Aurora

Aurora is a project aimed at strengthening cluster management excellence, facilitate exchanges and strategic partnering between clusters and specialised eco-system actors and cities across Europe. Aurora will drive and catalyse digital and green transformation towards safe, resilient, healthy and environmentally friendly food systems. The project has a special focus on food quality, food safety and food authenticity and the application of novel, deep and Industry 4.0 technologies.

Activities and objectives

Within Aurora, several activities take place to facilitate cluster management strengthening as well as international interaction between ecosystem actors working on Aurora’s thematic areas.

 

One of the objectives of the Aurora project is the implementation of a portfolio of new services for clusters to offer to their members and partners that contribute to the improvement of the Food Quality, Security and Authenticity of European agrifood ecosystems. Moreover, the consortium will implement the European Commission’s ClusterXchange (CXC) scheme, which financially supports organisations with short-term international exchanges. Aurora-partners also work on strengthening their organisational skills to better serve their ecosystem. This should then result in obtaining a quality label by EUCLES (European Cluster Excellence Labelling Structure).

The Aurora project is part of the COSME programme (COmpetitiveness for Small and Medium Enterprises), a programme set up by the European Union between 2014 and 2020 to promote entrepreneurship and improve the environment for SMEs. This project is part of the « ClusterXchange scheme connecting ecosystems and cities » call.

The consortium

Besides Foodvalley NL, four European Partners participate in Aurora:

  • Valorial (FR): Innovation cluster and network devoted to agri-food innovation in Northwest of France
  • Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation (FR): Innovation Hub for the agri-food sector in the Southwest of France
  • Unimos Alliance – coordinator of AgroBioCluster (PL): specialised in agri-food, packaging, and ICT solutions, including photonics and sensors
  • OnTech Innovation (ES): Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) specialised in ICT, biotechnology, and e-health

Duration of the project: 02.02.2022 – 02.02.2024

 This project has received funding from the European Union’s COSME - Clusters Go International under grant agreement No 101037938

Get in contact

Thomas van der Lee
Relations Liaison
+31 6 134 809 02

BioeconomyVentures

Foodvalley NL is Ambassador of the BioeconomyVentures project, together with 19 other organisations. The project aims to build the reference platform for bioeconomy-based startups and spin-offs seeking to gain access to finance, becoming the main meeting point in the European bioeconomy. Bioeconomy entrepreneurs are essential in the transition to a sustainable food system, for example by finding new ways to recover ingredients from waste streams.

The project has three objectives. A first goal of the project is to develop the European bioeconomy entrepreneurship ecosystem. Second, an assessment methodology will be made to qualify and quantify the needs of startups and spin-offs in the bioeconomy. Third, a platform will be developed that serves as a meeting point for relevant stakeholders in the bioeconomy.

As Ambassador of the project, Foodvalley organises two Expand & Explore Workshops. These are workshops where a number of startups from Foodvalley’s ecosystem are given the opportunity to pitch their innovation in front of investors. One workshop takes place in late 2022, the other one in the first half of 2023. Moreover, Foodvalley promotes calls raised by corporate partners of the BioeconomyVentures project to relevant entities in our ecosystem. In this way, corporates with specific needs have the opportunity to get in contact with entrepreneurs with innovative solutions in the bioeconomy.

For more information about the project, please visit bioeconomyventures.eu

BioeconomyVentures has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 101023260.

 

Get in contact

Thomas van der Lee
Relations Liaison
+31 6 134 809 02

Happy Feet on Healthy Food starts pilot during the 4Days Marches of Nijmegen 2022

Today the Nijmegen Marches 2022 officially started. Booster 2021 winner “Happy Feet on Healthy Food” will use this event to do a pilot with several participants.

In 2021 Foodvalley NL developed a Booster Award, powered by Food Innovation Hub Europe, to accelerate the food transition. Three initiatives were rewarded last October. One of the winning initiatives, “Happy Feet on Healthy Food”, aims to support participants of walking events in their nutritional choices. Recovery is of great importance after exercise, especially with the extreme temperatures during the marches this year. During the 4Days Marches of Nijmegen 2022, “Happy Feet on Healthy Food” offers a recovery smoothie to research and support healthy food choices.

