IPIFF Webinar: Investing in Europe’s Agri-Future – EU funding opportunities for the insect farming sector
The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) is pleased to invite you to its webinar titled ‘Investing in Europe’s Agri-Future: EU funding opportunities for the insect farming sector‘ on 28 June 10h00 – 12h00 CST (Brussels time).
Following previous workshops promoted by IPIFF with guests presenting different funding opportunities in the area of research and innovation, IPIFF’s 2024 webinar will discuss EU Funding opportunities for SMEs, as well as their implementation in the EU insect sector.
You can find the provisional programme below, while registrations are now open via this link. Once you have registered, you should receive an email from Zoom with the respective link. Please keep an eye on your Spam folder too.
For more information and queries, please contact eduard.tsvetanov@ipiff.org
Preliminary programme & guest speakers
Below you can see the confirmed speakers at the IPIFF Webinar on 28 June 2024.
Keep an eye on this webpage or on our LinkedIn channel for more details.
SPEAKERS
Speakers are representatives from the EU institutions who will present financial and funding mechanisms available to SMEs under programmes such as InvestEU, NextGeneration EU and Regional Development Fund and how insect-producing companies can access them. See below for more details.
After each session, participants will have the opportunity to address the speakers in the Q&A Sessions.
In the Panel Debate, participants will have the opportunity to address the European Commission and engage with IPIFF companies representatives n to discuss the practical implementation of these financial and funding mechanisms towards the growth of the EU insect sector.
Preliminary Programme
10h00-Opening Session (5m)
Inaugural address by Mrs Adriana Casillas, IPIFF President
Introduction by Felicia Jackson, Sustainability Journalist & Event Moderator
10h05- Session 01: ‘Funding opportunities available to EU insect SMEs under the European Regional Development Policy’
Ms Silvia Alvarez Santos
Policy Advisor, Directorate-General on Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission
Ms. Alvarez Santos will provide an overview of the funding opportunities provided by the European Regional Development Fund to strengthen the competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises. Between 2021-2027, the fund enables investments to make Europe and its regions more competitive through innovation and support to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
10h25- Q&A Session with the Speaker
10h30- Session 02: ‘Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking’s funding to insect SMEs’
Ms Ana Ruiz
Programme Officer, Circular bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking
In this session, participants will learn about the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a €2 billion partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) that funds projects advancing competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe.
10h50- Q&A Session with the Speaker
10h55- Session 03: ‘Overview of the EU insect sector’s investment and funding trends’
Mr Antoine Hubert
IPIFF 2nd Vice-President
Through Antoine’spresentation, the findings from the internal survey conducted by IPIFF will be revealed. Targeting our insect-producing members, this questionnaire aimed to collect information about the investment and employment generated by European insect producers over the recent years.
11h10- Panel Discussion
Informed by the presentations of the speakers and from the results of the questionnaire, participants and speakers will be invited to discuss the current level of EU funding targeting EU insect companies, what other opportunities can be further explored and what policy initiatives the sector must strive to enlarge its funding opportunities and to tailor them to the needs of the sector.
11h30- Session 04: ‘The EIC Accelerator- Investing in SMEs to create new markets’
Mr Ivan Stefanic
Programme Manager Food Chain Techs, Novel & Sustainable Food, European Innovation Council and SMEs Agency, European Commission
11h50- Q&A with the Speaker
11h55– Wrap-up by the Moderator and Closing Remarks from IPIFF’s 1st Vice-President, Mr Frank van Sluis
GUEST SPEAKERS
Silvia Santos Alvarez, Policy Analyst at DG REGIO, European Commission
Silvia Alvarez Santos works on smart growth policy, with a particular focus on research and innovation and smart specialization related activities, at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) in the European Commission since 2020. She joined the European Commission, Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD) in 2008 and has been managing research and innovation projects under FP7, Horizon 2020, as well as the first generation of clusters internationalization under the COSME programme. She previously worked in the Regional Government of Galicia (Spain) and, in the early years of her career, in the NGO sector in the UK.
