EIT Food Activities in 2026:
FIRST COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE MEETING WAS HOLD IN BUDAPEST 10-11.06.2026
The past two days in Budapest were intense, insightful, thought provoking, and reassuring all at once.
We had the pleasure of welcoming the delegation of EIT Food Country Representatives from across Europe to strengthen our collaboration for the next three years—working together to represent EIT Food in our respective countries and connect stakeholders across innovation, entrepreneurship, and academia.
This is exactly what we aimed to showcase—and we truly did.
The programme blended internal ideation, exchange of best practices, and forward-looking discussions, while also helping us deepen our understanding of funding opportunities and collaboration pathways.
A special thank you to:
👉 Balázs LAKI Managing Partner at Basilicon Consulting
👉 Justyna Kulawik-Dutkowska, Ph.D., Head of Strategic Collaborations (Thematic & Institutional), EIT Food
👉 Paweł Harycki, Ecosystem Manager, EIT Food
for sharing their expertise, inspiring fresh ideas, and driving meaningful discussions during the afternoon workshop sessions. 💡
After the hard work, we all agreed that some well-earned experiences were in order:
✨ a visit to the Grapoila Budapest office
✨ and an interactive kombucha tasting led by Fruzsina FARKAS
Because we never miss a chance to learn, we also invited two outstanding experts:
🎤 Barnabás Ács, Ph.D., Honorary Associate Prof., Founder of Sustbridge, international expert in sustainable solutions
🎤 Gábor Gyura, Director of the Hungarian Sustainable Investment and Finance Association
Together, we explored where sustainable finance meets financial sustainability.
One key takeaway from the panel discussion:
Data-driven decisions can help build systems aligned with sustainability goals, but moving forward requires patient capital and a clear focus on long-term value creation.
We closed the programme the best way possible—with engaging conversations and meaningful networking 🤝It was great to welcome ecosystem stakeholders, including:
Teréz Krisztina Szabó Hungarian Innovation Agency,
Krisztina Soltész, Dr. , the new EIT Community Officer at EIT Community Hub Hungary
and many more inspiring professionals
Special thanks to Balázs Horváth (Tech In The City) for helping connect us with the wider foodtech and innovation community
A heartfelt thank you to all Country Representatives and our fantastic co-organisers at PANNON Pro Innovations and EIT Food—your coordination and collaboration made this event a success.
Gratitude to Ewa Rzeszowska, Małgorzata Wolszlegier, Leticia López Reynosa, Alexandra Vegh Fekete, and Eszter Pomázi for the incredible teamwork 👏
We’re proud that Campden BRI Magyarország had the opportunity to coordinate this event, and a big shout-out to the entire Campden team for their support!
Further information:
dr. Adrienn Hegyi, Campden BRI Hungary