Dutch lead on competition and innovation in EU food production
A new project investigating how best to maximise food innovation within the EU and drive up competitiveness in line with the Lisbon objectives was launched on 1 January. The project is financed by the EU's Sixth Framework Programme's, 'Support for the coherent development of policies, Regions of knowledge 2'. The Food Innovation Network Europe (FINE) is a projected two-year study, taking in a number of stakeholders from food 'clusters' around Europe: East Netherlands (Food Valley), Scotland, Flanders (Belgium), Rogaland (Norway), Wielkopolska (Poland), Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Castilla León (Spain) and Oresund (Denmark and Sweden). The project will take into account the regional flavour of each area by bringing in single partners from each individual region to discuss with stakeholders what the region specialises in, as well as what the area is doing right and what it is doing wrong. The team will then make recommendations based on the findings. The project aims to contribute to the long term collaboration between food regions in Europe, stimulating rates of research and technological development (RTD) investment. The East Netherlands Development Agency created the pilot network in the Netherlands, involving the Wageningan University and research centre - a renowned centre of excellence for food - and 'Food Valley', the commercial centre for food innovation in Wageningen. Project Manager Linze Rijswijk explains, 'The impact of this research will be broader than the single partners suggest - we specialise in food profiles. We will make recommendations for economic policy, but try to find out whether the recommendations are deliverable at the local, country or EU levels. The idea is to take a look at each region and see what is working there.' 'The first year of the project will concentrate on the networking of partners, moving onto the broader EU-wide network in the second year, with recommendations to come out towards the end of the second year, in late 2007,' said Dr Rijswijk. An event to launch the project will take place in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on 2 and 3 February 2006.
Countries
Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, United Kingdom