Innovation Forum Lausanne together with their local partner Cabinet Privé de Conseils (CPC) today published Press Releases in English and French about their second annual conference entitled “From Hunger to Health”.

Some extracts below:

Innovation Forum Lausanne (IFL) today held its second annual conference titled “From Hunger to Health”. With every ninth person not having access to sufficient nutrition, and costs for traditional therapeutic healthcare increasing, it is imperative that nutritional health becomes a shared responsibility. Speakers and delegates at the conference considered the ways in which scientific innovation helps to achieve global nutritional equality and health without overwhelming the planet.

Delegates heard from keynote speakers at leading companies and institutions including École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Gamaya, and Vestergaard, as well as other business leaders. Over 400 participants attended the sold out conference hosted at the Rolex Learning Forum at EPFL.

The conference also hosted the official launch of the IMAGINE IF! programme, the first truly global competition and accelerator for deep technology ventures. Projects enrolled in IMAGINE IF! aim to contribute to the transformation of our world: they address at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations, or one of the 12 Risks that threaten human civilization. Project submissions are open from now until July 1^st.

Francesco Stellacci, Director of the Food and Nutrition Centre at EPFL, commented:

“The world has seen many food crises in the past which have ended in famine and/or wars. It is time for technology to step up and address a crisis that we know is coming.”

Christine Demen Meier, Head of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at EHL, said:

“I have big hopes for our planet. I hope that through their behaviour and new habits around food, Generation Y individuals will shape the food industry into becoming more conscious of health, ethics and sustainability, thereby widely benefitting the population and the environment.“

Yosef Akhtman, Co-Founder and CEO of Gamaya SA, commented:

“The way that human society produces and consumes its food defines us as a species and determines our relationship with our environment. We are living in a remarkable moment in history where the entire ecological niche that we currently occupy becomes unsustainable, and we have to rethink our role on the planet in order to secure the future for the generations to come.”

Sandra Sulser and Manuel Fankhauser, co-Presidents of Innovation Forum Lausanne, said:

“Today, every ninth person does not have enough nutrition. By 2050, we will need to feed two billion more people. Our organisation is passionate about finding out how scientific innovation can help achieve the goal of global nutritional equality and health without overwhelming the planet. The Lake Geneva region which is a hotspot for food and nutrition, both in Switzerland and globally, made us devote the second annual Innovation Forum Lausanne conference to the topic “From Hunger to Health.”

Full details of the conference programme and speakers can be found at: https://lausanne.inno-forum.org/event/from-hunger-to-health/

Full details of the IMAGINE IF! Accelerator programme and application requirements can be found at: https://inno-forum.org/accelerator/

Press Releases in English and French