Results of two years of cross-border cooperation on the circular valorisation of dairy by-products presented on 15 May
On Thursday, 15 May 2026, the final event of the project DAIRY+ – Shared approaches to circular bioeconomy for the valorisation of by-products from the dairy supply chain – was held at the premises of CiviBank in Cividale del Friuli. A working day dedicated to the presentation of results and to sharing, with stakeholders, institutions and sector operators, what was achieved over two years of cross-border cooperation funded by the Interreg VI-A Italy–Slovenia Programme.
A structured and content-rich working day
The event opened with institutional greetings from Simon Skvor (Director of the Soča Valley Development Agency), Pier Giorgio Sturlese (President of the Agrifood & Bioeconomy FVG Foundation) and Michele Becia (Joint Secretariat of the Interreg VI-A Italy–Slovenia Programme).
Miro Kristan of the Soča Valley Development Agency retraced the overall project pathway, from the initial research phase through to the concrete results developed.
A flash talk dedicated to “Creating value from by-products” featured contributions from researchers of the University of Udine (Nadia Innocente, DI4A), the University of Ljubljana (Bojana Bogovič Matijašič and Luka Juvančič, Faculty of Biotechnology), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (Alessandra Tata), and the University of Trieste (Gianluigi Gallenti, DEAMS), focusing on the results of technological experimentation and the feasibility analysis carried out.
Documentaries and strategic communication
The event included the screening of the documentary “DAIRY+: a circular bioeconomy for the dairy sector”, produced by Rebel Film S.r.l., which presents the project through the voices of its protagonists: researchers, supply chain operators and institutional decision-makers.
Federica Spampinato and Alessandro Pirani from Kopernicana presented the communication strategies developed within the project to effectively communicate sustainable innovation to the different target groups in the dairy sector.
The screening of the documentary “The Alpine pastures, environmental guardians”, presented by Sara Svagelj and Ettore Spezza of Rebel Film S.r.l., explored the link between Alpine tradition and environmental sustainability, placing DAIRY+ within a broader territorial context.
The future of the cross-border supply chain
A final flash talk on “The future of the supply chain between Italy and Slovenia” involved Simone Belluco (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie), Pierpaolo Rovere (Director of the Agrifood & Bioeconomy FVG Foundation) and Miro Kristan, addressing the development perspectives of sectoral cooperation beyond the formal closure of the project.
The event concluded with a networking moment and a final refreshment.
Towards closure: the project’s final outputs
Thanks to the extension of the project until August 2026, the final deliverables of DAIRY+ will be published in the coming months:
● Policy paper with recommendations for institutions on the circular valorisation of by-products
● Operational handbook for small and medium-sized enterprises in the dairy sector
● Technical and economic feasibility studies and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
● Final dissemination materials for supply chain operators and stakeholders
DAIRY+ will continue to provide the cross-border dairy sector with concrete tools, good practices and a shared vision to build a more sustainable and competitive model.
