AgrotecUV presented the AgrotecUV Community on the Auditorium Marie Curie of the Science Park of the Universitat de València. It works as a meeting point between the Universitat de València, its scientific park, start-ups, beacon companies and collaborating entities. An event that brought together around 120 professionals from both the business and research worlds.

Among the attendees was the Principal of the Universitat de València, Mª Vicenta Mestre, who inaugurated the event along with Ángela Perez, president of the Board of Trustees of the UV and Natalia Vázquez, head of FEDER projects of the INCYDE Foundation. During the opening, the Principal highlighted the institutional commitment to the accelerator: “We cannot lose sight of the fact that we are one of the leading universities in Europe in food and agri-food technology. And that is why we have to bet on innovation, transfer and entrepreneurship in this field. As projects such as AgrotecUV, which is born in the UV Science Park and is the best environment to grow and develop, the Universitat is undoubtedly contributing to improve our productive network”.

This speech was supported by the lecture of Pedro Carrasco, director of AgrotecUV and the UV Science Park. He detailed the role of AgrotecUV in innovation and knowledge transfer between universities and companies in the agri-food sector. To this end, he highlighted the collaborative vocation on which the accelerator is based and presented the driving companies and leading collaborating entities in the agri-food sector participating in this initiative through the AgrotecUV Community.

Rovensa Next, Banco Santander, Timac Agro, Alnut, Valgenetics, GCM Citrus, Aimplas, Anecoop, Bioval, La Unió Llauradora i Ramadera, Q'Omer, Ubioo, Abonos Artal and Biovegen belong to this AgrotecUV Community that has 42 innovative entities of the sector. They participated in the conference, showing their support to the project and the start-ups of the programme.

The Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) also participated in the conference, presenting the centre's instruments for the promotion of R&D&I and entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector, through Carlos Franco, CDTI technical advisor for the agri-food sector.

The development and commercialisation of anti-mycotoxin products for animal production, wheat flour suitable for coeliacs, dairy products suitable for animals and humans, nutritional and medical support for oncology patients supported by the latest scientific evidence and AI, production of active principles of plant origin in vitro, the development of fermented products to recover and improve processes and projects in Horta and the development of bioactive compounds from macroalgae for application in food, nutraceuticals and cosmetics are the themes of Bionte nutrition (spin-off of Andrés Pintaluba), Bread Free, Espirbiotic, Ibions, Kanara, La Fermenteria de l'Horta and Mediterranean algae. These start-ups join Evolving Therapeutics, Aerofybers technologies, Cucare Diagnositics, Uhmamix 3S Foods, Winus Bio, Madeinplant, Oscillum, Agrosensing and Datipic as start-ups incubated by AgrotecUV.

The closing of the event was attended by Mr. Jerónimo Mora, Regional Secretary for Innovation at the Valencian Department of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, and Rosa Donat, Vice-Principal for Innovation and Transfer of the UV. During the closing ceremony, the importance of the AgrotecUV Community as a catalyst for innovation, transfer and entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector was stressed. In addition, Rosa Donat announced the completion of the new Innovation Centre of the Universitat de València which will house the new accelerator facilities.