Epigenetics Network (UK-PEN).
The inaugural meeting, “Plant Epigenetics: From Model to Crop Species”, will take place on 11–12 June 2026 at the University of Dundee (School of Life Sciences). The event is free to attend and available in a hybrid format, though in-person places are limited—so early registration is encouraged.
The programme will feature keynote talks from Aline Probst (iGReD, France) and Jose Gutierrez-Marcos (University of Warwick), alongside the launch of the first round of the UK-PEN pump-priming scheme.
This is a great opportunity to connect with others working in plant epigenetics and related fields, and to get involved with the new network.
📅 Registration deadline: 17 April 2026
If you’re interested, you can also indicate your interest in joining UK-PEN and staying updated on future activities when registering.
Please feel free to share with colleagues and networks who may be interested.