Event description

Food | Ag | Ideas, led by Naturally MN and partners, is an annual multi-day series of speakers, events, tours, and demo showcases to highlight innovative ideas, make connections across the sectors, invite leaders to join Minnesota’s entrepreneur and innovation ecosystem, and move our industry forward,

In 2023, the theme of FAI is focused on the Future of Food + Ag Innovation: Healthy People, Planet. Centering the ways in which the food system operates is critical to ensure the future and sustainability of our value chain.

Come ready to learn and network on October 9th and 10th for the two days of panels at the Minnesota History Center, and don’t miss out on the array of pre-conference events and experiences starting on October 3rd.

Meet the speaker

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Priera Panescu, Ph.D.

LEAD SCIENTIST, PLANT-BASED
GFI

Priera’s role at GFI focuses on accelerating the plant-based meat industry through analyzing their plant-based protein landscape, identifying emerging technological solutions and bottlenecks, and communicating with other scientists about advancing alternative protein research. Priera has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and math from the University of California, Santa Cruz as well as a master’s and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to joining GFI, Priera spent almost a decade focusing on polymer, formulation, and materials chemistry research. Particularly, she honed these skills for food security applications by creating novel sustainable agriculture materials and compounds.

Upcoming events

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Virtual Event

The state of Canadian and U.S. pulse farming in 2025

Join GFI and Pulse Canada for The Pulse Chain, a three-part webinar series spotlighting Canadian and U.S. pulse growers at the heart of sustainable protein innovation. Hear firsthand how pulses…

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Bridge2Food North American Symposium – APP Regional Student Symposium (Alt Protein Project)

After a successful student-led showcase in Brazil earlier this year, the Alt Protein Project is headed to the U.S.! Meet some of our incredible student leaders at the Bridge2Food North…

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Indiana Convention Center

National FFA Convention & Expo

Event description The National FFA Convention & Expo is all about growing the next generation of leaders—and so is GFI. That’s why Jeremy Eltz, Ph.D., GFI’s Education and Workforce Development…

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Virtual Event

Sustainability from farm to fork: pulse grower practices

Join GFI and Pulse Canada for The Pulse Chain, a three-part webinar series spotlighting Canadian and U.S. pulse growers at the heart of sustainable protein innovation. Hear firsthand how pulses…

Cell growth modeling review for cultivated meat production
Virtual Event

Cell growth modeling review for cultivated meat production: Recommendations to improve techno-economic models

Join report authors to learn what current data reveal, where critical gaps remain, and the research priorities shaping more accurate and scalable techno-economic models for cultivated meat production.

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COP30: United Nations Climate Change Conference

COP30 Belém brings the world together at a critical moment for global transformative climate action. Join GFI and other alternative protein experts at this historic event!

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Virtual Event

Supporting growers and rural communities: resilience through protein diversification

Event description This fall, GFI and Pulse Canada are partnering to launch The Pulse Chain: From Growers to Global Protein Markets, an interactive webinar series that brings growers and food…

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The 7th Industrializing Cultivated Meat & Seafood Summit

GFI’s Elliot Swartz, Ph.D., will share insights at the 7th Industrializing Cultivated Meat & Seafood Summit in Boston. Join Elliot and other experts as they discuss R&D innovations that can…