CIPROMED goes to the USA!

Last month, the coordinator of the project, Prof. Christos Athanassiou, represented the CIPROMED project in various meetings that took place in the USA.

• April 11^th – Invitation for seminar to KSU, Manhattan, Kansas, USA

Following an invitation, Prof. Christos Athanassiou gave a seminar at the Department of Entomology of Kansas State University, on 11/4/25, in Manhattan, Kansas, USA, entitled: “Insects as Food, Feed and Waste Management: Back to the Future!”. In this event, data from the CIPROMED project were presented, while the participants were Faculty members of KSU from the Department of Entomology, but also from the Department of Grain Science and Industry, as well as Researchers of the USDA-ARS, graduate students, and KSU Research Personnel. The participants have expressed their strong interest in collaborative tasks on the topic of insect farming.

• April 12^th-16^th – 80th North Central Branch Meeting, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Prof. Christos Athanassiou participated at the North Central Branch Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, which took place in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (organized by the University of Nebraska, between 12 and 16/4/2025).

During this meeting (15/4/2025), Prof. Athanassiou gave an invited talk entitled: “Sustainability in practice through edible insects: a new exciting area for entomological research”. The topic, which included the presentation of CIPROMED, was also focused on motivating new graduate students in curricula development on the topic of insect farming, and the job opportunities that appear in the area in the EU and in the USA.

• April 17^th – Visit to CGAHR, Manhattan, Kansas, USA

On the 17^th of April 2025, Prof. Christos Athanassiou had the opportunity to discuss with Dr. Brenda Oppert, a Researcher from the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Center for Grain and Animal Health Research (CGAHR), who serves as an advisor to CIPROMED. Prof. Athanassiou also presented the project to the researchers of the CGAHR and discussed additional opportunities for collaboration in the area of insect farming.

• April 22^nd – Insect Farming Initiative (IFI), Manhattan, Kansas, USA

On the 22^nd of April 2025, Prof. Christos Athanassiou organized a workshop at Kansas State University, in Manhattan, Kansas, USA, entitled: “The future of Insect Farming”. In this context, a new initiative was formed at KSU, under the name Insect Farming Initiative (IFI), with the aim of promoting research, extension, and outreach of insect farming in the USA. CIPROMED was one of the successful paradigms that can serve as drivers for the next steps of IFI. The event was recorded in Zoom for participants who could not attend in person, but there was strong participation from researchers and stakeholders from the Midwest, such as insect farming company owners, policymakers, investors, the pet food industry, etc. Apart from Prof. Christos Athanassiou, who presented the drivers for the future of insect farming, Prof. Christos Rumbos presented the legislation status of insect farming in the EU, and the potentials for harmonization with the USA, Canada, and elsewhere.