BIA Innovator Campus

Another great event at BIA Innovator Campus!

Today we were delighted to host and facilitate a judging panel for Blas na hÉireann, celebrating the very best of Irish food and drink.

It was fantastic to welcome judges and industry representatives to the campus for a day focused on quality, innovation and the incredible talent within Ireland’s food sector.

A big thank you to everyone involved, and to Blas na hÉireann for bringing this important activity to BIA. We’re proud to support events that showcase, connect and champion Irish food businesses.

📢 Workshop: Objective Sensory Food Evaluation for SMEs

BIA Innovator Campus is delighted to host Objective Sensory Food Evaluation for SMEs, delivered by Oltmer Food Academy in partnership with Galway Local Enterprise Office.

Taking place onsite at BIA Innovator Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway, this introductory workshop will help food and drink businesses understand how to approach sensory food evaluation in a structured, objective, and repeatable way.

The session will cover:
o Foundations of Sensory Food Evaluation
o How to conduct objective evaluations
o Pathways to replicable results
o Evaluation methods and the benefits of digital recording

📅 Monday, 22nd June 2026
📍 BIA Innovator Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway
🎟️ Free workshop — registration is essential

Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/workshop-objective-sensory-food-evaluation-for-smes-tickets-1990626829433?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*tv1zej*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTY0MjI5OTY2NS4xNzgwNTY3MDg4*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3ODA1NjcwODckbzEkZzAkdDE3ODA1NjcwODckajYwJGwwJGgw

Queries can be emailed to [email protected].

Transnational Meeting Recap!

During the week of 20–22 May, the Hub4Food partnership travelled to Castelo Branco and Peniche (Portugal) for an intense, but productive 2-days visit to our Portuguese partners facilities.

The first day began with our Steering Committee meeting, where partners reviewed project progress, upcoming activities and next steps across the different work packages. In the afternoon and evening, the consortium had the opportunity to visit InovCluster’s enterprise hub and CATAA provisional labs. Later in the day, we took part in a study visit to a ham production factory, gaining valuable insights into regional food production, processing and innovation practices.

On the second day, partners travelled to Peniche to visit the facilities and laboratories of MARE. This visit offered a very interesting opportunity to explore marine innovation in action, including the research capacities, technologies and expertise supporting the development of new marine-based food solutions.

This was an excellent occasion to strengthen collaboration between partners and further connect Hub4Food’s and Interreg Europe's work with the Atlantic food innovation ecosystem, particularly around marine resources, advanced technologies and SME support.

A big thank you to InovCluster, CATAA and MARE for hosting and welcoming us in Portugal!

Last week, BIA Innovator Campus was delighted to join Galway County Council and our Interreg Europe SLOWDOWN project partners in Sibiu County, Romania for Interregional Thematic Workshop 5.

It was a very special opportunity for the Galway region to return to Sibiu following last year’s successful staff knowledge exchange visit, and to continue building on the relationships, insights and shared learning developed through the project.

Over the course of the workshop, partners explored how slow tourism can support more sustainable, inclusive and locally rooted regional development; from policy improvement workshops and staff exchange reflections, to study visits at ASTRA Museum, Râu Sadului and the Traditional Houses Route.

The visit offered a powerful reminder of what slow tourism is all about: taking time to connect with local culture, people, food, craft, heritage and landscape in a way that benefits both visitors and host communities.

A sincere thank you to Sibiu County Council and all project partners for such a warm welcome and inspiring programme.

SlowDown is a project within the Interreg Europe programme, co-financed by the European Union.

The Erasmus+ Food Includes project has officially entered its implementation phase 🎉

We are now putting our approach into practice, exploring how food-based activities can foster social inclusion while supporting upskilling in adult education 💡

Over the coming months, partners across Europe will roll out a range of initiatives, including food festivals, market stands, and recipe books. These activities will showcase how food can act not only as a universal language, but also as a powerful and inclusive learning tool 🍝

At BIA Innovator Campus, we were delighted to welcome the Athenry Women’s Group to our Recipe Book & Storytelling Workshop where participants exchanged experiences, stories and culture in a meaningful and inclusive way 🙏

Stay tuned for details of our next workshop as we continue to promote inclusive pathways in adult education 👩‍🏫

🔗 Learn more and follow our progress: https://foodincludes.eu/

Missed the DIGIFABS Impact Workshop Series? Here’s a quick snapshot 👇

This month, we connected academics, students, and F&B SMEs to explore the real impact of DIGIFABS💡

At our Irish session, hosted by Innovation Value Institute at Maynooth University with BIA Innovator Campus, we discussed how to better support SMEs on their digital journey.

👉 Your voice matters. Share your feedback: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=1i2Jr2NFVUScBaOYpD8jYi0xyTn0iURFqjYmjJ9dyZJUNkU2UzBVM1lKUkY1OUlaMVhRTkZSVEZQOS4u&or=PPT-WEB.BODY.NT&ct=1778507222975&route=shorturl

✨ Help shape future training for industry and academia.

Our Erasmus+ project Land of Opportunities (LOPPO) is reaching its final stage after a rich journey of training, co-creation and rural innovation across Europe.

Through the project, we have developed green entrepreneurship training modules, educational resources, local activities, and tangible solutions such as the LOPPO WebApp, an eBook and Policy Recommendations.

The project aims to support aspiring green entrepreneurs and rural communities, and the achieved results and resources will be available for free on the website.

LOPPO Website: https://www.landofopportunities.eu/?page_id=899

⏰ Reminder: Free Factory Hygiene Workshop for Food & Beverage SMEs

There’s still time to register for our upcoming Factory Hygiene Workshop at BIA Innovator Campus.

Delivered by Pareire Consulting in collaboration with Local Enterprise Office Galway, this FREE practical workshop will provide valuable guidance on sanitation principles, hygiene controls, cleaning methods, and verification practices to support food safety and compliance within food processing environments.

📅 Monday, 18th May 2026
⏰ 10:00am – 2:00pm
📍 BIA Innovator Campus, Athenry, Co. Galway

Ideal for food producers, processors, and SME teams looking to strengthen hygiene practices and support continuous improvement.

👉 Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/factory-hygiene-workshop-for-food-bev-smes-tickets-1988069474315

Happy Europe Day!

At BIA Innovator Campus, Europe is a space for connection, collaboration and shared ambition.

That is why we are highly active in collaborative EU projects, through which BIA has the opportunity to work with organisations across Europe that share our values and mission: supporting food SMEs, strenghening local food systems and pursuing a more sustainable, innovative and resilient agri-food sector.

These projects allow us to exchange knowledge and learn from different regions about shared challenges.

Europe Day is a moment to celebrate cross-border collaboration, and the people and partners we meet along the way who create a positive impact on our organisation. To all of you: thank you!

Great to bring the Erasmus+ Plant Power partnership together in Nitra, Slovakia, for our final Transnational Partner Meeting, kindly hosted by the Slovak University of Agriculture.

As our last in-person meeting, this milestone offered the chance to reflect on the progress made since the project launched in 2024, while aligning on the final steps ahead.

More importantly, it was a reminder of the value of face-to-face collaboration. Bringing partners together continues to strengthen partnerships, spark new ideas, and keep us aligned with our shared goal: advancing sustainability and innovation in the plant-based sector.