In October, the Verlab Institute’s Project Manager, Dr. Adna Ašić, represented Bosnia and Herzegovina as a member of the EIT Food RIS Policy Council and travelled to Brussels to present her final pitch on impact generation for food waste and food loss prevention in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the session, Dr. Ašić outlined the concrete steps that the country can take to curb food losses and transform waste into value-added products, demonstrating how targeted innovation can generate measurable outcomes for the agri-food system.
Entering the EIT Food Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) is a significant achievement for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through the RIS initiative, EIT Food supports regions by providing access to innovation communities, funding opportunities, and Europe-wide networks of agri-food innovation. Key programmes include support for startups, skill-building events, policy outreach, and dissemination of best practices to reduce environmental impact and foster sustainable food systems. This engagement enables Bosnia and Herzegovina to benefit from the regional mobilization of innovation, enhancement of local capacity and alignment with EU goals of circular economy, sustainability and agri-food competitiveness.
During the same week in Brussels, Dr. Ašić also attended the Next Bite 2025 Conference and the EIT Education and Skills Days, where she held meetings with prospective EU partners and engaged in high-level networking. These interactions are crucial for the Verlab Institute’s future collaboration in European innovation projects and for strengthening the national ecosystem and its connection to the European agri-food innovation and training landscape.
