From Linear to Circular:

How R&I can transform the future of

food systems
17 October 2018
Brussels
 From Linear to Circular: How R&I can transform the future of food systems
Brussels, 17 October 2018
The EU Commission has placed food and natural resources at the heart of its Horizon
Europe proposal, with the ambition of harnessing Europe’s R&I excellence to drive systemic
transformation. In doing so, it seeks alignment with existing strategies for circular and
bioeconomy, as well as its FOOD 2030 initiative, to secure sustainable food futures for all.
The opportunity landscape is huge, but many questions arise about the way forward.
How will priorities be defined and ordered? Which breakthrough science and technology
areas will be targeted? Can circularity unlock innovation potential throughout
value chains? How will the programme be created and managed between DGs?
We have gathered food systems experts from industry, policy and academia to examine
these and more in our opening roundtable, with a view to establishing an agenda for
further dialogues and reports in 2019 to support the Commission’s planning process.

Programme
09:00 Welcome coffee and registration

09:30 Introductory remarks

09:40 The case for a new R&I policy agenda in food systems

Framing the critical policy questions and challenges to be addressed in Horizon

Europe and beyond, and the strategic rationale for EU ambitions in the domain

Featuring an extended Q&A with Jerzy Plewa, Director General of DG

Agriculture, European Commission

Moderated by Maryline Fiaschi, Managing Director, Science|Business

10:45 Coffee break

11:15 Circularity and unlocking the innovation potential throughout food value chains

Exploring how circular economy-based research and innovation can transform

current strategies, business models and partnerships to achieve sustainable
food futures.
Moderated by Simon Pickard, Network Director, Science|Business

12:15 Assessment of future R&I pathways and themes

Identifying the highest potential areas for R&I investment into breakthrough
science and technologies throughout food value chains. Open discussion to
gather latest insights and recommendations from participants to start shaping
the thematic framework and action plan.
Moderated by Simon Pickard, Network Director, Science|Business

13:00 End of roundtable, networking lunch for participants

 FEATURED GUESTS
J E R Z Y P L E WA
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, AGRICULTURE AND RURAL
DEVELOPMENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Jerzy Plewa is the director-general of DG for Agriculture and Rural Development
since 2013. Before this he was the deputy director-general since 2006. Prior to
joining the European Commission, Plewa was under-secretary of state at the
Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, where he was responsible
for negotiations on agriculture issues with the European Union, other countries
and international organisations. During that time, Plewa was also chief negotiator
of agricultural affairs in the team negotiating Poland’s accession to the EU. Plewa
was hitherto associate professor at Warsaw Agricultural University, member of
the supervisory board of the Bank of Food Economy and adviser to the president
of the National Bank of Poland with responsibility for farm-sector analyses.

RAOUL BINO
MANAGING DIRECTOR, AGROTECHNOLOGY AND FOOD
SCIENCES GROUP (AFSG), WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY &
RESEARCH
Raoul Bino is the general director of the Agrotechnology & Food Sciences Group,
one of the five research groups of Wageningen University & Research. He is on
the board of many Dutch research and education programmes, member of the
executive board of the Top Institute Food Nutrition, and represents the Dutch
scientific community in the Topteam Agro&Food for the Ministry of Economic
Affairs.

ACHIM IRIMESCU
MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY, PERMANENT REPRESENTATION OF
ROMANIA TO THE EU; FORMER MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Achim Irimescu is currently the head of the agriculture department at the Permanent
Representation of Romania to the EU, a position he also held between 2014-2015.
From 2015 to 2017, he was Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the
Romanian government. Irimescu has a long career in agricultural policy, dating
back to 1990. Before politics, he worked as an engineer.

LOKESH JOSHI
VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES,
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND GALWAY
Lokesh Joshi is the vice president for research at National University of Ireland
Galway. Joshi is also the Irish delegate to European University Association’s
research programme working group, Science Foundation Ireland-Stokes professor
of glycosciences, and director of the advanced glycoscience research cluster
at his university. Joshi has co-founded a biotech company, Aquila Bioscience,
focusing on healthcare and security solutions.
 E L S I K ATA I N E N
MEMBER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Elsi Katainen is a Finnish member of the European Parliament. Before this she
worked as a member of the Finnish National Parliament for over 10 years. At the
European Parliament Katainen focuses on matters relating to agriculture, regional
development and international trade. Currently she is working as the rapporteur
of AGRI Committee’s opinion on Horizon Europe with a focus of research and
innovation on food and natural resources. Katainen has a strong experience on
agricultural related issues as she has a degree in agriculture and owns a dairy
farm in North Savo in Finland.

