Shaping the sustainable farming of the future – attractive to young people

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The AgriNext project is entering its final, intensive year. In Croatia, Spain and Slovenia, three vocational schools have established newly equipped facilities for agri-business incubators, where a wide range of activities are being planned to strengthen links between the economy – especially the agricultural sector – and education and research. To support ongoing cooperation and the exchange of data, information and knowledge in multifunctional farming, the AgriNext online platform will also be launched.

At the Biotechnical Centre Naklo, in the 2025/26 school year, we plan to upgrade the careers centre, set up a learning lab and establish an application centre. The AgriNext incubator will bring together students, teachers, work placement organisers, workplace mentors, farms, businesses and other organisations.

Careers Centre

We will create a support system for second-year students of lower vocational programmes. They will take part in practical workshops preparing them for the labour market, visit the Employment Service and various employers, and benefit from the input of international experts.

Learning Laboratory

Third-year students of technical-vocational programmes and second-year college students, along with teachers and agri-business partners (particularly employers hosting our students for work placements), will participate in the Learning Lab. Experts from different fields will run hands-on workshops on:

• Motivation for career development and entrepreneurship
• Creativity and innovation
• Designing and evaluating experiments
• Developing a business idea (CANVAS)
• Preparing and delivering a pitch

Aspiring young entrepreneurs will also be inspired by the stories of innovative farmers and agri start-ups at a dedicated event.

Employers
For employers, we will organise lectures featuring international speakers on:

• Financial literacy
• Multifunctional farming as an opportunity for additional farm income
• Modern technologies and artificial intelligence in multifunctional farming
• Innovations for sustainable agriculture

Teachers, counsellors and placement organisers

These groups will take part in blended training (both in-person and online), delivered in an interactive format via the AgriNext platform:

• Career guidance in multifunctional farming
• Training in modern teaching competences for multifunctional farming

The focus of the Learning Laboratory will be on strengthening and upgrading digital, technical, entrepreneurial and soft skills, with a learner-centred approach.

Applied Innovation Hub

The best business ideas will be developed into tangible prototypes in the Applied Innovation Hub of the AgriNext incubator. Students, working alongside mentors from companies or farms and their teachers, will bring their product or service concepts to life. These prototypes will be showcased at the final Marketplace event.

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Opening Ceremony

The AgriNext agri-business incubator will be officially opened at the Biotechnical Centre Naklo on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, at 12 noon.