The Food’InnLab reopens on the Palaiseau Campus!

Can you remind us how many projects the FIL currently hosts and give some examples of projects currently under development?

Salomé Falise: Since its creation in 2017, the FIL has supported fifty or so projects (which we continue to follow) and currently supports around fifteen enterprises. We support a very wide range of projects: 

• The recovery of by-products (distillers grains, eggshells, brewer’s yeast, etc.), like the start-ups Circul’Egg and Yeasty  
• Alternatives to animal proteins (based on mushrooms, pulses, insect powders, jackfruit, hemp, etc.), like Glim Africa and Nudj, for example
• The democratization of new tastes and the development of new products (algae-based products and new sugar-free or alcohol-free drinks), like Absoluthé
• Products for people with special nutritional needs (gluten-intolerant, newborn babies, elderly or malnourished people), like Appétoque (former Pofiné winner of the Ecotrophélia Prize) and Dalipo 
• New production methods for useful molecules, notably thanks to precision fermenting, like SHT Biotech 
• New packaging to keep fruit and vegetables fresh, like Proteme

Most of these start-ups attended the reopening of the Food’InnLab on October 20. The pitch session they took part in highlighted the rich diversity of the projects we choose to support, while also providing an opportunity for networking.

When a student applies to the Food’InnLab, what training and support are they offered? 

S.F: AgroParisTech has compiled and developed a set of tools to support students who want to create a business. Every year, there are three different judging panels for three different levels of project maturity. Students apply to present their project to a given panel, depending on how advanced their project is. The Creativity Panel for the idea stage, the Maturation Panel if the project is more advanced, and the Acceleration Panel if they are at the business creation stage (this last panel is open to the school’s alumni). In practical terms, successful applicants benefit from financial support (from a few hundred to several thousand euros), as well as support from people skilled in their field, who help them to challenge the project and overcome their scientific, technical, or strategic problems. They can also experiment and develop their product at the FIL, thanks to our experimental kitchen and laboratory. The idea is also to put them in touch with research laboratories like the SayFood Mixed Research Unit, which is very active in supporting our entrepreneurs. 

Note: Other InnLabs support students with other types of projects (Farm’InnLab, Forest'InnLab, etc.). 

What is your role at the Food’InnLab? 

S.F: The head of the Food’InnLab has a number of roles! First, I must make sure that the FIL’s experimental space functions properly (overseeing equipment maintenance, managing upkeep and cleaning, setting rules governing access and use, etc.). I also respond to the entrepreneurs’ needs by trying to help them overcome their problems. This can include technical support, organizing events or training, or putting them in touch with people from AgroParisTech or with our partners, who can help them with other issues. Finally, I try to promote the Food’InnLab to those who want to innovate in the food sector (communications, participating in events, meeting partners, etc.). It’s so exciting and I learn so much in this job. Plus the variety of my role means I am never bored!

The Food’InnLab is on a new site (the Palaiseau campus): what does this change in practice? 

S.F: Moving to the new campus along with all the other teaching and research units is an unbelievable opportunity. It helps us to maintain close ties with the whole AgroParisTech ecosystem. The FIL is open to everyone and dialog between units is easier, offering great opportunities for collaboration. We think there are some very interesting links to be developed or even created with the AgroParisTech and INRAE research teams present on campus: of course, this helps our entrepreneurs meet with other skilled individuals specialized in their scientific field. I also think that their particular issues can drive research and contribute to ongoing projects, or even create new avenues for research. More broadly speaking, being on the Plateau de Saclay gives us access to a much more extensive ecosystem linked to innovation: the current partnership with CentraleSupélec, which is part of the 21st acceleration program is a good example of this. And finally, I won’t hide the fact that a brand-new building in which to experiment has also given us a big boost!