The project is a multi-partner initiative of Radboudumc, 4Day Marches organisation, Albron catering & horeca and the IML Walking Association. The Booster Award 2021 acted as an incentive to find multi-partner initiatives that support the reduction and prevention of obesity employing personalised nutrition tools. The winning initiatives received: 30,000 euros each as development budget, 1 year of monitoring, visibility, and access to a large international food network.

About the Happy Feet on Healthy Food Pilot

During the 4Day Marches, walkers can choose two types of recovery smoothie and will fill out a questionnaire about the smoothie. This questionnaire will collect data about their food choices, the recovery smoothie and some personal information. With the Booster 2021 award, the recovery smoothie was developed and information about the participants will be collected. With this information, the project will gain insights in the food choices of the participants and stimulate even more participants to make the healthy choice in the future.

Edition 2022: Personalised Nutrition for All Challenge

The 2022 edition is called “Personalised nutrition for all”. Again, it is a call to action to find innovative solutions to reduce obesity and malnutrition in Europe. This year, six winners will be awarded €30,000 to further develop their solution, opening the possibility for further funding by EIT Food and go to market support. Multi-stakeholder groups are invited to submit their Personalised Nutrition ideas. Winners will be announced on 16/17 October, just after World Food Day.

Global FOODture

Global FOODture supports the sustainable transition of the food system through stimulating global collaboration and innovation. The project develops and implements a joint internationalisation strategy that facilitates international collaboration in countries outside Europe for European SMEs. With this approach, Global FOODture will help strengthen participants’ capabilities to adapt to food sustainability challenges. Download Onepager

 

Target countries

For this project the target region is Asia, particularly the four key markets of Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. Asia contains a large proportion of the world’s population, with a potentially high environmental impact. It also has a rapidly developing middle class with the purchasing power to buy sustainable products and services and an increased awareness of environmental issues. In more recent years, Asia has become the largest driver for growth, as an innovation, and an entrepreneurship engine.

 

SMEs activities: Masterclasses, Matchmaking and International missions

Starting in September 2022, 12 online thematic masterclasses will take place with topics in the following 5 categories:

  • Agriculture cultivation support solutions
  • Alternative proteins
  • Health products, functional and personalised food
  • Sustainable packaging
  • Reducing Food waste

In addition, online matchmaking events and International training programs with each of the 4 Asian countries will be organised throughout the year. Eventually, 30 SMEs participate in a mission to two of the target markets: Thailand and Singapore. During these missions, the SMEs will have the opportunity for individual, face-to-face meetings as well as site visits to enable a full exchange of information and to cement a business relationship.

Please visit the Global Foodture website to stay tuned about the activities and register!

The consortium

This project was initiated by 7 European Cluster organisations: Foodvalley, Food & Bio Cluster Denmark, FOOD+I, Vitagora, Flanders’FOOD, ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster Murska Sobota and Packaging Cluster, from 5 different countries. In addition, the consortium collaborates closely with international partners in the target countries.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s COSME – Clusters Go International under grant agreement No 101035890.

Get in contact

Tjerna Ellenbroek
Project Manager
+31 6 134 839 54

Upcoming Global FOODture activities - calendar

Thank you for your Booster submission

Our colleagues will contact you soon.

With kind regards,
Foodvalley NL

Questions? Contact us

Jeroen Wouters
Global connections
+31 6 120 729 97

Tjerna Ellenbroek
Relations Liaison
+31 6 134 839 54

tjerna-ellenbroek

Prevent and reduce obesity through personalized nutrition by multi-stakeholder initiatives

Food Innovation Hub Europe is always looking for new initiatives in the field of personalised nutrition that aim to reduce obesity (within Europe and beyond).  Three initiatives received the Booster Award in 2021. They received: 30,000 euros development budget, 1 year of monitoring, visibility of the initiative and access to a large international food network. The award is intended to encourage these initiatives that support the reduction and prevention of obesity through the use of personalised nutrition tools. The 2021 winners are;

