Agri-food smart specialisation event: Working together towards future proof food systems

West Flanders, your Gateway to Europe. Our region is renowned for its production and processing of meat, fish, vegetables, potatoes, and grain. Over 8000 farmers and more than 900 small and medium-sized enterprises account for over 35000 jobs. This intricate network of companies, in cooperation with knowledge centres and government initiatives, provides the perfect breeding ground for innovation and entrepreneurship.

During our international network event, you get to experience FOR FREE first-hand what a successful collaboration can achieve. Tour the Food Region, enjoy exquisite tastes at the Rodenbach brewery, and discover our test facilities, knowledge hubs, greenhouses, and campuses. Participate in workshops, learn from renowned keynote speakers and discover new ways we can work together to create resilient and sustainable food systems.

Deadline registration: 20/05/2022

The registration deadline has passed. Registration for this event is no longer possible.

Practical information

Program

You can choose to participate one or two days.

Day 1 @ Rodenbach site

09:00 - Welcome

09:20 - Plenary session

• Introduction: A. Tavernier, Director Economy, European and International cooperation, Province of West Flanders
• Keynote 'Innovations as an anwer to the challenges in sustainability we face in food, health and environment.' C. Van Hoof, Vice President R&D, OnePlanet Research Center.
• Panel discussion: How the Province of West Flanders invests in future proof local food systems, L. Tack, M. Demeulemeester, C. Destoop, Managing Directors POM West Flanders, Inagro, TUA West, & L. Lefever, Coordinator section European programmes and international cooperation Province of West-Flanders
• Keynote: Living labs as an approach towards a sustainable food system in the city region, I. Pertry, Business Developer, Inagro - CITIES2030

10:45 - Break

11:15 - Technical talks

Join one of the following parallel sessions:

12:45 - Lunch & networking

13:45 - Inspirational visits in the Flemish agri-food region

Join one of the following tours in the Food Region:

Tour 1: Sustainable primary production (limited entry - max. 50 participants)	Tour 2: Food processing (limited entry - max. 50 participants)	Tour 3: Food & health (limited entry - max. 50 participants)
This tour takes you to Inagro and Ardo. The core business of Inagro is to perform applied research on innovative and sustainable primary production systems and to transfer knowledge to its stakeholders through communication, demonstration and consultancy. Ardo’s ambition is to be the global sustainable champion in plant-based frozen food through innovation, while fostering the environment, inspiring people and contributing to healthier living.	This tour takes you to VEG-i-TEC and Lipids Lab. VEG-i-TEC (UGent) is a living lab for the potato and vegetable processing industry. VEG-i-TEC helps the food industry with implementing technological innovations related to potato and vegetable processing such as water and energy management, by-products, food safety and food quality, hygienic design and economic, ecological and social impact. The laboratory Food & Lipids (KU Leuven) concentrates her research on the lipid (fat) fraction of food. Its mission is to conduct research facilitating the production of healthy fat-rich food products without compromising the taste or the technological functionality.	This tour takes you inside the kitchen of AZ Delta and to the FR&D Hall. AZ Delta is a hospital that wants to be a leader in quality care. Based on a sincere commitment, they guarantee the care to which every patient is entitled. Food and nutrition are an important part of their policy and daily operation. During this visit, insights are given regarding the hospital's current food policy and innovative projects. The Food Research and Development Hall is a pilot kitchen that aims to improve meals and meal components in both health care settings and the food industry.

17:00 - Evening program (optional - €80 p.p.)

• Rodenbach tour: Visit the Rodenbach brewery, founded by Pedro Rodenbach in 1821. This 150-year-old site is world-renowned for its 294 oak foeders and is protected as industrial heritage.
• Reception
• Walking dinner: During this all-inclusive dinner, we serve you refined dishes created with top-notch Flemish products.

Day 2 @ Agrotopia/Huis van de Voeding/ Vives Campus

09:00 - Stakeholder engagement and co-creation sessions

Join one of the following sessions:

Session 1: Food production in urban environments @ Agrotopia	Session 2: Food processing @ Huis van de Voeding	Session 3: Food & health @ Vives Campus
You visit Agrotopia, the largest rooftop greenhouse in Europe. The site is a knowledge hub for research and demonstrations in greenhouse horticulture and professional urban farming. During the visit, we share our lessons learned during the realization of this urban rooftop greenhouse. In a workshop, we'll explore the challenges related to integrating food production in the urban environment, their potential solutions, and the required research actions based on previous experiences. We explore potential partnerships.	You visit Huis van de Voeding, a food incubator. Here you get to see how innovative start-ups tackle food loss and waste while creating unique products. During a hands-on session, you'll get the opportunity to present us with your experiences or problems with food waste and new food processing techniques. We'll provide you with inside information about the future of food processing and we'll explore potential partnerships &project collaborations.	You visit the VIVES Agro and biotechnology campus in Roeselare and discover the VIVES Foodlab, a local innovation hub focused on food and health. This will be followed by a brainstorming session concerning different food and health topics. The aim is to identify new trends and research gaps in the field of food and health. You'll meet peers and potential partnerships can be initiated.

12:00 - Lunch & networking (optional)
The lunch & networking session is optional. If you would like to receive a take-away lunch, please contact celine.simoen@inagro.be.

Join us and connect with international partners sharing similar ambitions!

Registration for this event is closed.

Cancellation policy

• You can only cancel your registration through email.
• Cancellations must be made at least 1 week before the event. If you fail to respect this deadline, we will be forced to charge a cancellation fee (the full price of the evening program).
• New COVID-19 rules may force us to cancel or alter your visit.