The National Centre for Food Technology and Safety (CNTA) has opened a new 3,000 m² building in San Adrián, backed by a €7.5 million investment with the support of the Government of Navarra. The expansion adds new capabilities in bioassays, food biotechnology and fermentation, functional characterisation, preservation technologies and industrial microbiology.
The President of the Government of Navarra, María Chivite, visited the new facilities together with Juan Luis García, Regional Minister for Universities, Innovation and Digital Transformation, and Agurtzane Martínez, Director General for Science, Technology and Innovation. CNTA’s Managing Director, Héctor Barbarin, led the tour alongside members of the centre’s Executive Committee.
Greater capacity to support industry
The overall investment covers construction, equipment and furnishings. It expands CNTA’s capacity to generate knowledge and technology and transfer them to businesses. According to the centre, the new facilities will enable it to take on more projects, speed up the development and validation of new solutions, and support companies facing key challenges such as sustainability, process efficiency, food safety, digitalisation and changing market demands.
“We want CNTA to remain a leader in food development, innovation, safety and quality, because it contributes to a sector that is growing every day and has doubled its turnover in Navarra over the last ten years,” said Chivite.
Barbarin stressed that “supporting CNTA means supporting the agri-food sector; having a leading national centre is a critical competitiveness tool that we must look after.”
An ecosystem that attracts projects and talent
The expansion is a strategic commitment to consolidating CNTA’s national leadership in technological development and food quality and safety. It also strengthens the link between business, scientific knowledge and public administration.
From San Adrián, these new capabilities will help build an ecosystem that attracts projects, collaboration and skilled talent, and turns innovation into a competitive advantage for one of Navarra’s strategic sectors.
Source: Navarra Capital