TU Dublin Welcomes Saudi Arabian Delegation to Explore Agri-Food Research, Innovation and Collaboration
TU Dublin’s Grangegorman Campus hosted a distinguished delegation from Saudi Arabia on Monday 24th November, highlighting the University’s growing international partnerships in the agri-food sector. The visiting group included representatives from Saudi SMEs in the Food & Beverage industry, Monsha’at, the Saudi government agency for SMEs and delegates from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIMR). The visit, coordinated by OCO Global, formed part of a wider tour showcasing Ireland’s leadership in advanced food manufacturing and processing.
Welcome, Research, Engagements and Collaboration
Dr Gemma Kinsella, Head of Food Science and Industrial Biotechnology at TU Dublin, formally welcomed the delegation and provided an overview of the University’s mission, with a focus on people-centred innovation and sustainable research partnerships. She highlighted the structure, programmes and research activities of the School of Food Science and Environmental Health. OCO Global expressed appreciation for the opportunity to explore TU Dublin’s expertise in agri-food research and innovation. Saudi companies in attendance outlined their business activities and shared the challenges and growth ambitions driving their interest in advanced manufacturing, packaging, shelf-life optimisation and sustainability.
Dr Rena Barry-Ryan, Director of the Food Innovation and Health Research Centre, presented the Centre’s mission, its Principal Investigators and examples of successful industry-led research with commercial impact. Dr Paul Maguire, Head of Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at TU Dublin Innovation, showcased the University’s record in research translation and detailed funding pathways supporting industry–academic collaboration.
Fintan Moran, Barrister-at-Law and Course Chair of the MSc in Sustainable Food Safety Management, provided insight into Irish and EU food safety legislation, as well as the international reach and sustainability ethos of the MSc programme. Dr Amit Jaiswal, Lecturer and Course Chair for the same programme, shared an overview of his research portfolio and explained emerging European legislative frameworks for sustainability reporting in the agrifood sector, including the CSRD.
Central Quad Research Showcase and Demonstrations
Following a group photo outside Central Quad, the delegation visited the Food Processing Hall. There, Dr Azza Silotry Naik, Principal Investigator in Bioactive Ingredients and Programme Chair of Food Science, delivered an engaging presentation on sustainable agri-food research, particularly around the valorisation of industry by-products. Her research team demonstrated current projects and displayed sample outputs.
The delegation then visited the Biotechnology Laboratory, where Dr Swarna Jaiswal, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Packaging and Bioproducts, and her team presented cutting-edge work in sustainable packaging, an area of strong interest for the visiting companies.
Sustainable Health Research Hub
At the Sustainable Health Research Hub, the group was welcomed by Prof. Jesús Frías, Lead of SHRH, who outlined the structure and activities of the Greenway building. Business Development Manager for Food, Agritech and the Bioeconomy, Ruth McAdams, introduced guest speaker Daniel Hijazi, CEO of Micron Agritech.
Mr. Hijazi shared the inspirational story of transforming a student concept into a rapidly growing Irish start-up. He highlighted the role of TU Dublin’s support ecosystem, and the breadth of national innovation supports available to emerging companies’ insights that resonated strongly with the visiting delegation.
The visit concluded with a clear sense of alignment between TU Dublin’s capabilities and the strategic priorities of Saudi Arabia’s Food & Beverage sector. The discussions and demonstrations revealed strong potential for future collaboration, knowledge exchange and joint innovation projects. Both parties expressed enthusiasm for continuing engagement and contributing together to global progress in sustainability and agri-food advancement.