  • Happy Feet on Healthy Food
    This initiative aims to support people participating in walking events in their nutritional choices. The 4Days Marches of Nijmegen 2022 will be used as a pilot, where a group of walkers will be monitored on their food choices, in personalized nutrition markers and supported to make alternative and healthy choices. It is a multipartner initiative of Radboudumc, Four Day marches organization, Albron and the International Walking Association.
  • J.A.App (Juvenile Antiobesity App)
    Advice through an app on your phone. It is possible with J.A.App, the Juvenile Anti-obesity App. Young people who are struggling with obesity get nutritional advice through this app. So no more physical visits to a dietician, just get started via your phone. It is an initiative of the Antwerp University Hospital, University of Antwerp – Childhood Obesity Centre, FoodNed Holding bv, Jeroen Bosch Hospital – Centre of Expertise for Children with Obesity, Maastricht University and Brightlands Campus Greenport Venlo.
  • Ready to (h)eat meals tailored to gut, genes and guidelines
    An initiative that will create a one-stop shop to order your personalized meals in line with your personal nutrition recommendations based on your microbiome, DNA and personal preferences and needs. In addition, it will engage people in an entertaining and educational experience. It is a multipartner initiative of Verdify, Eatch, Omnigen, MyMicroZoo and University of Antwerp.

They convinced the jury of their impact, feasibility and collaborative partnership. The Booster is developed by Foodvalley NL and powered by Food Innovation Hub Europe.

A new edition has been launched in May 2022. Please find more information and how to submit here .

More information about the initiatives

Powered by Food Innovation Hub Europe

We can only change a food system together. Local, regional, national and global parties have to join and work transparently and energetically to accelerate the transition to an efficient, inclusive, sustainable, nutritious and healthy food system. To promote this collaboration, the World Economic Forum initiated together with public, private and civil society sector partners Food Innovation Hubs worldwide. Foodvalley NL is a leading partner towards the development of the Food Innovation Hub Europe to initiate collaboration and co-create innovation projects to address continent-specific challenges and connects regional hubs in the various member countries to address common and region-specific issues. This Booster is powered by Food Innovation Hub Europe.

Questions? Contact us

Jeroen Wouters
Global connections
+31 6 120 729 97

Tjerna Ellenbroek
Relations Liaison
+31 6 134 839 54

tjerna-ellenbroek

Food Innovation Hub Europe

We can only change a food system together. Local, regional, national and global parties have to join and work transparently and energetically to accelerate the transition to an efficient, inclusive, sustainable, nutritious and healthy food system.

To promote this collaboration, the World Economic Forum initiated together with public, private and civil society sector partners Food Innovation Hubs worldwide. Foodvalley NL is a leading partner towards the development of the Food Innovation Hub Europe to initiate collaboration and co-create innovation projects to address continent-specific challenges and connects regional hubs in the various member countries to address common and region-specific issues.

Get involved

Do you want to get involved in Food Innovation Hub Europe as a partner, e.g. as a European cluster or organization? Or do you have ideas for new innovation projects? Send an e-mail and reach out to us.

Food Innovation Hub Europe Initiatives

Initiative to reduce obesity and malnutrition with personalised nutrition

Obesity and malnutrition are complex challenges, but by accelerating innovation in personalised nutrition, we can help to create a healthier and more equitable food system. EIT Food, Foodvalley NL and Food Innovation Hub Europe organised a challenge: Personalised Nutrition for All!  The challenge is a call to action to find innovative solutions to reduce obesity and malnutrition in Europe. Six winners were awarded €30,000 to further develop their solution, opening the possibility for further funding by EIT Food to develop their project and go to market. These multi-stakeholder groups, startups and early-stage solutions are the 2022 award winners.

More information 

 

Prevent and Reduce Obesity through Personalised Nutrition by Multi-stakeholder Initiatives

Food Innovation Hub Europe is always looking for new initiatives in the field of personalised nutrition that aim to reduce obesity (within Europe and beyond).

Three initiatives received the Booster Award in 2021. They received: 30,000 euros development budget, 1 year of monitoring, visibility of the initiative and access to a large international food network. The award is intended to encourage these initiatives that support the reduction and prevention of obesity through the use of personalised nutrition tools. The 2021 winners are;

  • Happy Feet on Healthy Food
  • J.A.App (Juvenile Antiobesity App)
  • Ready to (h)eat meals tailored to gut, genes and guidelines

Learn more about the 2021 award winners

Facilitating and Supporting Learning on Entrepreneurship in the Food and Bioeconomy Value Chain

P2P FINBIO is a pan-European project. The 5 participating  partners share their current support services and methods offered to SMEs and exchange good practices in order to generate insights and develop a common Design Options Paper. The project started September 2021 and will end September 2022. Participating clusters are Food and Bio Cluster Denmark (FBCD), Denmark; Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía (CTA), Spain; Association Industries et Agro-Ressources (IAR), France; Technology and Innovation Campus (BLC3), Portugal and Foodvalley NL, The Netherlands.

