A look back at the Wallonia S3 FORWARD event

On April 11, 300 people attended the unique event organized under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union on S3 – Agri-food chains of the future and innovative environmental management.

The aim of the day was to initiate transnational collaborations with innovative agri-food and environmental ecosystems at European level.

The Wagralim team thanks you for your enthusiastic participation in this exceptional event.

Some of the morning’s lessons

Wagralim has reiterated its commitment to raising the profile of strategic thematic ecosystems, connecting them internationally and promoting cross-regional collaboration. Strongly rooted in Europe, the cluster is active in various networks and partnerships, in over 14 European projects, 9 of which are ongoing, and in various EU programs.

Wagralim’s aim is to share its international experience for the benefit of the DIS5 network in the field it coordinates within the S3.

Ressources

Programme

Morning: Presentations

Introduction: Wagralim & Walloon Minister for Research

Presentation of Wallonia’s new strategic framework for its innovation and industrial policies, Vincent Lepage – Director of Economic Policy (Walloon Public Service)

Pitches of Wallonia’s 6 strategic innovation initiatives

Keynote speakers from several European Commission Directorates General

Afternoon: Thematic workshops organized by the 6 SIIs

Recovery of food waste and by-products as a solution for improving the economic and environmental sustainability of the food production chain – Wasabi 2.0
A circular and resilient Europe: what is the potential for innovation in the agri-food system for sustainable growth? – FoodBooster & Protewin
Phytomanagement: nature-based solutions providing multiple ecosystem services to restore abandoned and degraded land – Waste2bio
Accelerating innovation in the water sector – H2O
Current and future international projects to develop “Digibiocontrol” and how to foster the adoption of sustainable products in a fragmented Europe – Digibiocontrol

Networking drink

List of participants

Download the list

Morning presentations

WAGRALIM’s presentation by Sophie Bourez, Co-director | View

Presentation of the Walloon S3 by Vincent Lepage, SPW | View

The 6 IIS presentations | View

Foodbooster
H2O
Protewin
Digibiocontrol
Wasabi 2.0
Waste2Bio

Presentation of the European Commission | View

Wolfgang Munch
Jorge Molina Villanueva
Emmanuel PETEL

Pictures

Relive the day through Olivier Bourgi‘s photos

See full album

The Walloon Minister for the Economy underlines the importance of such a day for forging complementary partnerships in these important areas. He pledges his full mobilization and budgetary support for this collective ambition. He also recalls the high proportion of the region’s GDP devoted to R&D (3.4-3.5% according to the latest Eurostat statistics), enabling Wallonia to qualify as a “strong Innovator”.

Vincent LEPAGE of SPW EER recalls the intention to concentrate 75% of Wallonia’s annual research and innovation budget on the priority sectors defined in the Walloon S3. The aim is to build on the expertise of our agri-food sector, which is largely present in Wallonia, and to ensure its competitiveness, because we are in a competitive world, and those who don’t make progress risk losing a number of positions in the future.

As for the European Commission, its 3 representatives reaffirmed Europe’s support for the regional strategy, which is aligned with European strategies and frameworks in the agri-food sector. They also presented several EU programs and initiatives proposed by different Directorates General (Regio, RTD, AGRI), representing real funding opportunities for SII players. They also highlighted and congratulated the dynamism and alignment of DIS5’s ambitions with EU strategies in this field.