E R I K M AT H I J S
G U E S T S

PROFESSOR, AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS;

DIRECTOR OF SFERE SUSTAINABLE FOOD ECONOMIES
RESEARCH GROUP, KU LEUVEN
Erik Mathijs is director of Sustainable Food Economies Research Group and
professor of agricultural and resource economics at KU Leuven. Mathijs has
over 25 years of experience in managing national and international research
projects. His research focuses on the practices, metrics and policies fostering
the transformation of the agricultural and food system towards sustainability and
resilience. He is also chair of the Scientific Council of the Agropolis Foundation.

K U RT N I E L S E N
F E AT U R E D

VICE-DEAN, KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE, FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
Before becoming vice-dean for knowledge exchange at the faculty of science
and technology in Aarhus University in 2011, Kurt Nielsen served as research
director of the department of freshwater ecology (2002-2008) and deputy director
general (2008-2011) of Denmark’s National Environmental Research Institute.
His research interests include ecological studies and water quality planning on
freshwater and marine environments, as well as aquatic ecology with special
reference to nutrient cycling and modelling at catchment-water body.

ROB OPSOMER
SYSTEMIC INITIATIVES LEAD, ELLEN MCARTHUR FOUNDATION
Rob Opsomer leads the foundation’s systemic initiatives, which include the new
plastics economy initiative, the circular fibres initiative, and cities and the circular
economy for food. Taking a global, cross-sectoral approach to material flows,
these initiatives bring together organisations from across value chains to tackle
systemic stalemates that cannot be overcome in isolation. Before arriving at
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Opsomer worked as a management consultant
at McKinsey & Company, where he was an engagement manager. A computer
scientist by training, Opsomer also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of
Management.
 ULRIKE SAPIRO
SENIOR DIRECTOR, WATER STEWARDSHIP & SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE, COCA-COLA
Ulrike Sapiro was appointed The Coca-Cola Company’s global lead on water
stewardship and sustainable ingredients sourcing from April 2018. In this role,
Sapiro works across the business on defining the future pathway for the Coca-
Cola water stewardship and sustainable agriculture, building closer integration
of our programs across the business and the brands. Prior to this role, Sapiro
was the director for sustainability in Western Europe and across EMEA. She
worked across functions to leading strategy, policy, programs and stakeholder
engagement across the system’s strategic sustainability priorities. Sapiro holds a
G U E S T S

Master’s degree in political sciences and post-graduate degrees in sustainability

leadership.

RICARDO SERRÃO SANTOS

MEMBER, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Ricardo Serrão Santos has been a member of the European Parliament and
full member of the Committees on Fisheries and on Agriculture and Rural
Development since July 2014. He is coordinator for the Socialists and Democrats’
group on fisheries and vice-chair of the Parliament intergroups on “seas, islands,
rivers and coastal zones” and on “climate change, biodiversity and sustainable
development.” He has also been the president of IMAR-Institute of Marine Research,
pro-rector and director of the department on oceanography and fisheries at the
F E AT U R E D

University of the Azores, as well as vice-chair of the European Marine Board and
chair of EurOcean. He was honoured as member of the Portuguese Academy of
Sciences in 2009 and emeritus member of the Portuguese Navy Academy in 2017.

B A R E N D V E R A C H T E RT
HEAD OF UNIT, AGRI-FOOD CHAIN, DIRECTORATE OF
BIOECONOMY, DG RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, EUROPEAN
COMMISSION
Barend Verachtert is the head of the Agri-Food Chain Unit in DG Research
and Innovation of the European Commission. The unit is in charge of the
development and implementation of research and innovation policies for food
and nutrition security such as the FOOD 2030 R&I initiative, aimed at fostering
sustainable food systems. Over the last 5 years, he has held various positions
within DG RTD in the field of the bioeconomy. Before joining the European
Commission, Verachtert was a technology acquisition manager for Plant
Genetic Systems NV. He holds a PhD in biology from the University of Leuven.
 MODERATORS
M A RY L I N E F I A S C H I
MANAGING DIRECTOR, SCIENCE|BUSINESS
After six years managing EU education programmes with the European
Commission, Maryline entered the media business in 2007. She held business
development positions at Shanghai Daily and EU affairs media company EurActiv.
She joined Science|Business in 2011 where she now leads the company’s
operations and growth strategy. She is also an external evaluator for several
EU higher education and research and innovation programmes. Maryline holds
degrees from Université La Sorbonne, Università di Bologna and Université de
Louvain.

