Synergy Days 2026/Agenda

Discover how AgData is turning EU innovation into real value for farmers and European agriculture. With expert insights, a farmer’s perspective, and an interactive panel, the session will spotlight how data-driven innovation can support a more effective and connected agricultural future. This will refer to current and upcoming results of the AgData partnership and explores how AgData connects with the Common European Agricultural Data Space (CEADS) and the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) to strengthen policy uptake, stakeholder collaboration, and practical impact on the ground.

Speakers:

Sjaak Wolfert - AgData Coordination/ Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands

Francesco Iadecola - Research Programme Officer, European Commission, The Netherlands

Jürgen Vangeyte - CEADS Coordinator/ILVO, Belgium

Kiernan Sullivan -  farmer, technologist and researcher at Walton Institute, SETU, Ireland

Mariëlle de Jong (TBC) - Strategic Policy Advisor Entrepreneurship, Dutch Farmers Association, The Netherlands

Visit the Synergy Market and meet EU-projects and companies working on digital innovations in agri-food

Visit the Synergy Market and meet EU-projects and companies working on digital innovations in agri-food

The following workshops will take place in parallel:

Workshop room 1

Alternative Futures for European Agriculture: Implications for Innovation Pathways, Data Governance and Monitoring Capability by 4Growth, ScaleAgData and BioValueAI

Workshop room 2

From Regional Support to European AI Infrastructure: Building Agrifood AI Pathways and Shaping Policy by DEDEP.eu, ENTIRE EDIH, DigiAgrifood, DIH DATALife, EDIH Bretagne, AGRIFOODTEF, TU RISE, TWG AgriFood, 4GROWTH

Workshop room 3

From Fragmented Parcels to Comparable Policy: Harmonising LPIS for CAP Monitoring by Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Information Technology and PoliRuralPlus

Workshop room 4

Livestock Big Data Integration and AI-Ready Livestock Data Spaces by Digi4Live

Plenary room

Closing the Nutrient Loop: From Recovery to Reuse in Circular Agriculture by LIFE and FarmData projects and lead Organizations: UCD, BPI, and LIST

The following workshops will take place in parallel:

Workshop room 1

How to Facilitate AI-Based Solutions: Foundation Models, Reference Data and Validation of User Needs by AgriScienceFM and BioValueAI

Workshop room 2

ELSA in AgData: Building Responsible Digital Agrifood Ecosystems with UC Participants and Beyond by AgData

Workshop room 3

ScaleAgData: Data-driven innovation for Agriculture by AgData

Workshop room 4

Connect. Innovate. Grow. Unlocking Synergies for the Smart Farm of Tomorrow by Agrarian, 4Growth, WatchITgrow, OpenAgri

All participants are warmly invited to a networking dinner offered by Synergy Days.

Adress:

Ristorante Rinuccini,
1 The Parade,
Kilkenny, Ireland

Explore how promising AI solutions in agri-food can move beyond pilot projects and into real-world use. This plenary brings together SMEs, farmers, investors, EDIHs, TEFs and regional actors to examine the barriers between validation and adoption. Through real SME stories and a dynamic panel discussion, the session will spotlight what is needed to scale innovation faster, reduce risk, build trust and create stronger pathways from test to field across Europe’s agri-food sector.

Speakers:

Raffaele Giaffreda -  AgriFoodTEF / Chief Innovation Scientist at FBK, Italy

Laura Clifford - Senior Programme Manager for European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) at Enterprise Ireland, Ireland

Daniel Copot - Business Development Manager, DIH AGRIFOOD Manager at ITC - Innovation Technology Cluster, Slovenia

Jerome O Connell - CEO and co-founder of Proveye

Padraig Hennessy - CEO of Terra NutriTECH

David Bowles - Managing Partner, Yield Lab Europe

Grigoris Chatzikostas - Chair, Reframe.food, Greece

AI-enabled technologies are advancing rapidly across Europe’s agri-food sector, yet many promising solutions still struggle to move beyond pilot, demonstration or validation stage. For SMEs, having a strong technology or a validated solution is often not enough. The real challenge lies in moving from testing to real-world deployment, securing first customers, accessing the right infrastructure, attracting investment, navigating regulation, and building trust with farmers, food producers and end-users.

This plenary will explore how Europe can close the gap between validated innovation and market adoption. It will examine how European Digital Innovation Hubs, Testing and Experimentation Facilities, SMEs, farmers, investors and regional ecosystems can work together to create a more coordinated deployment pathway for AI in agri-food.

The session will open with short SME journeys, where companies will share what they have developed, where they became stuck between testing and deployment, and what support, policy or pathway would have helped them scale faster. These stories will ground the discussion in the real experience of SMEs and technology adopters.

The panel will then explore the deployment challenge from multiple perspectives: the role of EDIHs in supporting SMEs to scale, the role of TEFs in validation and testing, the experience of farmers and end-users in adopting new technologies, the investment and commercialisation gap, and the lessons from SMEs working to bring innovation into the market.

The discussion will consider how EDIHs, TEFs and wider ecosystem actors can reduce risk, strengthen handovers, accelerate time-to-market, and support the wider adoption of Applied AI across the agri-food sector. 

Speakers:

Catherine Dempsey - Head of the Data management & Analytics Division in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland

Caroline Sullivan - Chief Operating Officer for Hen Harrier Programme Ltd, Ireland

Lillian O’Sullivan - Senior Research Officer in the Teagasc, Ireland

John Leamy (Moderator) - Chair, Teagasc Head of Research and Innovation, Ireland

Visit the Synergy Market and meet EU-projects and companies working on digital innovations in agri-food

Visit the Synergy Market and meet EU-projects and companies working on digital innovations in agri-food.

Discover how the EU and the Global South can work together to build more resilient, fair and inclusive food systems through data, digital innovation and responsible AI. This plenary brings together global initiatives, policy voices and real-world innovation hubs to explore practical solutions that close the gap between research and impact. With inspiring keynote insights, concrete use cases and audience interaction, the session will spotlight new opportunities for collaboration, governance and action across regions and food value chains.

Speakers:

Henry van Burgsteden - Lead, FAO Programme Priority Area on Digital Agriculture, United Nations

Abhishek Sharma - IEI CoCE for Smart Agriculture, ABV  IIIT&M Gwalior, India

Nnenna Nwakanma - Chief Catalyst, Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Health Innovation (PAATHI), Abidjan

Andre van Lammeren -  Managing Director Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands

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Discover why food processing is the missing middle in digital agri-food innovation. This plenary explores how data, AI and automation can deliver real impact on the factory floor by improving resource efficiency, addressing labour challenges and helping companies move from pilot projects to large-scale deployment. With practical industry examples, expert insights and an interactive discussion, the session will spotlight how digitalisation can strengthen sustainability, competitiveness and faster uptake across Europe’s food processing sector, including for SMEs.

Speakers: