New SIG : Agrifood

Among the work and fun conducted during annual conference in Lisbon, a new ASTP Special Interest Group (SIG) emerged. 

EIT Food Seedbed Incubator, Europe’s largest agrifood startup community and conference sponsor, have supported the launch of this new Agrifood SIG with the specific purpose of helping technology transfer professionals navigate and overcome the challenges of commercialising research-based innovation across our global food supply chain.

Only 3.4% of all EU Startups are in the food industry! This figure needs to drastically change if we are to meet the UN’s sustainability goals by the year 2030.

During the launch, some key challenges were identified for the SIG to direct its attention to:

• How to increase open science and open source initiatives to encourage more startups and spin-offs? – good for science but a threat for commercialisation
• Data Management & AI – valorising data sets for better quality data curation
• The need to establish new incentives to build a more collaborative ecosystem i.e. hybrid solutions for multiple stakeholder management (researcher, IT, legal, companies/organisations)
• Innovation layering opportunities: Raw Open Innovations v Closed – innovating on raw innovations as add-ons
• How to become more planet-driven when we are currently so market-driven, which doesn’t necessarily prioritise the world’s biggest problems
• New ideas for licensing, regulations, policymaking, patenting…more brainstorming required for this!
• Team formation practices, when considering most tech/digital startups don’t come from universities now.

ASTP SIGS are open to all our members. You can join by logging into the website and signing up here or email our Communities Manager: Arlyta Wibowo-Kruzinga