The CROSSPATHS project recently marked a major milestone in its journey to activate synergies between national funding schemes and Horizon Europe. Between June 11 and 13, 2025, project partners, national innovation agencies, forward-looking agri-food companies, and representatives from the Portuguese innovation ecosystem gathered at Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) in Porto for a three-day series of events. These included an intensive training session on critical thinking and creative decision-making, followed by a cross-border workshop aimed at aligning regional priorities, scientific competences, and business innovation in the agri-food domain.
This article offers a retrospective of this important meeting, which combined capacity-building with strategic dialogue and opened promising pathways for future collaboration across borders and sectors.
A Shared Vision for Innovation in Agri-Food Research
The CROSSPATHS project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme is designed to tackle one of the persistent challenges in European R&I policy: the fragmentation between regional investments and EU-level research efforts. The project proposes a pragmatic and actionable solution to this issue by creating tailored pathways to increase the participation of less represented regions in Horizon Europe. It does so by building bridges between the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Horizon Europe, ensuring that regional scientific and technological strengths are better connected to the broader European Research Area.
This objective was clearly reflected in the Porto events, where the alignment between regional development strategies, national innovation priorities, and EU funding instruments was a recurring theme. With its strong academic, industrial, and policy ecosystem, Northern Portugal offered an ideal setting to explore this intersection in practice.
Training for Transformation: Critical Thinking and Decision-Making in Research
The programme kicked off on June 11–12 with a training course on Critical Thinking and Creative Decision-Making in Food & Agriculture Research, held at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia of UCP. Delivered in hybrid format, the training combined theoretical input with interactive exercises to encourage reflexivity and methodological innovation among researchers working in complex agri-food systems.
The first day, facilitated by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), focused on identifying cognitive and disciplinary biases, challenging assumptions, and adopting structured decision-making tools for research under uncertainty. Sessions included an "assumption audit," scenario-based exercises, and team-based simulations dealing with time-sensitive decisions under incomplete information. Participants were encouraged to reflect not only on how they make decisions but also on how structural constraints—such as disciplinary silos or funding structures—influence their research strategies and choices.
The second day, led by IARFR-PAS, deepened the focus on creativity and team dynamics. Participants were guided through a series of exercises designed to unlock creative potential, overcome internal barriers to innovation, and apply structured problem-solving approaches, such as the A3 method, to real or hypothetical research challenges. By combining personal reflection, peer learning, and applied methodology, the training created a dynamic and safe space for rethinking how research is designed, managed, and translated into impact.
The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, confirming the need for this kind of training in a research environment increasingly marked by uncertainty, complexity, and cross-sectoral demands.
Cross-Border Collaboration in Action: The Workshop
On June 13, the focus shifted to the Cross-border Workshop, held in the Arts Building of UCP. The workshop was designed as a space to foster dialogue and collaboration between researchers, policy-makers, and business leaders from the North of Portugal and other European regions involved in CROSSPATHS.
The day opened with a welcome session and an introduction to the CROSSPATHS vision by Manuela Pintado, Director of the Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF-UCP). The session set the tone for the workshop, emphasizing the importance of building practical bridges between ERDF-funded infrastructures and Horizon Europe consortia, particularly in regions that are traditionally underrepresented in EU research calls.
The first thematic block, titled Scientific Competences and Infrastructure, featured presentations from four of the project’s partner institutions: IARFR (Poland), CBQF-UCP (Portugal), EMÜ (Estonia), and WR (Bulgaria). Each institution shared insights into their research focus, facilities, and regional context. The aim was to map complementarities, identify shared challenges, and create opportunities for joint activities. The diversity of specializations—ranging from food biotechnology and plant science to regional innovation systems—highlighted the richness of the consortium and its potential to develop ambitious, interdisciplinary projects.