Learn more about P2P FINBIO

Boosting the sustainable transition of the food system worldwide through collaboration and innovation

Global FOODture is a project designed to boost the sustainable transition of the food system worldwide through collaboration and innovation. It developes and implements a joint internationalisation strategy that facilitates access to countries outside Europe for European SMEs. With this approach Global FOODture will help strengthen participants’ capabilities to adapt to food sustainability challenges. Learn more about Global FOODture

Regenerative Agriculture Innovation Fund

Regenerative agriculture offers one of the greatest opportunities to help Europe address human and climate health, along with the financial well-being of farmers. Reports from leading science, knowledge institutions and business networks, state the fundamental importance of transitioning to more regenerative agriculture methods if Europe is to meet its climate change targets, food security needs, protect arable lands and environmental landscapes and build a healthier food system. Various companies have made commitments to source materials and ingredients from regenerative agriculture, while organizations across the world are looking to reduce the Scope 3 emissions of their supply chain operations. Transitioning to regenerative agriculture offers:

  • Restoring the natural rhythm of our ecosystems
  • Reviving landscapes
  • Curbing GHG emissions for generations to come.

With such an impact in mind EIT Food, Foodvalley NL, Food Innovation Hub Europe and Imagine Food Collective are setting up the Regenerative Agricultural Innovation Impact Fund Europe. The Impact Fund will invest in a portfolio of innovations, initially between 2022-2025, to accelerate and enable transitioning to regenerative agricultural production, sourcing and procurement of food towards 2030 targets.

For further information please feel free to reach out to Jolijn Zwart – van Kessel or Jeroen Wouters.

Action Team

The growing Action Team, is responsible for the development and execution of the partnership and programs of the Food Innovation Hub in Europe. The Action Team will act as a focal point secretariat, implementing and developing activities with European clusters and function as multi-stakeholder platform.

Left to right:

Not present on the photo:

 World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum (WEF), committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. The Global Coordination Secretariat supporting the Food Innovation Hubs in collaboration is based in Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Sean de Cleene, Member of the Executive Committee at the WEF: “We believe that Foodvalley NL is exactly the right partner to establish such a leading Hub in Europe. They have developed a strong ecosystem of business, knowledge institutes, governments and NGOs, with the specific goal of scaling innovations together with other innovation clusters in and beyond Europe.”

Are you interested to read more about the Food Innovation Hubs worldwide? Please visit the website  for more information.

Founding partners

Wageningen University and Research, Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality, Unilever, DSM, Rabobank, Topsector Agri-Food and Foodvalley NL are initial partners supporting the development of the activities to establish the Food Innovation Hub in Europe.

The Netherlands proud host of Global Coordination Secretariat for worldwide network of Food Innovation Hubs

“The Netherlands is committed to forming partnerships that will catalyze the innovations needed to address the challenges facing the food system.” This is how the Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte announced the launch of the Global Coordination Secretariat initiated by the World Economic Forum, at the Davos annual meeting this week. The secretariat brings together the work of a worldwide network of Food Innovation Hubs. Foodvalley NL is the leading European innovation hub in this network.

Innovation is critical to bringing about a fundamental shift in the way our food is produced and consumed. With the ever-growing world population, inefficient use of raw materials and farmland and shortages of water and farmland, the current speed of climate change and the combined pressure of obesity, hunger and malnutrition, we urgently need breakthrough solutions for structural system change, for our future and the generations to come.

Key multi-stakeholder platform

To support this, the World Economic Forum, the Dutch government and several public and private-sector partners have launched a network of Food Innovation Hubs. This forward-looking, multi-stakeholder platform will leverage technology and innovation to enable local ecosystems to transform existing food systems. The network was launched with multi-year funding from the government of the Netherlands for a Global Coordinating Secretariat based in the Netherlands.

The global network of Food Innovation Hubs is a flagship initiative of the Food Action Alliance, and is key to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit; it will become a multi-year cooperation. The role of the Global Secretariat will be to coordinate the efforts of the regional hubs and ensure they align with global processes and initiatives.

