Digital Agenda Funding

Project Status: Completed

Project Leader: Jose Manuel San Emeterio

EU Programme: Interreg Europe

Project Budget: €1,330,099

Start Date: Apr, 2016

Finish Date: Mar, 2020

Project Website: http://www.interregeurope.eu/niche/

The aim of the project is to:

Improve existing policies by increasing the adoption of research and innovation solutions by food sector companies in their regions to give response to the demand of this sector identified as a high-potential sector for their smart growth.

Specific objectives are to:

Pioneer an open innovation approach in the food sector bringing together all the relevant stakeholders under a quadruplehelix model i.e. research centres, universities, enterprises, policy makers, innovation agencies, final consumers, etc, at both regional and interregional level, to propose actions based on a mutual learning exercise that will improve the regional policies supporting the introduction of innovation into the regional food value changes.
Establish regional open innovation ecosystems to assure the perpetuation of a systemic support to the innovation applied to the food sector.
Exchange and learn from experiences among regions sharing similar challenges, opportunities and areas of smart specialization.

West Romania, Romania
WRDA(Lead Partner)
 Lead Partner with overall resp. for delivering the project and liaison with EU

Karla Hategan
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Crete, Greece
Region of Crete(Partner)
Implementing an action plan to enhance instruments supporting innovation in the food sector in Crete


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Derry & Strabane, United Kingdom
Derry City & Strabane District Council(Partner)
Implementing an action plan to enhance instruments supporting innovation in the food sector in Derry and Strabane


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Donegal, Ireland
Donegal County Council(Partner)
Implementing an action plan to enhance instruments supporting innovation in the food sector in Donegal


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Donegal, Ireland
ERNACT Network(Partner)
Provide project management support and facilitation to the project.


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Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland
Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship(Partner)
Implementing an action plan to enhance instruments supporting innovation in the food sector in Kujawsko-Pomorskie


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South Ostrobothnia, Finland

Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia (Partner)
Implementing an action plan to enhance instruments supporting innovation in the food sector in Soth Ostrobohnia

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Tartu County, Estonia

Tartu Science Park Foundation (Partner)
Implementing an action plan to enhance instruments supporting innovation in the food sector in Estonia

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Regional Food innovation baselines assessed and compared under a common methodology
Seven regional action plans developed to enhance policy instruments that support innovation as a key element to increase the competitiveness of the food sector

The ERNACT regions focus on adapting and transferring services, approaches or digital knowhow between regions. Please examine the following table to see a list of specific items transferred over the past few years

‘LegenDerry’ Food Brand and Foodie Destination

Derry & Strabane - Derry City & Strabane District Council

Derry City & Strabane District Council have developed a strategy to make Derry City known as a top destination for food and be known as ‘LegenDerry’ and as a ‘Foodie Town’. The strategy aims to increase tourism visitors to the city...

Derry City & Strabane District Council have developed a strategy to make Derry City known as a top destination...

A food innovation system based on Competence Centre (triple helix model) environment

Tartu County - Bio-Competence Centre of Healthy Dairy Products

BioCC (Bio-Competence Centre of Healthy Dairy Products) covers the full chain of product development & commercialisation process starting from academic research and finishing with an end product on the market.

BioCC (Bio-Competence Centre of Healthy Dairy Products) covers the full chain of product development &...

Agronutritional Cooperation of the Region of Crete

Crete - Region of Crete

The “Agrοnutritional Cooperation of the Region of Crete” is a specialised body, and constitutes the main vehicle for implementing the strategic plan for the development and upgrading of the food industry on the island. Apart from the main...

The “Agrοnutritional Cooperation of the Region of Crete” is a specialised body,...

ASAT: Association for the Support of Small-Scale Farming

West Romania - Asociţia Pentru Susţinerea Agriculturii Tăraneşti

ASAT runs a country-wide network of partnerships of traditional small-scale farmers and consumers from nearby cities. It offers small-scale farmers a foot in the market and is an alternative model of development for small traditional scale farms, a model by which...

ASAT runs a country-wide network of partnerships of traditional small-scale farmers and consumers from nearby cities....

BACULA Ltd ‘Functional Jam’

Tartu County - Bacula Ldt

The BACULA Ltd, a limited company, has been in business since 1989 and is based on domestic capital. The enterprise is located in Aakre, Valga County, Southern Estonia. The company manufacture’s jams, confitures, concentrated nectars, yoghurt and...

The BACULA Ltd, a limited company, has been in business since 1989 and is based on domestic capital. The...

Business Support Centre at North West Regional College

Derry & Strabane - NWRC Derry

The NWRC has specialist experience in food product development and has provided technical support to over 90 food and hospitality businesses (SMEs) in the past 3.5 years in improving existing products and developing new products. Example areas...

The NWRC has specialist experience in food product development and has provided technical support to over 90 food...

Chios Mastiha from Food to medicine / functional food (Chios Mastiha Growers Association)

Central Greece - Chios Mastiha Growers Association

In the early nineties, the management of the Chios Mastiha Growers Association (CMGA) proceeded to a series of findings that in turn led to the decision to CHANGE. These findings concerned the organisation and operation of the Association, the...

In the early nineties, the management of the Chios Mastiha Growers Association (CMGA) proceeded to a series of...

Cooperative Linkages Fund

Kujawsko-Pomorskie - Kujawsko-Pomorskie Agricultural Advisory Centre in Minikowo

Cooperative Linkages Fund (Cluster Cooperation) - is a project that allows interested entities to obtain grants for the creation and development of cooperative linkages, including clusters.

Cooperative Linkages Fund (Cluster Cooperation) - is a project that allows interested entities to obtain grants...

The food sector as a whole is faced with major challenges that arise from changes in the sector's economic and noneconomic environments. The availability of safe, sustainable and healthy food has taken a new and pressing dimension in the light of an evergrowing global population and increasing environmental and sustainability concerns.

Technology has already substantially reshaped the business models, value chains and efficiencies in this sector, but a new wave of driven innovation is needed to give response to this new demand.

A special feature of the food production sector in Europe is that the 99% of the enterprises, generating 50% of the turnover, are SMEs. These current challenges cannot be met by any individual enterprise but require concerted actions and coordination of initiatives.

Aware of the role that innovation may have in giving response to this demanding sector, the NICHE project wish to realize its potential by effectively promoting policies in 7 European regions where food has been identified as a key sector to apply existing research and innovation strengths.

By working together the NICHE partnership aims, by 2019 and through the improvement of existing policies, achieve an average 15 % increase in the adoption of research and innovation solutions by food sector companies in their regions to give response to the demand of this sector identified as highpotential

sector for their smart growth.

In doing so is key the creation of the right conditions to maximize all this existing potential in the way of establishing effective open innovation ecosystems, at both regional and interregional level, that will bring together all the relevant actors to facilitate technology and knowledge exchange that will be translated in new products and services.

The project will establish these ecosystems that will last beyond the NICHE's lifecycle and where involved stakeholders will benefit of a more effective and productive way of collaboration.