SocialTech Lab, as the EIT Food Country Representative in Cyprus, is pleased to publish the Outcomes & Insights Report from the EIT Food Cyprus Stakeholder Activation Event.
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Held at the CYENS Centre of Excellence in Nicosia on 25 May, the event brought together stakeholders from across the agrifood ecosystem, including startups, SMEs, producers, researchers, investors, support organisations, civil society, and public institutions. The objective was to create a space for meaningful dialogue, identify shared challenges and opportunities, and explore how Cyprus can strengthen its agrifood innovation ecosystem in the years ahead.
At a time when food systems worldwide are facing increasing pressures from climate change, resource constraints, shifting consumer expectations, and technological transformation, the future of agrifood innovation has never been more important. For Cyprus, these challenges also present significant opportunities to build a more resilient, sustainable, and competitive agrifood sector.
The discussions revealed a clear message: Cyprus possesses many of the ingredients needed for success, but unlocking the sector’s full potential will require stronger collaboration, greater innovation adoption, targeted investment, and coordinated action across the ecosystem.
A Sector Full of Potential
One of the strongest themes to emerge from the discussions was the significant untapped potential within Cyprus’ agrifood ecosystem.
Participants highlighted several key strengths, including Cyprus’ strategic geographic location, strong research and academic capabilities, entrepreneurial talent, agricultural heritage, and growing commitment to sustainability and innovation. These assets provide a strong foundation for future growth and ecosystem development.
Many stakeholders also identified an opportunity for Cyprus to position itself as a Mediterranean hub for agrifood innovation, developing and testing solutions that address challenges common to countries facing water scarcity, climate pressures, and food system vulnerabilities.
While optimism was evident throughout the discussions, stakeholders were equally clear that realising this potential will require addressing a number of structural barriers that continue to limit innovation and growth.
Strengthening Collaboration Across the Ecosystem
The need for stronger collaboration emerged as one of the most consistent messages across all stakeholder groups.
Participants noted that valuable expertise, support programmes, funding opportunities, and innovation initiatives already exist across the ecosystem. However, these efforts often remain fragmented, limiting opportunities for knowledge exchange, partnership development, and collective impact.
Researchers, entrepreneurs, producers, investors, support organisations, and policymakers frequently operate within separate networks, creating barriers to collaboration and slowing the diffusion of innovation.
Stakeholders repeatedly emphasised the importance of stronger ecosystem coordination, improved communication channels, and more opportunities for cross-sector engagement. Building a more connected ecosystem was widely viewed as a critical step toward accelerating innovation and creating long-term value across the agrifood value chain.
Turning Innovation into Impact
Innovation remains one of Cyprus’ greatest opportunities, yet stakeholders highlighted persistent challenges in translating ideas, research, and technologies into practical applications and market-ready solutions.
While research excellence exists within the country, participants pointed to gaps between innovation development and adoption. Many promising ideas struggle to progress beyond early-stage development due to limited testing environments, insufficient commercialisation support, and weak connections between research institutions and industry.
To address these challenges, stakeholders identified the need for:
- Demonstration farms and pilot projects
- Living labs and testing environments
- Stronger commercialisation pathways
- Practical support for technology adoption
- Closer collaboration between researchers, producers, and businesses
The challenge is not a shortage of innovation. Rather, it is creating the conditions that enable innovation to move successfully from concept to implementation, scale, and long-term impact.
Sustainability as a Strategic Priority
Sustainability was a cross-cutting theme throughout the discussions and is increasingly recognised as both an environmental necessity and an economic opportunity.
Stakeholders highlighted growing concerns related to water scarcity, rising energy costs, climate resilience, food waste, and dependence on imported products. These pressures are already affecting producers and businesses while creating new risks for long-term food security.
At the same time, participants identified significant opportunities in areas such as regenerative agriculture, circular economy solutions, renewable energy integration, resource efficiency, and local food production.
The discussions reinforced a growing recognition that environmental sustainability, economic resilience, and food system security are closely interconnected and must be addressed through integrated approaches.
Investing in People and Future Talent
Participants also highlighted the importance of attracting and retaining talent within the agrifood sector.
Concerns were raised about the ageing farming population and the limited number of young people entering agriculture and related industries. Addressing this challenge will require changing perceptions of the sector and highlighting emerging opportunities at the intersection of food, technology, sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Stakeholders emphasised the importance of skills development, entrepreneurship support, education, and youth engagement initiatives that can help cultivate the next generation of agrifood innovators, professionals, and leaders.
From Insights to Action
While the discussions surfaced a range of challenges, they also revealed a strong willingness among stakeholders to work together to address them.
Across sectors, participants demonstrated a clear appetite for collaboration, knowledge sharing, partnership development, and collective problem-solving. This willingness to engage provides a strong foundation for future ecosystem-building efforts.
The Outcomes & Insights Report synthesises these perspectives and identifies several priority areas for future action, including:
- Stronger ecosystem coordination
- Improved research-to-market pathways
- Enhanced support for innovation adoption
- More accessible funding and investment opportunities
- Sustainability and circular economy initiatives
- Greater investment in talent development and youth engagement
Looking Ahead
The report is not intended to be the final word on the future of agrifood innovation in Cyprus. Rather, it serves as a foundation for continued dialogue, collaboration, and action across the ecosystem.
The discussions made one thing clear: Cyprus has the knowledge, talent, entrepreneurial energy, and institutional capacity needed to build a thriving agrifood innovation ecosystem. The opportunity now lies in transforming shared insights into coordinated initiatives, strategic partnerships, and tangible impact.
At SocialTech Lab, we are grateful to everyone who contributed their expertise, experiences, and perspectives throughout this process. As EIT Food Country Representative in Cyprus, we look forward to continuing these conversations and supporting efforts that strengthen innovation, sustainability, and resilience across the agrifood sector.
Read the full Outcomes & Insights Report below:
EIT Food Activation Event Outcomes Report
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