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Food Forum and Food Team: Regional Food Innovation Cluster Networks in South Ostrobothnia
Published on 01 February 2021
Finland
Länsi-Suomi
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Food Forum and Food Team are food sector collaboration networks that operate in South Ostrobothnia. The aim of the networks is to enhance the innovativeness and information sharing within the region’s food sector and they both are outputs from a former development project funded by the ERDF. The networks form a regional food cluster and carry out activities developed in the previous project.
Food Forum is a collaboration among five key actors who work within the food sector development in the region. The aim of the collaboration is to enhance the innovativeness of the agri-food sector through various activities. The collaboration is based on a signed contract. The forum meets three to four times a year and the chairmanship rotate every year. The main activities are: 1. Organisation of Food Business Summit, FBS (a yearly national event), 2. Organisation of Food Business Challenge (an innovation competition for students), 3. Organisation of smaller events related to new knowledge and innovations in the agri-food sector.
Food Team is a looser network that has been directed especially for food sector companies and their development. The team brings together companies within the food sector and enhances their exporting possibilities. Five to ten companies have actively taken part in the network. The team has also organised an export trip to China. Secondly the network aims to enhance the conspicuousness of the region as Food Province and its know-how in the food sector.
Food Forum is a collaboration among five key actors who work within the food sector development in the region. The aim of the collaboration is to enhance the innovativeness of the agri-food sector through various activities. The collaboration is based on a signed contract. The forum meets three to four times a year and the chairmanship rotate every year. The main activities are: 1. Organisation of Food Business Summit, FBS (a yearly national event), 2. Organisation of Food Business Challenge (an innovation competition for students), 3. Organisation of smaller events related to new knowledge and innovations in the agri-food sector.
Food Team is a looser network that has been directed especially for food sector companies and their development. The team brings together companies within the food sector and enhances their exporting possibilities. Five to ten companies have actively taken part in the network. The team has also organised an export trip to China. Secondly the network aims to enhance the conspicuousness of the region as Food Province and its know-how in the food sector.
Resources needed
Running the networks requires relatively a low amount of resources and most activities are funded from actors’ own resources. The most resources are needed for the organisation of The Food Business Summit (from 3500 to 8000 EUR) and the Food Business Challenge competition (around 5 000 EUR /year).
Evidence of success
The practice is an example of how activities developed in a former project have been implemented in the region and continue to function as part of organizations’ own activities. The Food Business Summit and Food Business Challenge especially, have enhanced the regions visibility nationwide. FBS has succeeded in bringing actors together and many good collaborations have started there. Food Team’s export trip to China was also a success, where smaller SMEs also got a change to participate.
Potential for learning or transfer
Especially for small regions with limited resources, this practice offers a potential model to be implemented and a starting point for networking and cluster-building within the food sector. Cooperation of key actors is crucial for the success and innovativeness of the region. The two networks aim help finding common goals and strengthening collaboration in the region.
The organisation of the Food Business Summit and the Food Business Challenge Innovation Competition are also interesting concepts that could be transferred to other partner regions.
The organisation of the Food Business Summit and the Food Business Challenge Innovation Competition are also interesting concepts that could be transferred to other partner regions.
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia
Finland
Länsi-Suomi
Contact