Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

Under the auspices of the EIT Food Hub, an online workshop on Strengthening Knowledge Exchange and Interactive Innovation was held on Wednesday 25 November, led by Ing. Miroslav Záhradník, PhD., an expert from the National Agricultural and Food Center in Lužianky.

More than 35 participants, including students, doctoral students but also representatives of research institutions, public administrations and internships, had the opportunity to learn about the concept of agricultural knowledge and innovation systems, the integration of agricultural modernization, innovation and knowledge flow, as well as the conditions for operational groups focused on agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Through the EkonMOD Dairy Case Study, new decision support tools for dairy farm management were presented to remove barriers to the provision of practical research to end-users.

The workshop included presentations by startupists who won 1st and 2nd place in the EIT Food RIS INNOVATION PRIZES 2020 competition in Slovakia and participated in an international competition with their own innovative ideas in the agri-food sector. Ing. Jaroslav Michalko, PhD., and Ing. Tomáš Jambor, PhD., Researchers from the BioFood Center of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Technology, presented a project focused on the use of agricultural residues for the production of compostable disposable tableware and also presented their experience in creating a startup and using the Accelerator service. Ing. Alžbeta Demianová, a PhD student at the Department of Food Hygiene and Safety FBFS and Ing. Lukáš Jurčaga, a doctoral student at the Department of Technology and Quality of Animal Products, FBFS, presented practical experience in creating and developing an application that can track the date of food consumption in households. Startup students significantly motivated students to implement their own thoughts and ideas, which can be successful in practice.