The Deputy for Economic Promotion of the Diputació de Lleida, Jordi Verdú, participated last Tuesday in two activities focused on business financing and agribusiness innovation, within the framework of the Agrobiotech Innovation Forum 2026, held at Fira de Lleida. One of the forums facilitated access to financing instruments for 25 companies, with 16 one-on-one interviews with financial entities. The other activity, 'The Company Explains Innovation', allowed six companies from the agribusiness sector to present their projects and technological solutions.
The financing forum, jointly organized by the Diputació de Lleida and the Lleida City Council at the Start-up Arena space, featured representatives from four organizations: ENISA, the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), the Catalan Finance Institute (ICF), and the Official Credit Institute (ICO). The session aimed to introduce various financing instruments to boost innovation, technological development, and business growth projects. The 16 scheduled interviews covered all available slots, and the projects that specified their financing needs amount to over 5.2 million euros.
Jordi Verdú highlighted the importance of bringing financing instruments closer to companies and facilitating direct contact with entities that can help develop their projects. He emphasized that "having a good idea is important, but so is having the necessary resources to make it a reality," and advocated for supporting the business community so that innovative projects can translate into new investments, economic activity, and employment. The Deputy Director for City Promotion of the Lleida City Council, Miguel Luis Lapeña, also participated.
In parallel, the Diputació de Lleida's stand in Hall 4 hosted the 'The Company Explains Innovation' activity, organized with the collaboration of the FEMAC cluster. This initiative provided visibility to the experiences and technological solutions of six companies linked to the agri-food and agribusiness sector –JYGSA, Agriinpulse, Agrodevices, Teyme, Arcusin, and Gili Group.
Verdú participated in the session dedicated to Gili Group, a company specializing in the manufacture of slurry tanks and agricultural trailers, alongside company representative Jordi Vilanova and FEMAC manager Enric Pedrós. The deputy emphasized the innovation developed by local companies and the importance of showcasing concrete experiences that contribute to improving the sector's competitiveness, stating that "innovation is also what companies apply every day to improve their processes, gain efficiency, be more competitive, and respond to the sector's new challenges."
Verdú also highlighted the role of auxiliary industries and agricultural machinery in the development of the primary sector, as well as the need to strengthen collaboration between companies, business associations, and administrations to facilitate knowledge exchange and create collaboration opportunities among the territory's stakeholders.
