Silver medal for the invention at the 124th International Invention Fair CONCOURS LÉPINE in Paris

The 124th International Invention Fair ‘Concours Lépine’ in Paris, organised under the patronage of the President of France and devoted to technology transfer and the implementation of technical progress into the economy, ended on 10 May 2025. The invention of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin presented at the fair received a silver medal.

We are pleased to announce that the invention of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin presented at the fair, ‘A pair of oligonucleotide primers for detection and a method for detecting the dominant allele of the crown rust resistance gene Pc101 derived from Avena sterilis PI 334961 in the genome of oat (Avena sativa L.),’ has gained recognition from an international Jury and was awarded the silver medal in the section on technology transfer and implementation of technical progress at this year’s ‘Concours Lépine’ International Paris 2025.

Authors of the invention: Edyta Paczos-Grzęda, PhD, DSc, Associate Professor; Joanna Lech, MSc; Sylwia Sowa, BEng, PhD; Aneta Koroluk, BEng, PhD; Krzysztof Kowalczyk, PhD, DSc, ProfTit.

The invention relates to a molecular diagnostic tool designed to accelerate the selection of oat varieties resistant to crown rust. The method enables plant screening at an early stage, providing faster and more efficient breeding processes without the need for time-consuming phytopathological tests.

The object of the invention is a method of identifying in oat plants the dominant allele of the crown rust resistance gene Pc101 introduced into oats from the wild oat species Avena sterilis genotype PI 334961. The identification of the specific product indicates the presence of the dominant allele in the tested plant material in homozygous or heterozygous form, enabling breeders to select appropriate lines in the breeding process aimed at obtaining varieties with high resistance to Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae infection.

The development of the technology is carried out at the Institute of Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology at the Faculty of Agrobioengineering of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin.

The ‘Concours Lépine’ 2025 fair brought together more than 600 innovative solutions presented by exhibitors from 13 countries around the world, including Poland, Germany, Spain, the UK, Belgium, Morocco, Taiwan and China. Inventions were presented in industry sectors and national sectors, including the Polish Pavilion. The University of Life Sciences in Lublin was also among the international exhibitors, represented by the staff of the Technology Transfer Centre – Iwona Niezgoda, TTC director, and Agnieszka Komarzeniec, TTC specialist. The event was an excellent opportunity to promote the innovative solution developed by the university’s creators and to hold numerous talks with representatives of the scientific and business communities.

The ‘Concours Lépine’ International Invention Fair, held in Paris since 1901, is dedicated to innovative solutions, technology transfer and the implementation of technological progress into the economy. The presented inventions are evaluated by an international panel of jurors every year. The jury awards medals in four gradations: gold, silver, bronze and the Association of French Inventors and Manufacturers. In evaluating solutions, the jury takes into account the level of innovation, the level of technology and engineering, societal demand, the possibility of implementation and sales, and confirmation of the effectiveness of the solutions by relevant research results.

Agnieszka Komarzeniec
Technology Transfer Centre
of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin