Second FoodPackLab international event in Barcelona

In the mid of May, secpho and Packaging Cluster had the pleasure to organize the second FoodPackLab international event in Barcelona. This unique Innovation Event was dedicated to New Technologies in Agriculture & Food Industry and attracted more than 70 international participants from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK.  These two days on innovation in plant production, animal production, environment, and food processing, were a result of collaboration between two European projects,  EPRISE (H2020, aiming to empower photonic SMEs in four Life Science sectors: health, food, agriculture and pharma) and FoodPackLab.

The aim of this matchmaking event was to foster cross-sectorial collaboration between entities from photonics, packaging, agriculture, and food industry and brought together significant international stakeholders such as SMEs, experts, R&D centres and research groups as well as clusters – all together with the common goal: Collaborate to innovate in the agriculture and food industry – what reflects secpho’s leitmotiv in an ideal way. 

By joining entrepreneurs and researchers, who are not only working on new-tech for European economic development, but also on the creation of sustainable and responsible industries, we managed to combine the huge potential of photonics and packaging technologies with recent challenges from the food and agriculture sector. The diverse program featured a panel of international experts covering a wide range of topics, innovation workshops on challenges from the agriculture and food sector and solutions provided by packaging and photonics technologies, as well as B2B meetings to stimulate and strengthen collaborations along the entire value chain. Moreover, several networking opportunities such as a vintage van tour to Montjuïc, the dinner at the Maritim Museum and the Farewell Lunch at the Maritim Restaurant provided the participants with plenty of matchmaking opportunities to connect and to deepen their basis of cooperation.

If you missed the event or would like to have some memories of the 2 days, have a look at the photos of the event here and check out the video summary here here.

You may also see the event presentations below:

Day 1 – Thursday 16 May 2019

• Lorenza Tuccio (CNR – IFAC): Photonics for the assessment of table grape ripeness: the first successful case of the Florence Photonics Roadshow

• Ricardo Diaze (AINIA): Can photonics improve food security? Success stories of AINIA

• Gemma Mandayo (Ceit-IK4): Sensors and laser technologies for food packaging: Sensors and laser technologies for food packaging

• Iker Garcia (ADVANCED OPTICAL TECHNOLOGIES S.L.): Spectroscopy systems integrated in food manufacturing and processing equipment

• Marta Avila (Sincrotrón ALBA): Food under the light of the synchrotron

• Ramón Villanova (Photon Lines): Hyperespectral technics in the food industry

• Thierry BERTHOU (SILIOS technologies): Hybridization of Multispectral Filters – Emergence and Deployment of an integrated technology for Spectrometry & Multispectral imaging

• Victor Bernando (Hamamatsu Photonics): Hamamatsu Photonics Technology for Food Industry

• Sara Calomarde (AMS Technologies): Helping packaging and labeling companies to enhance their photonic technologies

• Conny Hanghoj (VIFU): Innovation in the Food Sector

• Enric Pedrós (FEMAC): Future Emerging and Modern Agriculture in Catalonia

• Robin de Bruijn (Philips Innovation Services): Development and manufacturing of Micro-assembled Photonic and Optical components – Overview of approaches from Philips’ background in electronic manufacturing

• Alejando Rosales (IRIS Technology): How Industry 4.0 acquires its sixth sense: spectroscopy and hyperspectral image in the production line

• Elena Martinez (ATRIA Innovation): ATRIA Implementation cases of Technologies 4.0 in the Automotive sector transferred to Agrifood sector

• Julian Merida (On-Laser Systems): Laser Applications for Food & Packaging

• Pablo Aitor Postigo (Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología): Low-cost optical sensor for fast and accurate determination of liquid mixtures in foods or beverages

• Hugues Tariel (DAIFIR): Pathway from medical to food industry, ups and downs

• Deitze Otaduy (IK4-Tekniker): Photonic technologies to transform the agri-food sector into the industry 4.0

• Tim Zander and David Kaczmarek(TU Berlin): Current situation of smart plant lighting

• Katia Chernysheva (Greentropism): Artificial intelligence for photonic sensors in food & agroindustry

• Felipe López (Zabala Innovation Consulting): Funding opportunities through innovation

• Adriana Freitas (Muster Ventures) Strategies on Funding – Investors and Startups Expectations

Innovation Workshop with Experts and Companies

• Challenge: Simó Alegre (IRTA): Detection and elimination of bitter almonds

• Challenge: Adrian Navarro (SMART BIOSYSTEM): How autonomous systems will provide food in the most extreme environments?

• Challenge: Nancy Wester (Provincie Noord-Brabant): How can manure transform, from a residual or waste to a valuable throughput to the next phase in the cycle

• Challenge: Raquel Gómez Martínez (CLUSTER FOOD+i): Identification of low-density foreign bodies in processed vegetables

Day 2 – Friday 17 May 2019

Innovation Workshop with Experts and Companies (Part 2)

• Challenge: Jaume Gramona (Gramona): Non-invasive detection of physical-chemical parameters in the production of wine

• Challenge: Ansgar Elfgen (Umami Area): Sustainable Cultivation of Specialty Coffee, Ansgar Elfgen

Panel of experts: Business opportunities and advice

• Natalia Nicolau (ACCIÓ): Opportunities in Catalonia – Nuclis Internacionals

• Carla Ruiz (ACCIÓ): EU funding opportunities for Research and Innovation projects

• Hedwige Verherbrugghen (Pack4Food): Food packaging of the Future

• Jaume Castella (CD6 – UPC): CD6 – A photonics-based entrepreneurial ecosystem

• Rob McDougall (Keltie LLP): Saving money and avoiding pitfalls with IP

• Viola Prifti (HTW Berlin): Is there a link between intellectual property models and sustainable agriculture?

• Norbert Reichl (Food Processing Initiative e.V.): Food Innovation – Funding For SME

• Mireia Andreu (Packaging Cluster): Internationalising Technologies for packaging sector – missions to Canada, China and USA

• Juha Purmonen (Photonics Finland): FoodTechFinland