CESAM european project strengthens circular solutions in agrifood and strategic partnerships within the framework of Alimentaria 2026

Within the framework of the European project CESAM, the consortium has led an intensive agenda of activities in Barcelona on March 24 and 25, strengthening its role as a driver of innovation, sustainability, and interregional cooperation in the agri-food sector.

On March 24, CESAM organized a full day of activities including a workshop, a technical visit, and a strategic meeting among partners. The day began with the workshop ‘European calls and funding opportunities for SMEs’, held at Tech Barcelona, with the participation of more than 40 companies from the agri-food sector. This session helped bring European funding opportunities closer to SMEs, foster innovation in the agrifood sector, and facilitate the creation of synergies among participating companies. In addition, a networking activity was organized through a collaborative “offer and demand board”, where attending companies were able to share their services, needs, and collaboration proposals.

Subsequently, the project partners visited Eurecat, the Technology Centre of Catalonia, where several projects and success stories in agri-food innovation were presented. The session focused on sustainability, technological transformation, and the growing role of artificial intelligence, as well as on the main challenges and future opportunities in the sector.

The activities on March 24 concluded with the CESAM project steering committee meeting, with the participation of key institutional partners, including the Euroregion Pyrenees Mediterranean, ACCIÓ, Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation and AD’OCC, as well as the SME partners of the project: Terracor, Asclepios Tech, Derypol, NewTimes and Go Zero Waste. This meeting served to strengthen strategic coordination and cooperation among participating regions, as well as to review progress and prepare for the achievement of project objectives ahead of its completion in summer 2026.

On March 25, CESAM continued its activities within the framework of Alimentaria 2026, the leading international trade fair for food, beverages and food service, with more than 3,000 exhibitors, consolidated as one of the main meeting points for the sector at international level. All activities took place at the ACCIÓ stand.

In this context, CESAM promoted the Open Innovation Challenges, with more than 80 B2B meetings scheduled between corporations and technology solution providers. These meetings focused on key challenges such as water recycling, sustainable packaging, by-product valorisation, and waste reduction, which are core priorities of the project.

In addition, a presentation of the CESAM project was delivered by the Director of the Euroregion, Xavier Bernard-Sans, followed by a networking and pitch session with companies benefiting from the cascade funding programme, aimed at showcasing innovative solutions and generating new collaboration opportunities.