The conference will have four thematic presentations with featured speakers representing diverse perspectives in four plenary sessions. An open forum will follow each plenary presentation.

After the four plenary sessions, participants will break out into small groups to discuss issues and lessons; then recommend relevant components/ features of a regional collaborative initiative, policy directions, and follow-through actions.

• Theme 1. Agricultural Biotechnology and Knowledge Management
The theme will involve an overview on the current global adoption of crop biotechnology, trends, benefits and future directions. It will also focus on the fundamentals of KM and its current applications and trends in the region pertaining to science and technology, agriculture and natural resource management in general. Likewise, it will highlight the benefits and constraints arising from KM interventions on agri-biotechnology dissemination, transfer, commercialization and adoption and identify current and emerging policy and institutional issues.

• Theme 2. Knowledge Management Platforms for Regulatory Policies Governing Agricultural Biotechnology
The theme will involve discussions and assessments of existing KM platforms at the national, regional or global level with regulatory aspects of biotechnology R&D, technology development and biosafety regulatory aspects. The theme discussions will also include identification of gaps, issues and concerns as well as recommend strategies to address the issues.

• Theme 3. Capacity Building for Knowledge Management
This theme will examine existing capacity building initiatives on KM, specifically those related to biotechnology dissemination, transfer, commercialization and adoption. Specific topics included under this theme are intellectual property (IP) management and public-private partnerships. It will identify gaps, issues and concerns as well as recommended strategies to address the issues.

• Theme 4. Knowledge Management and Networking
As the organizational environment becomes borderless, this theme examines current developments or models in knowledge management towards facilitating biotechnology transfer and adoption across countries. It will also identify challenges and opportunities for future action.