CASS Annual Meeting 2026 – bringing science, people and ideas together in Helsinki 🌱

From 15–18 September, the CASS community came together at Paasitorni in Helsinki for our Annual Meeting. Four days of scientific exchange, discussion and collaboration.

Researchers and partners from across the CASS consortium shared their latest progress from carbon transport and storage root development to metabolism, cassava transformation, field testing, phenotyping and data management.

A particular highlight was our joint session with colleagues from Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Project and ENSA - Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture, creating an opportunity to look beyond individual projects, explore synergies and discuss how complementary approaches can contribute to improving crop productivity.

And, of course, an Annual Meeting is about much more than presentations. Bringing people together in one place gives us the opportunity to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, build new connections and shape the next steps of our work together.

Our shared goal remains clear: to better understand cassava source–sink relationships and translate that knowledge into improved cassava varieties that can ultimately contribute to higher productivity for smallholder farmers.

A big thank you to our hosts at the University of Helsinki, to everyone who contributed to the programme, and to all participants who made these days so engaging and productive.

Great science is a team effort and it was wonderful to have so much of the CASS community together in Helsinki. 💚

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