Berytech and Industrial Research Institute (IRI) organized the third Dairy Tech Open Day, an online event engaging participants and stakeholders to co-create the future, explore business opportunities, and respond to the most pressing challenges of the Dairy Value Chain (DVC).

During the Dairy-Tech Open Day event, participants were given the opportunity to attend a keynote speech by a technical expert, a panel discussion on technological advances as an alternative to traditional methods, engage in meetings with dairy experts and entrepreneurs on both local and regional levels, and discuss success stories presentations. 

At the Dairy Tech Open Day, Alsafi-Danone's Director of R&D, Ali Jaber, delivered a talk on the power of technology in the dairy industry, explaining the power and importance of technology in the dairy sector and how you can expedite product development, increase productivity, improve yield, manage resources and losses, and increase durability. Ali Jaber also mentioned how we need to open people's minds to Lebanon's technological potential at an economic level.

On the Transdairy outcomes in Lebanon and future opportunities for Dairy Entrepreneurs, Berytech and IRI showcased the key achievements of the Transdairy Program in Lebanon by both implementing partners and suggested future activities such as the Entrepreneurship training programs, cross-border spin-off grants, cross-border co-publishing vouchers, and cross-border co-development patent grants.

A panel discussion took place with Mr. George Fares, Chairman of Kobayat Agricultural Cooperatives, and Dr. Pauline Aad – Assistant Professor of Animal Breeding and Breeding, on technologies to provide feed substitutes that improve productivity in Lebanon and the region. Dr. Aad explained how Azera (aquatic fern seed) works as a food replacement: She talked about their experiments to see how much feed can be replaced with Azera and what nutrients it can provide to cows. They also discussed the different food replacement samples they use and how they are testing them at local farms. Georges introduced a new feeding system they are working on that can be provided through the use of hydroponics, what benefits it brings to production and yield, and how it can help farmers in the long term. 

The attendees had the opportunity to see testimonials of 3 cross-border Living Labs Activities where two entrepreneurs from Tunisia, Haifa Khalfaoui and Maha Bargaoui, and one from Italy Giacomo Trombi, shared their success stories throughout the Transdairy program.  

The DairyTech Open Day is the third in a series of Living Labs Open Days organized as part of the TRANSDAIRY Living Lab activities and aiming at bringing together experts, farmers, researchers, business actors, and startups to discuss and demonstrate the most promising Key Enabling Technologies (KET) within the DVC.