Verlab Institute proudly organized and hosted the first official EIT Food Awareness Event in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Sarajevo. This milestone marks an important moment for the country’s agrifood innovation ecosystem, positioning Bosnia and Herzegovina as an emerging innovative contributor to EIT Food community.
The event opened with the final pitch presentations of nine teams participating in the EIT Food Challenge Labs 2025, a licensed educational and innovation programme which we focused on preventing food waste and food loss. A total of 34 participants, supported by 8 mentors, 5 facilitators, and industry experts acting as customers, completed the full programme cycle: three online sessions, design thinking-based development, mandatory and optional mentoring sessions, expert consultations, and final pitching.
In the afternoon, the Awareness Event brought together around 80 representatives from academia, industry, civil society, and the public sector. Participants explored opportunities for collaboration with EIT Food, discussed the specific challenges and strengths of Bosnia and Herzegovina agrifood sector, and exchanged visions for sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship. Topics included food waste and food loss reduction, by-product valorisation, food repurposing, and circular solutions across the supply chain. This created a platform for meaningful dialogue and new collaboration opportunities across academia, industry, civil society, and policymakers.
We extend our sincere gratitude to EIT Food North-East for their trust in Verlab Institute to organize this national event. We also thank our academic hosts for their exceptional support. Special appreciation goes to the City of Sarajevo and the Society of Medical and Biological Engineering in BiH for their institutional and logistical assistance. The Challenge Labs program would not have been complete without the contribution of our industry partners who awarded the winning teams: MPI Mlin Ustikolina, Ulja Smajić, Mlin Đurić Modriča, and Solana d.d. Tuzla.
With the successful completion of this inaugural EIT Food Awareness Event, Verlab Institute is committed to further strengthening the role of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European agrifood innovation ecosystem. We invite industry partners seeking innovative solutions and talent, universities and research teams interested in European collaboration, civil society and public institutions aiming to support sustainable food systems, and companies and startups looking for opportunities to co-create, test, and scale solutions. Such collaborations enable gaining access to the European largest agrifood innovation network, opening doors to new funding opportunities, specialized trainings, and cross-border collaborations.
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