In October 2025, HelEx hosted a visit from KWS, one of Europe’s leading seed companies, to present the project’s genetic approach to sunflower breeding. KWS is active on a wide range of arable crops, and its interest in HelEx reflects the strategic importance of sunflower in a changing agricultural context.
Nicolas Langlade (INRAE) presented HelEx’s use of wild Helianthus diversity, phenotyping platforms and genomic tools to tackle climate resilience and pollinator-friendly traits. The meeting explored where industry expertise could support, challenge and benefit from HelEx activities.
Working closely with large European seed companies is essential for HelEx to ensure that the science generated within the project can be translated into varieties adopted by farmers across the continent.