Following this, the Business Perspectives session gave the floor to innovative Portuguese companies working at the frontier of sustainability and agri-food innovation. Débora Campos (AgroGrIN Tech), Miguel Pacheco (Naturtech), Tiago Duarte (Simplyeast), and Vasco Esteves (TecmaFoods) presented their respective companies’ missions, technologies, and collaborative projects with research institutions. Each in their own way, these companies exemplify how sustainability, circular economy principles, and cutting-edge science can converge in viable business models. From transforming fruit waste into functional food ingredients to extracting natural antioxidants from olive pomace, the presentations demonstrated how regional innovation ecosystems can generate real impact and inspire new research directions.
Mid-morning, the World Café and Networking Session allowed participants to mingle informally and explore potential synergies in smaller, rotating group discussions. This format proved to be a valuable moment for deepening the conversations initiated during the plenary sessions and building interpersonal connections.
Policy Enablers for Regional Innovation
The late morning sessions shifted the focus to the enabling environment for innovation. In a panel titled Policy That Enables Innovation, representatives of key Portuguese agencies outlined the strategic frameworks guiding innovation in the North of Portugal.
Ricardo Simões (Head of Innovation at CCDR-N) introduced the Norte Region’s RIS3 strategy and emphasized the role of smart specialization in guiding regional investments. Miguel Antunes (ANI) described how the National Innovation Agency fosters cooperation between academia and industry, especially in strategic sectors like agri-food and biotechnology. Deolinda Silva (PortugalFoods) shared how the association operates as a platform connecting over 180 members from the food industry and research ecosystem, with a focus on internationalization and technological upgrade. Finally, Alexandre Almeida (AEP) gave insights into the work of the Portuguese Entrepreneurial Association in promoting competitiveness, especially through dialogue with its diverse network of companies.
The session highlighted how agencies and clusters can act as “innovation brokers,” helping translate research excellence into societal and economic value. It also underscored the importance of maintaining strong communication between regional actors and the Horizon Europe ecosystem to ensure alignment of priorities and resources.
Towards a More Connected Research Landscape
The workshop concluded with a round table moderated by Manuela Pintado, where all speakers and participants reflected collectively on the key messages of the day. Several themes emerged during the discussion. First, the need for mutual visibility: many regional actors are unaware of the capacities and needs of their potential collaborators, whether in research, industry, or policy. Second, the value of structured mechanisms—like CROSSPATHS—to catalyze collaboration and help overcome structural barriers to cross-border work. And third, the shared interest in developing proposals that build on regional assets while contributing to European and global goals in food security, climate resilience, and innovation.
The afternoon closed with a guided tour of the CBQF facilities, giving visitors the opportunity to witness firsthand the infrastructure and capabilities of one of Portugal’s leading research centres in food science, environmental biotechnology, and health-related innovations.
What We Learned – and What Comes Next
The CROSSPATHS events in Porto were more than just a series of meetings. They served as a living laboratory for the project’s mission: to activate synergies between local strengths and European opportunities, between scientific excellence and societal needs, and between different levels of governance and funding.
The diversity of actors involved—ranging from early-career researchers and SME founders to regional policymakers and European project managers—was one of the strongest assets of the event. It allowed for a multifaceted dialogue that respected each actor’s perspective while aiming for a common purpose: more strategic, more inclusive, and more impactful research and innovation.
Looking ahead, the ideas and contacts developed in Porto will feed into future activities of the CROSSPATHS project, including joint proposal development, peer-learning actions, and capacity-building programmes. The event also opened several avenues for deeper bilateral cooperation between regions, particularly between Northern Portugal and the other participating countries.
Acknowledgements
The CROSSPATHS consortium warmly thanks all participants, speakers, and organizing teams for their energy, commitment, and generous contributions throughout the event. Special thanks go to the Universidade Católica Portuguesa for hosting the sessions and to the Portuguese agencies and companies who enriched the discussions with real-world insights and forward-looking strategies.
This meeting confirmed the core premise of CROSSPATHS: when the right people, ideas, and frameworks come together, the path from regional investment to European leadership becomes not only possible, but tangible.
