A pioneering initiative in Spain, the Sandbox arises from the collaboration between the Spanish Government’s Ministry of Science and Universities (MCIU), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the regional governments of Navarra and La Rioja, and CNTA.
At Friday’s presentation, the first call for projects of the Sandbox was also launched, enabling companies to test technologies, products, services or innovative approaches that operate at the regulatory frontier.
CNTA’s headquarters (National Centre for Food Technology and Safety) hosted the official presentation of this groundbreaking initiative, created to accelerate innovation in the agri food sector. Spain’s AgriFoodTech Sandbox will offer companies a safe environment to test technologies, products, services or innovative approaches operating at the regulatory frontier, generating regulatory learnings and insights on the added value of innovations compared with current practices. EATEX Food Innovation Hub by CNTA will be responsible for managing the Sandbox.
The initiative has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Science and Universities (MCIU), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the regional governments of Navarra and La Rioja, and CNTA. Representatives from all administrations and from the technological centre took part in the presentation event, highlighting its relevance and the international positioning it offers the Spanish agri food sector.
By participating in this initiative, CNTA continues to advance its commitment to transforming the future of food. As Silvia García, Director of EATEX Food Innovation Hub by CNTA, stated, the Sandbox “creates a direct bridge between industry and regulators.” She added: “By accelerating the adoption of key innovations, we strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and lay the groundwork for a more agile regulatory framework, better suited to upcoming challenges.”
With the launch of the Spain’s AgriFoodTech Sandbox, Spain positions itself as a European leader in adopting this model—already tested in other strategic sectors—for the agri food industry. The program will foster dialogue between industry and regulatory authorities, accelerating the arrival of innovations to the market under a solid regulatory framework. It will also generate essential regulatory learnings, with conclusions that will be shared with competent authorities, contributing to the evolution of agri food regulation in Spain and Europe.
Globally, countries such as Singapore, the United Kingdom and South Korea have already developed agri food sandboxes or experimentation spaces to align innovation and regulation, attracting investment and talent.
First call for projects
Coinciding with the presentation of the Sandbox, the period for submitting proposals to the first call for projects has opened and will remain active until 23 May.
Startups, companies and associations from the sector may submit their initiatives and, if selected, will access an experimentation environment where they can test their innovations in products and processes across the agri food value chain.
Selected national and international projects will have free access to the scientific technical capabilities of CNTA and its external collaborators. They will also receive regulatory guidance to carry out the necessary tests aimed at studying and validating their innovative product or process.
Priority innovation areas for this first call include:
- identification or development of new ingredients.
- development of new foods and beverages for healthy nutrition.
- creation of new food preservation and packaging strategies.
- resource optimization, circularity, and the valorization of waste and by‑products.
More information about Spain’s AgriFoodTech Sandbox and the first call for projects:
