The IND-AGRO-POL Cluster – model of collaboration between companies towars innovative value chains

By project ClusterFY

Published on 21 October 2019

Romania

About this good practice

In the South Muntenia region, the sectors of the fruits orchards, grapes farms and vegetables farms are very important. The creation in 2011 of the IND-AGRO-POL Cluster underlines the importance and potential of clusterization process, the members used to be scattered and a need for collaboration between them was needed in order to increase their potential to develop an innovative farming.
In 2019, the cluster consists of over 100 members (76 SMEs, Big Enterprises, 17 R&D&I Institutes, 7 Universities, 3 Regional Authorities, 19 Catalysts and 1 Bank) and over 3300 employees, from all Romanian regions.
The activities are coordinated by the National Institute of R&D for Machinery and Installations for Agriculture and Food Industry, Bucharest. Funding of the cooperation is covered by the member companies and partly from ERDF projects. The members choose a chairperson, a president, who acts as the representative of the IND-AGRO-POL Cluster.
The leading organization is a member of the EEN network and therefore has the opportunity to support the activity of the members of the cluster.
To this end, the leading organization that runs the cluster has organized numerous brokerages, company missions, study visits, exchanges of experience, collaboration with other innovation clusters of the country and abroad in the common interest of members, in order to achieve strategic partnerships and integrate them into the regional and inter-regional innovative value chain.

Resources needed

The collaboration led by the Research Institute, coordinated by a president, elected for a period of 4 years, is committed to one of the entities in the cluster, but represents the entire cluster. Project financing allows R&D (eg ERDF, COSME, H2020).
Cluster turnover: 284.9 mil. Euro

Evidence of success

Since 2018 the precision agriculture has been implemented throughout the region. Through the cluster, food products were developed and improved and have proven to be a success, like, for example, the National Institute for Fruit Growing Mărăcineni who have improved and increased their production of fruits.
Moreover, the collaboration brings numerous intangible benefits to the region, e.g. an innovative environment for product development and increasing the orchards related expertise.

Potential for learning or transfer

To develop and improve agriculture in orchards, grapes farms and vegetable farms, cooperation between farmers, companies, research institutes and other stakeholders is needed. The Ind-Agro-Pol Cluster (Silver Label ESCA in 2015 and 2018) stands for a successful example of how long-term collaboration between small and large scale actors in a specific sector can be successfully built and continued. This example of good practice can be replicated and represents a source of inspiration to the public authorities. Its structure & services can be adapted and transferred to other EU countries, always according to the needs of regional actors.