Interregional Learning event in South Ostrobothnia, Finland
FISSH project partnership and stakeholders will meet in September 2025 in the region of South Ostrobothnia, Finland. This Interregional Learning Event will focus on the projects 2nd thematic focus area: Sustainable Food Production & Product Value Chain.
The meeting will take place in Seinäjoki, utilizing the possibility to participate also the Food Days seminar. The international event focusing on food sector development will also include the Thematic Workshop of FISSH for deepening the partners' and stakeholders' understanding of the thematic focus area, sharing regional viewpoints and discussing the key challenges and needed policy improvements.
Participatory session: ”Sustainable Food Production & Product Value Chain of Food SMEs – Regional viewpoints and Good Practices”, will include two speakers and a panel discussion of FISSH partner regions. Anu Palomäki from SEAMK, South Ostrobothnia will focus on Future-Proofing Food SMEs: Regional Adaptation and Profitability”, and Maxime Willems from Proef lab, East Flanders will have a keynote speech on ”Taste Tomorrow Today: a foodlabs take on Sustainable product innovation”.
The panel discussion brings together experts from each FISSH partner region on the theme ”Regional Expertise for Sustainable Food Systems”. The panelists are: Anna Papakonstantinou, Executive of the Region of Central Macedonia from the department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Central Macedonia; Joana Costa, Director of FITOLAB – Plant Health and Biotechnology Laboratory of IPN, Coimbra; Aleksandra Hapka, Rural tourism and marketing specialist at the Agricultural Advisory Centre, Kujawsko-Pomorskie; Antti Saartenoja, Innovation Director at the Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia; and Maxime Willems, the Proef lab, East Flanders.
Also the audience will be activated to evaluate and discuss the session topics for further learning by shared digital platform. The visit will of course also include presenting Good Practices and inspiring business cases as well as networking.
The organizers are looking forward for the visit and deepening the understanding on Sustainable Food Production & Product Value Chain. Read more about the Food Days here. The event is open for everyone, participants also outside of FISSH are warmly welcome! We are expecting more than a hundred participants altogether.