Perfect match

Marjolein Brasz, Managing Director of Foodvalley NL: “There is a perfect match between the ambition of the Food Innovation Hubs network and our own commitment to the development of sustainable food systems. We will achieve this through commercialization of innovations and by providing solutions to current and future system challenges. Being seen as the leading European Food Innovation Hub is wonderful recognition of the work we have done over the past fifteen years, and it enables us to accelerate our processes and amplify our impact. I am also delighted to see the Dutch government taking a leading role by offering to host the Global Coordination Secretariat. This new body will help the individual food hubs to share, contribute, and work together in the best way possible.”

Jeroen Wouters, Global Ecosystem Development at Foodvalley NL, will be responsible for setting up the operational structure for the European Food Innovation Hub. “Connecting relevant technologies to the innovation needs and opportunities of the global Food Innovation Hubs will be crucial for success,” he stresses.

Step-by-step approach

Foodvalley NL will follow a step-by-step approach in which 1) innovation needs and opportunities will be defined and selected, 2) relevant solutions and actors will be scouted and connected, and 3) projects will be initiated to address the challenges. Potential partners include corporates, research organizations, governments, startups, scaleups and facilitators such as NGOs and innovation clusters. “Each actor is of importance and has its own role in the transition of the food system,” says Wouters. “It is vital to approach each partnership with an open-mind. Focus will be on the innovation themes: Protein Shift, Food & Health and Circular Agrifood. Only together can we make the connections to uptake innovation and  boost change. We welcome partners to get involved.”

Leadership role

“Tuesday January 26, the Netherlands’ Premier Mark Rutte announced the launch of the Global Coordinating Secretariat. Wouters continues: “We will embrace our leadership role and enhance coordination between partners of the Food Innovation Hub Europe and Food Innovation Hubs elsewhere in the world. This is a truly collaborative effort; it was great to have support for the initiative by Foodvalley members Mengniu Dairy, DSM and Unilever this week at the online WEF Davos panel session on transformation of food systems.”

The strategic partnership of the WEF Food Innovation Hub Europe and the Global Coordinating Secretariat has been established by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy; the Dutch Province of Gelderland; Oost NL – East Netherlands Development Agency; Unilever; Royal DSM; Rabobank; Topsector Agri & Food; Wageningen University & Research; and Foodvalley NL.

Country-led approaches

More than 20 organizations are already working together as Food Innovation Hubs in Colombia, India, Europe, South-East Asia and several countries in Africa. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided multi-year support for the development of a Food Innovation Hub in India and several public and private sector partners have committed in-kind resources to support the development of hubs in various regions.

With country/region-led approaches, the hubs will drive both high-end and low-cost grassroots innovations that could have a scalable impact, as well as innovations involving supply chains, partnerships and business models that will enable systemic change. In November 2020, Foodvalley NL, the World Economic Forum and associated partners announced their partnership in the Food Innovation Hubs.

Jeroen Wouters, Global Ecosystem Development at Foodvalley NL: “It is at the cutting-edge of different disciplines that the best innovations emerge”

Jeroen Wouters, responsible for Global Ecosystem Development at Foodvalley NL, brings people and organizations, around the world, together via mutual innovation goals and aspirations.

What makes innovation in Global Ecosystem Development crucial in the transition to a sustainable food system?

“From an increase in lifestyle diseases to the need for sustainable food production, many of today’s challenges are of international scope. Obesity, for example, is not only on the rise in Europe, the USA and the Middle East, but also – due to urbanization and changing food consumption patterns – in emerging countries, for example in Asia and Latin America. So issues are global, as are the solutions; making that connection helps us to innovate faster and be positively disruptive. For instance, solutions developed in the Netherlands can be of added value elsewhere in the world, and vice-versa; it is crucial to build relationships that strengthen these interactions. The Netherlands is globally-well known for its ability to create successful public-private partnerships that bring together industry, science and government in pursuit of solving complex challenges. In countries like the USA, Japan or Singapore strong expertise exists in digital technology, for example for the assessment of nutritional intake and enhancement of healthy behavior – critical to the development of personalized products and services. Making a bridge between these, and other, expertise-regions is of great personal interest to me.”

