Information sessions for the Ideas Generation Programme - Smart Food

05/09/2019

The Ideas Generation Prgoramme reaches its 10th edition and is addressed to researchers and PhD students interested in finding new applications for their research and help solve challenges posed by smart food, such as the reduction of food waste plastics and a decrease in the use of antibiotics. Registration is now open.

With the aim of presenting the programme in detail, the UAB Research Park has organised two information sessions. The first will be held on 13 September at 10 a.m. at the Seminari G of the UAB Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and the second on 17 September at 12 noon at the Sala de Juntes of the Faculty of Biosciences. The sessions are particularly aimed at faculty deans, directors and researchers at centres located on the UAB campus interested in developing innovating projects related to the field of smart food. 

Smart food is understood as food based on healthy foods through personal awareness. They are foods that increase their quality through the application of new technologies.

In this context, scientific community has defined four challenges in this field: reduction of food waste, reduction of plastics in the different stages of the agri-food chain, decrease the use of antibiotics in livestock production, and promote personalised nutrition.

The Ideas Generation Programme, which will begin on 16 October and last two months (Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.), is addressed to researchers from all disciplines and from all universities, since it aims to create smart food projects from a multidisciplinary perspective. The entrepreneurship programme will end with a final competition in which the most innovative project will be chosen. The winning project will receive a cash prize and six months in the UAB Research Park incubator.

This 10th edition is particularly special because the best UAB Open Labs project will also be chosen. The project that obtains the UAB Open Lab Prize at the final competition of the Ideas Generation Program will participate in the last stage of the programme, the validation and prototyping.

Thus, the Ideas Generation Programme forms part of a broader initiative within the Higher European project. And therefore the programme includes a final prototyping phase at the UAB Open Labs. At the moment an initial laboratory of ideas phase has begun with research personnel, businesses and consumers who will use the design thinking methodology to define the parameters of the programme.

It also includes the financial support of the Ministry for Business and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia and co-funding from the European Social Funds through the Catalunya Emprèn Programme.

All those interested in attending one of the information sessions can send an e-mail to:  xavier.osorio@uab.cat. 

More information
Ideas Generation Programme website