Synergy Days | SmartAgriHubs

Register: Synergy Days 2023

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We are delighted to announce the Synergy Days in Thessaloniki from 4th to 5th October 2023!

As promised during our Final Conference in Lisbon last year, the end of SmartAgriHubs as of a project marks a new beginning. And there is no better way to continue the legacy of the project than with the Synergy Days.

With this event, we want to create a space for our community to meet, debate and exchange knowledge, this time in the heart of the Hellenic world in the city of Thessaloniki.

The Synergy Days will be the most important conference connecting the digital innovators of the European agri-food sector. You can expect not only workshops organised by the several EU projects and in-depth technical sessions but also networking opportunities and interactive panels.

Reserve your spot and register now for our workshops!

Take a sneak peak at our venue:

Practical information

Ioannis Vellidis Convention Center Address: Εγνατίας 154, ΔΕΘ, Thessaloniki 546 36, Greece

4 & 5 October 2023

Dinner venue

(DT&S) - Cisco: 26is Oktovriou 21, Thessaloniki 546 27, Greece

4 October

Participating projects

DAY 1 - Wednesday 4th October 2023

8h to 9h – Registration

Make sure to get your badge at our registration desk & take the time to discover our exhibition!

9h to 10h – Plenary session - Opening words

In this opening plenary session, we will be setting the scene for two days of synergy with and within European projects and prominent actors in the digitization of agriculture. We will discuss how the Synergy Days projects & community offered new & innovative solutions to support sustainable food systems and agriculture transformation towards

Chair & speaker: George Beers, SmartAgriHubs Community Coordinator

"Agriculture’s connected future - the journey of Synergy Days" by George Beers, SmartAgriHubs Community Coordinator
"Digitalisation and innovation in and for agriculture – Relevance of European policies and programmes" by Doris Marquardt, Programme officer, European Commission
"Digitalisation of the agrifood sector - perspective in the Greek context" by Vassos Efthymiadis
"Sustainable Agriculture: What role played by the smart farm machines?" By Jelte Wiersma, Secretary General of CEMA

10h to 10h30 – Coffee Break

Enjoy a coffee break, discover our exhibition and connect with our community!

10h30 to 11h15 – Plenary session - Pitch Synergy Projects - Round I

In this session, European sister projects will present their vision, goals and achievements on the digitalization of agriculture as well as a sustainable future for farmers and climate.

This session will use a dynamic and interactive format, providing the audience with a new perspective on these projects. 

11h15 to 12h30 – Parallel Workshops - Round I

Attendees will have the opportunity to join interactive workshops running in parallel :

“Connectivity, business models, socio-economic and environmental impact: What’s the interlink?” by COMMECT and Xgain. Pink room

"Data Spaces: Ethical Aspects of Data (Self-)Sovereignty in Data Spaces." by AgriDataSpace. Turquoise room

"Effective Application Scenarios: Robotic Solutions for Crop Weeding, Spraying and Insect Farming Automation" by CoRoSect and Robs4Crops. Purple room
1. "Emerging Drone Opportunities in Europe: the case for agriculture and rural development" by ICAERUS. Yellow room

"A Field diagnostic toolbox for carbon farming services" by CARBONICA. Orange room

"Gender in practice: how to address gender in the agritech sector" by GAIA. Green room

12h30 to 14h – Networking Lunch

Enjoy local delicacies and the opportunity to connect with attendees & speakers.

14h to 15h – Plenary session - Climate smart agriculture

Chair & speaker: Adrien Guichaoua, ACTA - the French Technical Insitutes

"The EU proposal for a carbon removal certification framework" Valeria Forlin, Policy Officer at European Commission (DG CLIMA)

"Towards sustainable agri-food systems: innovations and challenges in soil carbon sequestration." Antonella Succurro, CTO and Co-Founder CinSOIL

"The Stevia Hellas Agricultural Cooperative Smart Farming experience." Christos Stamatis, CEO of Hellas Cooperative

15h to 15h30 – Coffee Break

Enjoy a coffee break, discover our exhibition and connect with our community!

15h30 to 16h15 – Plenary session - Pitch Synergy Projects - Round II

In this session, European sister projects will present their vision, goals and achievements on the digitalization of agriculture as well as a sustainable future for farmers and climate.

This session will use a dynamic and interactive format, providing the audience with a new perspective on these projects. 

16h15 to 17h15 – Parallel Workshops - Round II

Attendees will have the opportunity to join interactive workshops running in parallel :
1. "Data Spaces: Validating and updating the governance and business models for the future CEADS" by AgriDataSpace. Pink room
1. “Theory and practice of climate smart Farming: mind the gap!” by ClimateSmartAdvisors, Beatles, ClimateFarmDemo, Carbonica. Turquoise room
2. "Which digital technologies are best for my use case?" by COMMECT and Xgain. Purple room
3. "Data-driven management of fruit cracking intensity in trees" by CrackSense. Yellow room
4. "Communication for Partnership: Empowering European and African Scientists for Collaborative Success" by INCiTiS-FOOD. Turquo room
5. "Funding opportunities for agrifood innovations: Cascade funding calls" by Foodscale Hub. Green room

17h15 to 18h00 – Plenary session - Women in the agri-food sector: Leading the innovation

Chair & speaker: Lorena van de Kolk

"Power of a community: Empowering Women in Agri-Food program” by Aleksandra Bara, Project Manager EIT Food

“Young women farmers leading the transition to an innovative agriculture" by Mario Béjar Fuentes, Project Officer, CEJA

"Gender Action Plans supporting gender equality in the agri-food sector" by Cheryl Nolan, Vista Milk Research Centre Ireland.