“I am convinced that sharing knowledge, ideas and solutions, with people from different countries and with different backgrounds and perspectives, is key to solving complex issues. The challenge, and the joy, for me, working on Global Ecosystem Development, is to connect people and organizations that truly complement each other. Valorizing science has always been a big driver for me. At Foodvalley NL and as Program Manager Sports & Nutrition at the Dutch Olympic Sports Centre Papendal international consortia have been set up. At Papendal I set up and manage the Eat2Move center of excellence (www.eat2move.nl), which promotes performance and recovery in (elite) sport and patient care by means of optimal nutrition; linking science to product development.”

Why is Foodvalley NL involved in the transition?

“Since our foundation, in 2004, we have taken an international approach, based on the conviction that this is the best way to make real impact. In the past 16 years we have developed close connections with agrifood entrepreneurs and scientists in innovation hotspots around the world. This puts us in the unique position to initiate collaborations that are valuable to the individual partners as well as to the whole Foodvalley ecosystem. Illustrative are the partnerships we started with Enterprise Singapore and New Zealand FoodHQ. Our strong international partnerships also put us in the right position to become a strategic partner of the World Economic Forum on Food Transitions. We are very proud that Foodvalley and the World Economic Forum have recently joined forces and that Foodvalley will be leading the EU food innovation hub. This is part of a worldwide network of food innovation hubs in Africa, Latin America and Asia, where we work jointly on systemic change in the food system. It is together that we achieve the most.”

How do you see Foodvalley NL contributing to this transition?

“In the coming years we will focus on three key activities. First; targeted scouting of ideas, talent, innovation clusters, innovative multinationals, start-ups and investors that would be great additions to the Foodvalley ecosystem: the collective of organizations that work on the food system transition. We identify these with the help of advanced online search tools and through research by innovation analysts.”

“Second; accelerate innovation through international cooperation. We invite international partners to join us in the programmes, Food & Health, Protein Shift and Circular Agrifood. We initiate projects and consortia with international frontrunners on the three innovation programs. Where possible we relate these to government international funding schemes like EU Green Deal, S3Food, FoodSwitchNL, EIT Food.”

Third; continue to expand globally, providing start-ups and SMEs opportunities for growth via, amongst others, EU-programs, in order to scale up more quickly.”

Could you share some project examples to give a flavor of your work?

”I am looking forward to setting up the operational structure for the WEF Food Innovation Hub, in collaboration with partners and in the other hubs. In line with this, an EU-project proposal is being generated, together with European food clusters, on joint internationalization and innovation support for SMEs to countries outside Europe. This will assist European SMEs to globally expand in the themes of food sustainability and personalized nutrition into Singapore and Japan, amongst other countries. Fantastic topics and a world of opportunity!”

Who do you want to attract into the ecosystem?

“We are open to collaborating with innovation clusters working on structural system change in Food & Health, Protein Shift and Circular Agrifood. Also individual companies, from multinationals to SMEs, and other organizations that can contribute to our 2050 vision are welcome. Shaping the future of food together, that’s what it’s all about.”

Want to know more?

Please contact Jeroen Wouters, jeroen.wouters@foodvalley.nl

Foodvalley NL joins as the leading European Hub in the network of Food Innovation Hubs supported by World Economic Forum and partners

Transforming food systems requires a fundamental change in the way our food is produced and the way food is consumed. Technology innovations present a significant opportunity to enable and accelerate this transformation agenda so we can meet the aspirational goals for food systems to be sustainable, inclusive, efficient, nutritious and healthy. Connecting multiple various ecosystem players – business, government and NGOs – will be essential to scale innovation programs across the value chain on an international level.

This is the shared vision behind a multi-year partnership between Foodvalley NL and the Food Innovation Hubs: a multi-stakeholder partnership platform catalyzed and supported by the World Economic Forum and several global and regional partners. Foodvalley NL will be the leading European Hub in a new, worldwide network of Food Innovation Hubs that are being catalyzed and supported in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The collaboration will be officially announced on Monday November 23, in a pre-event in support of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit.

One of the most powerful contributions of the Food Innovation Hubs initiative, catalyzed by WEF and partners, will be to link those who need technology and innovations, those who are developing it, and those who might finance and scale it, across traditional boundaries. The goal is to bring solutions that can address systemic challenges. This would be achieved through:

  • Connecting innovators across geographies;
  • Forging partnership between local innovators and food system practitioners;
  • Attracting investments for local innovation;
  • Supporting policy making to enable impact-oriented innovation;
  • Opening trust-based dialogue around responsible technology;
  • Providing an ecosystem for continued innovation for transformation at scale.

