Food-scalEUp: expanding the European digital agri-food acceleration ecosystem

Project Information

Food-scalEUp

Grant agreement ID: 101072248

DOI

10.3030/101072248

Project closed

EC signature date 4 July 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 30 November 2024

Funded under

• European innovation ecosystems

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 993 786,44

Coordinated by

ASOCIACION CLUSTER ALIMENTARIO DE GALICIA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Food-scalEUp (Food-scalEUp: expanding the European digital agri-food acceleration ecosystem)

Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The agri-food sector is undergoing profound changes driven by digital and green transformation. Many regions struggle to provide support to start-ups growth, particularly in emerging and moderate innovator regions. Food-scalEUp addresses the pressing need to accelerate the growth of start-ups and innovative SMEs. The long-term vision is to foster the capacity of European regional agri-food digital innovation ecosystems, so that they become more connected, effective, impactful, resilient, and externally recognised. By contributing to build a robust ecosystem of accelerators, clusters and other innovation stakeholders that can provide tailored services and tools, the project facilitates the capacity to turn innovative solutions into viable, scalable businesses. By strengthening the business support ecosystem, the project contributes to increase the success of start-ups and scale-ups in the agri-food sector. This, in turn, contributes to job creation, economic growth, and the development of more resilient food systems. Moreover, the project contributes to reduce regional disparities in innovation capacity by providing tools and methodologies that can be adapted and implemented in various European contexts. Food-scalEUp is a collaborative project covering 11 regions with different levels of innovation, in Spain, France, Germany, Hungary, and The Netherlands

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The Food-scalEUp project successfully implemented a comprehensive set of activities to strengthen Europe's agri-food digital innovation ecosystems. The activities addressed key barriers faced by food start-ups and scale-ups, particularly in accessing tailored acceleration services.

The project began by mapping regional acceleration ecosystems across 11 participating regions. This exercise provided critical insights into the availability, gaps, and potential for improvement in business support services. Based on these insights, Food-scalEUp co-created new and enhanced acceleration services, focusing on key areas such as coaching, mentoring, and access to financing.

Knowledge exchange and stakeholder involvement was a core pillar of the project activities. Food-scalEUp established peer learning groups and a virtual platform to facilitate ongoing collaboration between key stakeholders, including accelerators, start-ups, policymakers, and industry partners.

The project’s pilot regions tested these newly developed services, refining them based on local needs. The final outputs include tailored business acceleration portfolios, strategic recommendations for service providers, and actionable policy insights for fostering resilient and sustainable innovation ecosystems.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Food-scalEUp implemented a comprehensive set of activities to strengthen Europe’s agri-food digital innovation ecosystems, focusing on both emerging and strong innovator regions. The project centered on the following key areas: understanding regional ecosystems, enhancing acceleration services, fostering connectedness and knowledge exchange, developing recommendations to improve business acceleration support.

A core achievement was the mapping of acceleration ecosystems, which provided an in-depth analysis of the services, gaps, actors, and interactions within 11 European regions. The methodology used is adaptable and helps regions identify gaps in their acceleration support systems, improving the scalability of food-sector innovations.

The project established knowledge exchange peer groups that brought together stakeholders such as accelerators, start-ups, policymakers, and industry partners. These groups also helped the co-creation approach used to design and pilot tailored acceleration services in five regions.

Food-scalEUp delivered customised business acceleration services, introducing new or improved services such as mentoring and coaching, pitching and investor engagement, and deep-tech integration. The services portfolio is adaptable and replicable across different regions.

A Virtual Forum, hosted on FoodLeap, was developed, consituting a digital platform for continuous stakeholder collaboration, supporting long-term connectedness and impact.

The project also provided strategic recommendations for business acceleration providers and policy recommendations to address regulatory challenges, support sustainable acceleration services, and promote public-private partnerships. These outputs aim to improve the overall innovation capacity of the European agri-food sector by fostering a more connected and resilient ecosystem.

The robust and collaborative approach and the link to different regional accelerators and Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnerships (S3Ps), particularly SS4AF, ensure that the results remain relevant, adaptable, and facilitate further uptake in other regions.

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