These were the words of the Regional Minister of Industry, Ecological Transition and Digital Business, Mikel Irujo, during the inauguration of #EventoEstratégicoS4, a conference focusing on R&D in the agri-food sector held recently in Tudela. During his speech, he stressed the importance of continuous improvement in order to maintain this sector as one of the most solid in Navarre. The event, organised by the Directorate-General for Energy, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship, brought together around one hundred professionals from the agri-food industry in Navarre. Irujo praised the work of those working in the field of R&D and stressed that, thanks to them and the existing ecosystem in Navarre, the region has consolidated its position as a benchmark in this field.
In terms of figures, Irujo stressed that this sector ‘is the second largest area of the Navarrese economy, with a turnover of more than 2 billion euros, which represents 5% of regional GDP and 14% of industrial GDP’. ‘The agri-food sector employs around 25,000 people,’ he concluded.
The event was also attended by Christine R. Gould, an international speaker and expert in agri-food R&D, who gave a talk entitled ‘Nutrition as the carrot for sustainability: unlocking market value beyond environmental, social and governance criteria’. In it, Gould stressed ‘that the agri-food sector is one of the most important industries in the world and that every day it offers new solutions based on experimentation and creativity’.
He also focused on the importance of ‘multi-sectoral thinking, which is about going beyond a single perspective to look at problems from different angles and finding ways to connect them for more impactful innovation’. ‘We need to transform the agri-food industry, it is urgent, it is possible and it offers a huge potential for economic benefits,’ Gould concluded.
The institutional part was also attended by the Mayor of Tudela, Alejandro Toquero, and the Director General of Energy, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship, Garbiñe Basterra. For her part, the coordinator of the CAT, Isabel Vicente de Vera, spoke about the services that this infrastructure offers to those companies that are located in its facilities.
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The meeting included a round table entitled ‘R&D opportunities in the food industry’. The managing director of INTIA, Natalia Bellostas, the director of Biosasun, Eusebio Gainza, and the director of the AN Group foundation, Maite Muruzabal, took part, while Ignacio Angós, professor and researcher at the ISFOOD of the Public University of Navarra, acted as moderator.
This was followed by a dialogue focused on how entrepreneurship can find new business opportunities through R+D. This was discussed by the CEO of Cocuus, Javier Zaratiegui; and the investment director of Stellum Food, Joaquín Senosiáin, moderated by the investment director of the public company SODENA, María Eugenia Lecumberri.
Finally, the marketing and R&D&I director of Congelados de Navarra, Myriam Ariz, explained some of the main milestones that explain how this Navarrese company has been able to become a major international firm through innovation.
Source: navarra.es