Sean de Cleene: accelerating innovation

Sean de Cleene, Member of the Executive Committee at the WEF: “A worldwide network of food innovation hubs is key to accelerating the innovation needed for the transition towards efficient, inclusive, sustainable, nutritious and healthy food systems. We believe that Foodvalley NL is exactly the right partner to establish such a leading Hub in Europe. They have developed a strong ecosystem of business, knowledge institutes, governments and NGOs, with the specific goal of scaling innovations together with other innovation clusters in and beyond Europe.”

Edith Schippers: generating more impact

Edith Schippers, Chairman of the Board at Foodvalley NL: “We see a perfect match between the ambition of Food Innovation Hubs and our own commitment to the development of sustainable food systems through commercialization of innovations, and to providing solutions to current and future systemic challenges. Establishing a leading European innovation hub is wonderful recognition of the work we have done in the past fifteen years and enables us to accelerate and to enlarge our impact.”

Carola Schouten: engaging in dialogue

Carola Schouten, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the Netherlands: “The Netherlands has always been a frontrunner in food and nutrition. We are ranked second in the global export of agrifood products, our academia and research institutes are world leading, and several food multinationals have located their headquarters and R&D centers here. We want to share our knowledge and expertise and learn from others in solving today’s global issues, engage in dialogue with stakeholders from all over the world and discover new opportunities for co-creation.”
Watch Carola Schouten’s video message.

Attending the pre-event

The strategic partnership will be officially announced at Bold Actions for Food as a Force for Good: a pre-event in support of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. The pre-event will take place at Monday November 23, 2020, 1915-2045pm CET. The event is organized by 13 international organizations, including the World Economic Forum; Unilever; Wageningen University & Research; Rabobank; Royal DSM; the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.

Organizations supporting the strategic partnership

This strategic partnership has been established in close collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy; the Dutch Province of Gelderland; Oost NL – East Netherlands Development Agency; Unilever, Royal DSM; Rabobank; Topsector Agri & Food; and Wageningen University & Research. Actors such as research institutes, companies – from startup to multinational –and supporting agencies that are committed to creating a sustainable food system are welcome to join the initiative.

 

Foodvalley

Shaping the future of food together. Since 2004, Foodvalley NL has been building and strengthening the Foodvalley ecosystem, an international network of organizations that have together initiated the transition to a sustainable food system. Foodvalley NL, based in the Netherlands, is the independent organization that guides stakeholders through the transition, establishing direction, process, content and speed. It works closely with governments – international, national and regional – and renowned educational and research institutions.

The World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Foodvalley NL: leidende Europese Hub in Food Innovation Hubs-netwerk ondersteund door World Economic Forum en partners

De transformatie van voedselsystemen vereist een fundamentele verandering in hoe ons voedsel wordt geproduceerd en geconsumeerd. Technologische innovatie biedt een belangrijke kans om deze transformatieagenda mogelijk te maken en te versnellen, zodat we de ambitieuze doelstellingen om te komen tot duurzame, inclusieve, efficiënte, voedzame en gezond voedselsystemen behalen. Het verbinden van verschillende spelers in het ecosysteem – het bedrijfsleven, de overheid en maatschappelijke organisaties – is essentieel voor de internationale opschaling van innovatieprogramma’s door de hele waardeketen.

Dit is de gedeelde visie achter een meerjarige samenwerking tussen Foodvalley NL en de Food Innovation Hubs: een multistakeholder-platform gekatalyseerd en ondersteund door het World Economic Forum en verschillende mondiale en regionale partners. Foodvalley NL wordt de leidende Europese Hub in een nieuw, wereldwijd netwerk van Food Innovation Hubs dat wordt gekatalyseerd en ondersteund in Afrika, Latijns-Amerika en Azië. De samenwerking wordt maandag 23 november officieel aangekondigd, in een pre-event in aanloop naar de VN-top over voedselsystemen in 2021.

Het Food Innovation Hubs-initiatief verbindt degenen die technologie en innovaties nodig hebben met degenen die het ontwikkelen en degenen die het kunnen financieren en opschalen, over traditionele grenzen heen. Het doel is om oplossingen te bieden waarmee systeemproblemen aangepakt kunnen worden, via:

  • het verbinden van innovators over verschillende geografische gebieden;
  • samenwerking tussen lokale innovators en andere partijen betrokken in voedselsystemen;
  • het aantrekken van investeringen voor lokale innovatie;
  • ondersteuning van beleidsvorming om impactvolle innovatie mogelijk te maken;
  • het starten van een op vertrouwen gebaseerde dialoog over verantwoorde technologie;
  • het bieden van een ecosysteem voor doorlopende innovatie, voor transformatie op schaal.

