About
Towards a more complete EU network of regions with ambitions in food
Cooperating, ambitious Food regions can learn from each other, strengthen the EU Food research area and can increase the competitive advantage of the EU by building interregional projects on an EU level based on regional strengths.
Moving towards this increased European coverage by creating a European Food Cluster involves joining EU “hotspots” as regional food clusters, learning each other's strengths and weaknesses, defining regional strategies, investing in the strengths through integral use of national and regional funding (FP7/CIP/SF etc.) as a basis for establishing EU consortia founded on regional strengths in Food science – in fact using a European Food Cluster to build the ERA in Food.
Creating a European Food Cluster
The concept is to connect the new FP7 projects into the Food Innovation Network Europe (FINE) so creating a European Food Cluster. FINE is a network of regional food clusters embracing the vision of connecting such clusters (comprising interacting science, industry and government components) into a network.
The fit for the FP7 projects is not absolute as they have both individual regionally-based aims as well as scientific development aims: some already have the characteristics of a (regional) cluster whereas others are at present more individualistic.
