What is the project changing?
SB FOOD INNO is supporting SME’s in their development in food innovation towards a production towards more healthy and environmentally friendly food.
What was the challenge?
The food sector is changing towards more climate-friendly food production and healthier food products. Many SME’s are however facing low capacities in food innovation. A change towards more healthy and environmentally friendly food in SME’s is necessary.
What is the project creating?
SB FOOD INNO supports SME’s to:
- strengthen SME’s in the food sector engaged in alternative crops and health-promoting and environmentally friendly plant protein sources;
- access the public food sector (often inaccessible due to public procurements), focused on hospitals and municipalities;
- create links between the SME’s and knowledge institutions;
- an innovation toolbox to create own innovations for food SME’s.
Project Website
Find the SB FOOD INNO Project Website here.
Find the SB FOOD INNO Project LinkedIn group here.
Full project description
This project’s main objective is to strengthen innovation capacity in food SMEs by exploiting the potentials in network and innovation activities in triple helix cooperation between food SMEs, public sector and knowledge institutions. Through triple helix cooperations, the project builds a knowledge-bridge between SMEs, knowledge institutions and students, and public sector across the SBR supporting and facilitating growth and development in the food industry in SBR. No one can do it alone. Innovation interactions and activities will be implemented to convert future challenges into growth potentials in food SMEs within e.g. sustainability, health and vegetable proteins but also of an aging population, population growth and migration. Project partners from knowledge institutions have extensive experience working together with food SMEs strengthening growth. The partnership expects to change innovation capacity significantly in food SMEs by making development resources available for food SMEs of which many today lack innovation collaborations. The first main output of the project will be at least 25 innovation activities in food SMEs based on resources generated in interaction between food SMEs and knowledge institutions where students contribute to innovation. The triple helix cooperation provides 16 targeted cross-border conferences, network meetings, innovation camps and an expert panel (Food Innovation Council) connecting food SMEs to resources in knowledge institutions. Students’ involvement will stimulate innovation within e.g. market demands and research, new products and processes and new market potentials in the SBR. The second main output of the project will be an innovation toolbox for SBR food SMEs developed from conceptualization of best practice, workshops interacting with food SMEs and expert reports on food innovation. All together the project implements several innovative activities of great importance for the projects’ main target group: Food SMEs.
