Catalyzing Regional Agri-Food Innovation: Research Ecosystems for Growth and Resilience
Addressing global food security challenge requires intentional investments in institutions, talent, and the cross-pollination of ideas. This session features two panels: 1) a collaborative group of leaders from the St. Louis innovation community, sharing how their region has built momentum around sustainable, high-tech agriculture and food systems. 2) an international group of experts sharing diverse perspectives on building innovation ecosystems and institutions for food security. The discussion will unpack critical ingredients of ecosystem building: coordinated research leadership, dedicated acceleration infrastructure, intentional talent pipelines, and mechanisms to connect geospatial science, agtech and investment.
Science and innovation can play a critical role in the sustainable growth and enrichment of regions around the world. Intentional fostering of links between research, innovation, and economic strategy can increase the benefits of a strong science base for regional communities and support continued reinvestment in research and innovation capacities. This session features two panels that will provide insights into the challenges of building science to implementation pathways to catalyze regional research-based agri-food systems.
In the first panel, leaders from key institutions will discuss St Louis’s regional GeoFutures strategy, focused on fostering an ecosystem across interlinked sectors to drive regional economic growth including agtech and geospatial. Investment in a regional science base, including expansion of programs in universities, recruiting new science talent and establishing science ecosystem coordinating entities, is a core element in the strategy. This panel asks:
- How do you build a science base and innovation ecosystem for a regional socio-economic development strategy centered around agri-food tech and geospatial tech pillars?
- How can regions leverage targeted scientific investments to build resilient food systems?
- What ecosystem linkages and research-to-industry partnerships accelerate scalable solutions?
In the second panel, experts from global organizations with experience creating and running programs and institutions to drive progress from science to implementation in agri-food systems will share their perspectives. This panel will draw on examples and insights from a broad range of international organizations and consortia, putting the regional experience of St. Louis community in context. This panel asks:
- How do strategies and tactics for building a science base and innovation ecosystem to drive regional socio-economic development centered around agri-food systems differ around the world?
- What are the persistent challenges faced by regions around the world seeking to leverage targeted scientific investments to build resilient food systems? How can these challenges be addressed in new ways?
- What ecosystem institutions, networks, and research-to-industry partnerships can accelerate the creation of scalable solutions in varied global contexts?
Across both panels, the speakers will share progress made, with a focus on building the science base and connecting it to industry to drive regional growth, and explore future trajectories. Their discussions will bring together perspectives on both the regional St Louis and global experiences.
The session aims to provide a platform for discussion and reflection, seeking to inspire communities building their own strategies for science-led innovation and economic growth with strong ties to sustainable, thriving agriculture and food systems, including new and renewed efforts under the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