Sean de Cleene: innovatie versnellen

Sean de Cleene, lid van het uitvoerend comité van het WEF: “Een wereldwijd netwerk van voedselinnovatie hubs is de sleutel tot het versnellen van de innovatie die nodig is voor de transitie naar efficiënte, inclusieve, duurzame, voedzame en gezonde voedselsystemen. Wij geloven dat Foodvalley NL de juiste partner is om zo’n toonaangevende Hub neer te zetten in Europa. Ze hebben een sterk ecosysteem gebouwd van bedrijven, kennisinstellingen, overheden en maatschappelijke organisaties, met als speciaal doel om innovaties samen met andere innovatieclusters in en buiten Europa op te schalen.”

Edith Schippers: meer impact genereren

Edith Schippers, bestuursvoorzitter bij Foodvalley NL: “We zien een perfecte match tussen de ambitie van de Food Innovation Hubs en onze eigen inzet voor de ontwikkeling van duurzame voedselsystemen door commercialisering van innovaties, en het bieden van oplossingen voor huidige en toekomstige systeemuitdagingen. Het opzetten van een leidende Europese Innovatie Hub is een prachtige erkenning van het werk dat we de afgelopen vijftien jaar hebben verricht en stelt ons in staat om te versnellen en onze impact te vergroten.”

Carola Schouten: de dialoog aangaan

Carola Schouten, minister van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit: “Nederland is altijd voorloper geweest op het gebied van voeding en voedsel. We staan ​​op de tweede plaats in de wereldwijde export van agrifood-producten, onze universiteiten en onderzoeksinstituten zijn internationaal leidend en verschillende voedingsmultinationals hebben hier hun hoofdkantoor en R&D-centra gevestigd. We willen onze kennis en expertise delen en van anderen leren bij het oplossen van de wereldvraagstukken van vandaag, de dialoog aangaan met betrokkenen over de hele wereld en nieuwe mogelijkheden voor co-creatie ontdekken.”
Kijk de videoboodschap van Carola Schouten.

Bijwonen van het pre-event

De strategische samenwerking wordt officieel aangekondigd tijdens Bold Actions for Food as a Force for Good: een pre-event ter ondersteuning van de VN-top over voedselsystemen in 2021. Het pre-event vindt plaats op maandag 23 november 2020, van 1915-2045 uur. Het evenement wordt georganiseerd door 13 internationale organisaties, waaronder het World Economic Forum; Unilever; Wageningen University & Research; Rabobank; Koninklijke DSM; het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken en het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit.

Organisaties die de samenwerking ondersteunen

Het initiatief is tot stand gekomen in nauwe samenwerking met het Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit; het ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat; provincie Gelderland; Oost NL; Unilever, Koninklijke DSM; Rabobank; Topsector Agri & Food; en Wageningen University & Research. Onderzoeksinstituten, bedrijven – van start-up tot multinational – en andere organisaties die zich inzetten voor een duurzaam voedselsysteem zijn welkom om zich bij de samenwerking aan te sluiten.

 

Foodvalley

Shaping the future of food together. Sinds 2004 bouwt en versterkt Foodvalley NL het Foodvalley ecosysteem, een internationaal netwerk van organisaties dat gezamenlijk de transitie naar een duurzaam voedselsysteem heeft ingezet. Foodvalley NL, gevestigd in Nederland, is de onafhankelijke organisatie die partijen begeleidt in de transitie, op richting, proces, inhoud en snelheid. Daarbij wordt er hecht samengewerkt met overheden, internationaal, nationaal en regionaal, en met gerenommeerde onderwijs- en onderzoeksinstellingen.

Het World Economic Forum

Het World Economic Forum, dat zich inzet voor het verbeteren van de toestand van de wereld, is dé Internationale Organisatie voor Publiek-private Samenwerking. Het forum betrekt vooraanstaande politieke, zakelijke en andere leiders van de samenleving bij het vormgeven van mondiale, regionale en industriële agenda’s.

Confidental Infomation