So, what is the initiative?
The European FOOD CLUSTER Initiative is a scheme designed to establish European clusters of coordination in order to enhance regional research capacity building and regional economic development with significant impact at local level.
What do the 31 regions cooperating in the FOOD CLUSTER initiative have in common?
They all work on food production and food research, helping companies with research and development. This network of 12 projects from FP6, FP7 and Interreg all have a basis strengthening regional research capacity and developing regional policies to transfer knowledge to companies.
Why do regions cooperate in the field of food research?
Why do these 31 regions cooperate? Linze Rijswijk from Food Valley explains: “The European Union does not have a central research strategy like the US or China. Europe has to cooperate to compete globally”. He continues: “Although food production and research is often fragmented across Europe, we have a lot of common problems. Is it not strange that we spend so much money on research to cure food related diseases like obesity and diabetes, when we do not invest in innovation to develop healthy food to prevent such diseases?” Unlike the pharmaceutical sector the food sector invests very little in research: only a quarter percent of output is invested in R&D.
The companies, research institutes and regional governments cooperating in the Foodcluster want to invest in healthier, safe, more sustainable and tastier food products. Building on the diversity that European regions bring. Different European regions have varying capabilities and specialisations to develop knowledge and technology. Therefore they cooperate. The Food Cluster Initiative is a learning platform for regional policies and innovationinstruments, but also a platform to develop new interregional research and developmentprojects.
Regions represented in the clusters are drawn not only from Member States such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria France, Germany, Denmark,Spain, UK, Greece and Italy, but from associated countries such as Turkey, Serbia, andFYROM as well.
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