NEWS & EVENTS

Taking place 14–15 October 2026 in Bern, Switzerland, this Regional Academy brings together academics, public authorities, industry actors, and local communities to explore how research can offer answers to challenges related to food systems. Using the established AIMday concept, researchers will meet representatives from external organisations to discuss real world challenges.

Additionally, the Regional Academy serves as an opportunity to connect the various disciplines working on food related questions within the ENLIGHT alliance. 

More on the UniBE AIMday

• Rethinking Food Systems for People, Animals and the Environment 2026

Info

Date: 14 & 15 October 2026
Location: Ideenlabor, University of Bern
Audience: Researchers from different fields of ENLIGHT universities working on topics related to food systems and sustainability
Registration: Please register here to participate
Registration deadline: 15th of September 2026

Focus of the Regional Academy 

The programme will centre on practical knowledge-sharing and collaborative learning, addressing topics such as: 

• Cross-sector collaboration between academia, industry, and public actors within food industry, policy and governance 
• Best practices for applied research and industry collaboration in the food sector  
• Infrastructure and incubation models for food startups 
• Community-building and innovation ecosystems for food system industries 
• From research to impact: food system innovation as drivers of regional development 

Preliminary Programme 

Day 1 – Triple Helix collaboration in the field of food systems 

• Arrival & registration (1pm) 
• Workshop to connect with other ENLIGHT researchers and exchange best practices in industry collaboration and knowledge transfer (afternoon) 
• Presentation of inclusion project Provisorium46 and dinner (evening) 

Day 2 – AIMday Food Systems

• Structured discussions on pre-defined challenges / questions with partners (companies, public entities, NGOs), following AIMday methodology (morning) 
• Lunch 
• Structured discussions on pre-defined challenges / questions with partners (companies, public entities, NGOs), following AIMday methodology (afternoon) 
• Farewell apero (evening)  

Practical Information

Recommendation for getting to Bern: 

• By train: 
  • Book international trains or night trains to Basel or Zurich with connecting tickets to Bern 
• By “luxury sleeping bus”: 
  • For travelers from Belgium and the Netherlands, the Swiss startup Twiliner has launched a night bus service with comfortable lie-flat seats. It can be an alternative to night trains to Basel (with a 1-hour connection to Bern). 
• By airplane: 
  • Book flights into Zurich or Geneva airport with regular train connections to Bern (1h from Zurich airport / 2h from Geneva airport)  

Hotel recommendation  

•  Hotel Savoy Bern 
•  Best Western Plus Hotel Bern 
•  Kreuz Bern Modern City Hotel 

Getting around 

• Overnight guests at all accommodation providers in the city of Bern receive the Bern Ticket for their entire stay and enjoy free travel on all public transport in zones 100/101 of the LIBERO tariff network (including Gurtenbahn, Marzilibahn and Münsterplattform lift, as well as travel to and from Bern Airport). The guests can claim the Bern Ticket at the hotel reception. On the day of arrival, the reservation confirmation serves as a transfer ticket from the train station or Bern airport to the accommodation facility.  
• The programme will take place at the VonRoll campus (Fabrikstrasse 8). It can be reached by taking the following bus from the main station:  
  • PostBus 101 heading for Schlossmatt - Güterbahnhof stop 

Participation is free of charge, please consult the ENLIGHT department of your host institution if the travel and accommodation can be supported:
AIMday Travel Funding Contacts  

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