On 20^th to 21^st May, the Hub4Food team travelled to Castelo Branco and Peniche, Portugal to celebrate its 5^th Consortium Meeting at InovCluster, CATAA and MARE facilities.

The meeting officially started at the facilities of InovCluster in Castelo Branco, Portugal. This gathering served as a crucial milestone for the partners to review the collaborative work completed across the different work packages, evaluate the outcomes of the ongoing initiatives, and exchange valuable lessons learned.

Following the working session, the delegation engaged in a series of technical site visits designed to showcase local innovation infrastructure. The partners toured the state-of-the-art laboratories of CATAA, gaining deeper insights into their advanced research and development capabilities in food technology.

To conclude the day, the consortium visited the processing plant of one of InovCluster’s member companies. This industrial tour allowed the partners to observe their production model first-hand, highlighting the real-world challenges and opportunities that food companies face, and reinforcing Hub4Food’s mission to bridge the gap between technological research and market reality.

On May 21^st, the Hub4Food consortium relocated from inland Portugal to the coastal city of Peniche, a prominent hub for marine research and blue economy initiatives. The objective of this second day was to explore the cutting-edge facilities of MARE, one of the project’s RTO partners.

During the visit, partners were introduced to the framework of the BlueFood Lab (Blue Food Research and Innovation Group). The delegation toured the highly specialized laboratories dedicated to biotechnology applied to food, aquaculture, and the valorization of marine resources. This immersive tour provided the consortium with valuable insights into how marine compounds and scientific research are being translated into sustainable food solutions.

The day concluded with a technical site visit to the manufacturing plant of one of the local SMEs currently developing its pilot project in close collaboration with MARE and Hub4Food.

This highly collaborative week not only energized the Hub4Food community, but it also paved the way for future advancements in creating a more sustainable, ocean-driven food system across Europe.