"Innovations led by women in agriculture, their role in the rural economy and rural communities" by Branwen Miles, Senior Policy Officer, Grass Ceiling Project & Copa-Cogeca

"Women at the heart of innovation in the agri-food sector" by Lorena van de Kolk, Gender Alliance for Innovation in Agriculture

20.00h - Gala Dinner

During our Gala Dinner, we will celebrate our community and the end of our first day. Stay tuned for our venue announcement!

DAY 2 - Thursday 5th October 2023

8h to 8h30 – Registration

Make sure to get your badge at our registration desk & take the time to discover our exhibition!

8h30 to 9h30 – Plenary session - Digital and data technologies in agriculture

Chair & speaker: Lucía Castro Díaz, Manager DIH DATAlife

"Young farmers the drivers of digitalization in agriculture" by Anna van de Moosdijk, Project Officer at CEJA

"Exploring the Data Jungle: Emerging Data Spaces & the Big Five" by Jurgen Vangeyte DJustConnect Belgium

"5G for Smart Communities - video participation" by Stavros Kalapothas, Policy Officer, European Commission

"Putting Digital Tech Financing to Work: Investing to Usage, Not Showcasing" by Augustas Alešiūnas, founder of ART21

9h30 to 10h30 – Parallel Workshops - Round III

Attendees will have the opportunity to join interactive workshops running in parallel :
1. "Data Spaces: Potentials of the data economy for food systems" by Data4Food2030. Pink room
  
  "Novel Digital Infrastructure for Food Safety: Solutions for a Rapidly Changing World" (Digital Food Safety, part 1, panel discussion) by STELAR, HOLiFOOD. Yellow room
  
  "A Synergy for Unlocking the Power of Drones for Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental Monitoring, and Governance" by SPADE, CHAMELEON, ICAERUS. Purple room
  
  "Data Spaces: Technical Considerations for Data Spaces in Agriculture" by AgriDataSpace. Orange room
  
  "Part 1: BLOCKCHAIN CHALLENGES FOR APPLICATION IN AGRI-FOOD DOMAIN: interoperability and standards issues, skills development need." by TRUSTyFOOD. Green room
  
  "How to establish closer working relationships between stakeholders of agri-food value chains to facilitate the adoption of sustainable innovation with long-term impact?" by Euroseeds. Turquoise room

10h30 to 11h – Coffee Break

Enjoy a coffee break, discover our exhibition and connect with our community!

11h to 12h – Parallel Workshops - Round IV

Attendees will have the opportunity to join interactive workshops running in parallel :
1. "Data Spaces: Data Spaces as key enabler to share data about food quality and freshness along the food chain" by FriDa. Pink room
  
  "From Bytes to Bites: How AI & ML Can Safeguard Our Safe Food Supply" (Digital Food Safety, part 2, brainstorming session) by HOLIFOOD. Yellow room
  
  "Crash-testing AI and Robotics solutions in real-life environments" by AgrifoodTef. Turqoise room
  
  "Digital technologies in agriculture: a framework to assess their economic, social and environmental impacts" by QuantiFarm. Orange room
  
  "Innovation Portal: Connecting the dots!" by Schuttelaar & Partners. Purple room
  
  "Part 2: BLOCKCHAIN CHALLENGES FOR APPLICATION IN AGRI-FOOD DOMAIN: interoperability and standards issues, skills development need." by TRUSTyFOOD. Green room

12h to 13h – Plenary Session - Sustainable Agri-food systems

Chair & speaker: Dolores Ordóñez, CEO AnySolution SL

"Mindful eating: the food revolution" by Vasso Giatsidou Sustainable Food Systems & Networks

"Local food systems enabling sustainable agriculture" by Anja De Cunto, Head of Food at Eurocities

"Multi-actor Approach (MAA) in Agrifood projects" by Nuria Rodríguez Aubo, Director of Innovation & European Programmes at FEUGA

"Digital Innovation enabling Sustainability in Agrifood" by Dana Bonaldi, Coordinator of EU project activities at Digital Innovation Observatories – Politecnico di Milano

13h to 14h30 – Networking Lunch

Enjoy local delicacies and the opportunity to connect with attendees & speakers.

14h30 to 15h30h – Plenary Session - Robotics and the future of food

Chair & speaker : Grigoris Chatzikostas, Director FoodScale Hub

Kostas Kandylas, Terra Robotics

Yiorgos Bontzios, Agroverse

Machi Simeonidou, Agroapps

15h30 to 16h15 – Panel discussion - European Digital Innovation Hubs

Chair & speaker : Hazel Peavoy, Walton Institute, Ireland

Panel discussion: 4 European Digital Innovation Hubs - to be confirmed

Register: Synergy Days 2023