SIMON PICKARD
NETWORK DIRECTOR, SCIENCE|BUSINESS
Simon leads on network engagement and development for Science|Business in line
with the company’s growth strategy. He previously held directorial positions with
The Academy of Business in Society (ABIS) network and IDAS Global, a technology
solutions provider to the global cash industry. Within these roles, he designed and
coordinated a wide range of international projects focused on sustainability-driven
innovation, both in research and education. Simon holds a Masters Degree from the
University of Oxford and an MBA from HEC Paris School of Management.
 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Mathias Aguirre Havgar, Representative in Brussels, Innovation Norway
Isabelle Albouy, Head, European Affairs, French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA)
Raoul Bino, Managing Director, Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group (AFSG), University of
Wageningen
Anne-Katrin Bock, Policy Analyst, Joint Research Centre
Gianluca Brunori, Professor, Agricultural and Agro-food economics, University of Pisa
Thomas Burgess, European External Affairs Manager, Foods and Refreshment, Unilever
Francesco Capozzi, Head of Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Agrofood Research, University of
Bologna
Sune Jin Christensen, EU Advisor & ERRIN Bioeconomy Working Group Lead, Central Denmark EU
Office
Robert De Graeff, Policy and Research Officer, European Landowners’ Organisation
Rodrigo De Lapuerta Montoya, Director, UN FAO Liaison Office for the EU and Belgium
Gilles Dryancour, Director, Governmental Affairs, John Deere
Karen Fabbri, Head of Sector, FOOD 2030, European Commission
Rebeca Fernandez, Senior Manager, Food Policy, Science & Research, Food Drink Europe
Maryline Fiaschi, Managing Director, Science|Business
Diane Fresquez, Media Consultant, Science|Business
Claude Frieh, Public Policy Coordinator, Nickel Institute
Stefania Gavra, Project Assistant, Science|Business
Kostas Gkatzionis, Lecturer, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham
Thomas Hansen, Adviser, Brussels Office, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Achim Irimescu, Head of Unit, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, Permanent
Representation of Romania to the EU; former Minister for Agriculture, Permanent Representation of
Romania to the EU
Lokesh Joshi, Vice President, Research, School of Natural Sciences, National University Ireland
Galway; Member, Research Policy Working Group, European University Association
Elsi Katainen, Member, European Parliament
Eanna Kelly, News Editor, Science|Business
Michael Lipka, Manager, Technology Planning, Huawei European Research Institute
Isabelle Magnus, Policy Advisor, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Government of Flanders
Erik Mathijs, Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Director of SFERE Sustainable Food
Economies Research Group, KU Leuven
Marta Medel Navarro, Project Officer, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (Ceia3)
Kurt Nielsen, Vice-Dean, Knowledge Exchange, Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University
Rob Opsomer, Systemic Initiatives Lead, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Simon Pickard, Network Director, Science|Business
Peter Pickel, Deputy Director, European Technology Innovation Center, John Deere
Jerzy Plewa, Director-General, DG Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Lysiane Pons, Project Officer, Science|Business
Ulrike Sapiro, Senior Director, Water Stewardship & Sustainable Agriculture, Coca-Cola
Stefan Schepers, Secretary General, High Level Groups on Innovation
Julia Schmalenberg, Senior Policy Advisor, Technology Transfer and Digitizing Industry, Fraunhofer
Ricardo Serrão Santos, Member, European Parliament
Emanuele Paolo Sicuro, Government Relations Advisor, Cargill
Milka Sokolovic, Head of Food and Health Science, European Food Information Council (EUFIC)
Albert Soret, Coordinator, Earth System Services Group, Barcelona Supercomputing Center
Barend Verachtert, Head of Unit, Agri-Food Chain, Directorate of Bioeconomy, DG Research and
Innovation, European Commission
Arnold Verbeek, Senior Advisor, R&D and Innovation Finance, European Investment Bank
Marc Vermeulen, Executive Director, Specialty Chemicals, European Chemical Industry Council
(CEFIC)
Mascha Zurbriggen, Scientific Advisor, Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
(SERI)
 Bringing together industry, research and policy

Industry
Amazon Microsoft
Amgen Nickel Institute
Elsevier / RELX Novartis
Frontiers Pfizer
GE Sanofi
Google Total
Huawei Toyota

Academia
Aalto University Tallinn University of Technology
ESADE Business & Law School Trinity College Dublin
ETH-Zurich TU Berlin
Imperial College London University College London
Karolinska Institutet University of Amsterdam
KTH Royal Institute of Technology University of Birmingham
KU Leuven University of Bologna
Norwegian University of Science and Technology University of Eastern Finland
(NTNU) University of Luxembourg
Politecnico di Milano University of Pisa
Polytechnique Montréal University of Twente
Sorbonne University University of Warwick

Public organisations
Barcelona Supercomputing Center European Space Agency
Business Finland Fraunhofer
CERN Innovate UK
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Innovation Norway
The COST Association Research Data Alliance Europe (RDA)
European Investment Bank Republic of South Africa - Department for Science and
Eureka Technology

Associations Group members

ACM Europe Policy Committee Hospital Saint Joan de Deu
ATTRACT Deusto International Research School (DIRS)
European University Association (EUA) ICHOM - International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement
Photonics 21 GEANT
The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Simmons & Simmons
The Guild Tataj Innovation
Trimbos Instituut

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