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Driving EIT Food’s Mission in Portugal
Connecting talent, innovation and industry to transform the agrifood sector in Portugal
BGI is the EIT Food Representative
BGI will continue to act as EIT Food Country Representative in Portugal for the 2026-2028 period, as part of a newly selected cohort of organisations across 15 countries.
As an independent organisation appointed by EIT Food, BGI connects the Portuguese agrifood ecosystem to the wider European innovation network. We work with startups, researchers, industry and public institutions to unlock access to funding, programmes and cross-border collaboration, while helping strengthen a more innovative and resilient national ecosystem.
Combining research, testbeds, venture building and ecosystem development, BGI supports researchers, startups and industry partners in advancing science-based innovation, and leverage digital technologies and AI to accelerate the transformation towards sustainable food ecosystems.
Impact in numbers (last 3 years)
150+
Startups accelerated
80+
Researchers supported
60%
Women participants
90+
1:1 Startup counseling
340+
Event participants
+70
Stakeholders engaged
The right initiative for you!
As part of our role as EIT Food Country Representative, we lead a national capacity-building pathway designed to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in the Portuguese agrifood sector. This journey is delivered through three complementary initiatives, guiding participants from early-stage ideas to ecosystem integration:
Ready to take your research to the next level?
Agrifood Disruptor is focused on entrepreneurial training, mentorship and market discovery, helping you to discover the market fit for your research.
Struggling to move from tech validation to market entrance?
Agrifood Roadmap to Market is an intensive, hands-on programme supporting teams in market validation and go-to-market strategy, engaging industry experts.
Curious about the future of agrifood?
Agrifood Open Day is a national flagship event connecting key agrifood ecosystem stakeholders through knowledge-sharing and networking.
Find Your Opportunity. We’ll take it from there.
Startups & Entrepreneurs
Searching for the right program?
Looking for 1:1 counselling?
EIT Food Opportunities
Looking for open calls?
Want to develop your skills?
Interested in entrepreneurship programs?
Partnerships
Interested in joining the EIT Food network?
Looking to collaborate with BGI?
Investors & Corporates
Interested in deep-tech agrifood opportunities?
Speakers & Mentors
Want to share your experience and expertise?
Other specific topics
Please do not hesitate to contact us at:
EIT Food & BGI
Supported by the European Union, EIT Food invests in projects, organisations and talent to build a healthier, resilient and sustainable food system. Its strategy is guided by three core missions: Food for Health; Food System Resilience; Net Zero Food System.
Through its Skills Academies, EIT Food focuses on key transformation domains such as resilient agriculture (including regenerative, digital and climate-resilient farming) and biotechnology at the intersection of food, health and innovation.
As EIT Food’s Country Representative in Portugal, BGI translates these missions and priorities into action, connecting national stakeholders to European funding, programmes and collaboration opportunities.
BGI also contributes to EIT Food-led European initiatives. As part of the EU Agri-Food Biotech Alliance, an EIT Food-coordinated initiative that brings together 100+ European organisations to accelerate the development and industrial deployment of biotech solutions, fostering a more sustainable and strategically autonomous food system in Europe, and further shaping the innovation agenda through the Protein Diversification Think Tank and the Resilient Agriculture Think & Do Tank, addressing barriers, fostering collaboration and driving more sustainable agrifood systems.
This role is reinforced by Gonçalo Amorim, BGI’s CEO and member of the EIT Food Regional Strategic Advisory Council since 2023, contributing to the strategic direction of Europe’s agrifood innovation ecosystem.
About EIT Food
EIT Food is growing Europe’s food innovation ecosystem to build a healthy, sustainable and resilient food system. We empower innovators and entrepreneurs, invest in ideas and talent, and we create space for science, research, industry, and policymakers to accelerate systemic change across the food sector.
Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EIT Food has been at the forefront of food system innovation in Europe since 2016.
About EIT
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading companies, research labs and universities. Currently ten EIT Knowledge & Innovation Communities are supported: Climate KIC (formerly EIT Climate-KIC), 28DIGITAL (formerly EIT Digital), InnoEnergy (formerly EIT InnoEnergy), EIT Health, EIT RawMaterials, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Culture & Creativity and EIT Water. Together with its leading partners, the EIT Community offers a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship activities across Europe: entrepreneurial education courses, business creation and acceleration services and innovation driven research projects.
About EIT Food Country Representatives
EIT Food Country Representatives are members of the EIT Community Hubs in their respective countries. They are independent organisations appointed to connect national agrifood ecosystems in Southern and Eastern Europe with EIT Food’s ecosystem, activities, and opportunities. A central part of their role is to build strong pipelines of agrifood startups for EIT Food’s entrepreneurship programmes by scouting promising ventures, engaging incubators and accelerators, and providing handson support during application processes.
They also attract learners to EIT Food’s education initiatives, including the EIT Food Master in Food Systems and the EU Skills Academies in Biotechnology and Resilient Agriculture. In addition, EIT Food Country Representatives help strengthen national innovation networks by facilitating collaboration, sharing information about relevant opportunities, and delivering activities that build innovation and entrepreneurship capacity within the agrifood sector.
This appointment is part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS), one of EIT’s key measures to broaden participation in the EIT Community and address regional disparities in innovation capacity.
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