Ellen graduated from Ghent University and started her career at ILVO in 2000. Over the course of her academic career, she has been involved in different projects on molecular genetics in azalea, including the development and implementation of several molecular marker techniques. She obtained her PhD (Ghent University) in 2010 on the interaction of phenotype, genotype and gene expression for flower colour and other plant quality traits in azalea. During her PhD, she became an expert in RT-qPCR optimization and analysis for gene expression studies. As such, she is responsible for the set-up of all RT-qPCR projects at ILVO-Plant. She is currently a Senior Researcher at ILVO – Plant Sciences Unit – Applied Genetics and Breeding and is involved in projects on molecular genetics and genomics in several field crops and ornamental plants. Currently, Ellen is working on implementation of the CRISPR/Cas technology in the framework of the ILVO research program. Recently, she has also become one of the contact persons for the open innovation platform of Living Lab Plant.

Tjeerd Overdijk studied Law at Leiden University and has been a lawyer since 1984. With over 25 years of experience, he is an all-rounder in the field of Intellectual Property with a special interest in Plant Variety Rights. He was involved in the world’s first court case on the concept of Essentially Derived Varieties (EDVs) and he has gained considerable experience on this subject. He also has experience with litigation before the Board of Appeal of the Community Plant Variety Office in Angers, France. Tjeerd is a member of various professional associations, including CIOPORA, the Netherlands Copyright Association, the AIPPI, INTA, MARQUES and the European Communities Trademarks Association (ECTA).