Ms. Ana Ruiz, Programme Officer, Circular bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking
Ana Ruizis a leading expert in bioeconomy, currently serving as a senior Programme Officer at the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), a public-private partnership supporting research and innovation in the bio-based industrial sectors. Ana holds a degree in Agronomy Engineering and has completed other postgraduate studies, including a master’s in Biomass and Biofuels. With nearly two decades of experience in public administration at both national and European levels, she began her career as a civil servant at the Spanish Ministry of Environment. Subsequently, she moved to Brussels to work at the European Commission’s Directorate General on Research & Innovation, specializing in the area of biotechnology and bio-based products.
Since 2014, she has been dedicated to her role at CBE JU, supporting several CBE-funded with a special focus on the valorisation of agro-food residues to deliver innovative bio-based products and solutions. Additionally, she is leading other key strategic initiatives. For example, she is currently coordinating the establishment of a new stakeholder group aimed at enhancing the role of the primary sector in the circular bio-based value chains. Moreover, she leads the activities of the States Representatives Group that aligns the research and innovation priorities of EU Member States with the CBE JU programme. She has published several peer-reviewed scientific publications on circular bioeconomy.
Mr. Ivan Stefanic, Programme Manager Food Chain Techs, Novel & Sustainable Food, European Innovation Council and SMEs Agency of the European Commission
Ivan Stefanic is the EIC Programme Manager for Food Chain Technologies and Novel and Sustainable Food. He is a business development and technology transfer specialist with more than 30 years of international experience in research and business. Ivan is also a Full Professor in the field of economics and entrepreneurship in agribusiness. He is passionate about deeptech and disruptive innovations, gamification of learning experiences, mentoring students and young entrepreneurs, and enterprising university. As an EIC Programme Manager he proactively manages two portfolios of projects, Thematic cross-program portfolio ‘Novel technologies for resilient and sustainable food supply chains’ and Pathfinder challenge portfolio ‘Precision nutrition’.
IPIFF SPEAKERS
Mrs. Adriana Casillas, IPIFF President
Mr. Frank van Sluis, IPIFF 1st Vice- President
Mr. Antoine Hubert, IPIFF 2nd Vice-President
Sponsorship opportunities
Want to get your company featured where it matters? Feel free to check out our sponsorship opportunities available here.
If you have any ideas, please reach out to eduard.tsvetanov@ipiff.org.
The event is supported by
Nasekomo, co-founded with nature, is a pioneering biotech company. We develop a franchise model that supports the creation of a global network of insect bioconversion factories, providing comprehensive turnkey technologies, advanced biology, and AI-driven data insights.
In collaboration with Groupe Grimaud, a leader in animal genetics, we have established Fly Genetics, a joint venture that creates highly efficient insect strains. Harnessing the exceptional capabilities of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF), our company operates on a circular model, setting a benchmark for sustainable practices across various industries.
TEBRIO, previously known as MealFood Europe, is an industrial Spanish company created in 2014, breeding and transforming Tenebrio Molitor insect products for their uses in animal nutrition, vegetal nutrition and other industrial and non-industrial markets.
In partnership with
Insect Academy is on a mission to educate the world about insects as food, feed, and other applications.
We develop research-based e-learning courses aiming to familiarize agribusiness professionals (e.g. F&B companies, poultry farmers, aquaculturists, and pet food manufacturers) with the benefits of insects as food and feed. Insect Academy develops courses for individuals and white-label e-learning platforms for insect companies that need to educate their customers.
Intersect is the first digital marketing agency 100% dedicated to helping insect companies develop winning marketing strategies.
We help insect SMEs and trade associations (developing products for the food, feed, and pet food markets) build impactful brands and communities.
Intersect develops state-of-the-art websites, pitch decks, promotional videos, and social media campaigns to help insect companies grow their online audiences, acquire leads, and enhance their visibility towards customers and investors.