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Networking of National Platforms of ” Food for Life”. András Sebők*, Kitti Németh** Coordinators of the collaboration of national platforms. *Scientific Coordinator of the Hungarian National Technology Platform ”Food for Life”, ETP Board Member.
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Networking of National Platforms of ”Food for Life” András Sebők*, Kitti Németh** Coordinators of the collaboration of national platforms *Scientific Coordinator of the Hungarian National Technology Platform ”Food for Life”, ETP Board Member. ** Representative of the Slovakian National Technology Platform Food for Life, Member of the WG on Horizontal Activities
Role of national platforms of ETP ”Food for Life” • For achieving the aims of the ETP the involvement of stakeholders both at European and national level is necessary • strengthening innovation for stimulating competitiveness • national differences in strengths, resources, opportunities, strategies, priorities • harmonising use of national and EU private and public resources • ensuring efficient technology transfer • considering needs and benefits of the local consumers • Voice of the industry should reflect also the view of the SMEs • Several key activities and the majority of the implementation have to be carried out at national level
Why we need national platforms of ETP Food for Life? • Collecting and transmitting the shared views, needs, priorities of the national stakeholders • under the guidance of the industry • Transmitting collective knowledge of the ETP (Vision, SRA, Implementation Plan) to national industry and other stakeholders • Facilitation of partnership between national stakeholders – including the involvement of SMEs • Framework for technology transfer, communication • Framework for sustainable collaboration in R+D between industry and research providers. • Lobbying • Acknowledgement of food industry innovation • Achieving a balanced view • Biofuels are not alternative, but complementary to food processing
Challenges to national platforms • Increasing trust • Food businesses - getting practical support from research providers - collaborating with peers, sharing resources • SMEs - benefits of investing into R+D and innovation • Research providers - feasibility, benefits of working with the industry • Ensuring funding for operation • Ensuring funding to R+D projects • Enhance efficient use of resources • Use of available knowledge • Collective research, marketing and supply chain management
Why we need networking of national platforms? • Our knowledge, experience is limited • Research networks – more experience is available • Industry innovation forums, networks – only a few examples • SPES • Learning from each other for mutual benefits • Lobbying • Benchmarking • Helping the new starters • Understand cultural differences – basis for trans-national business and research collaboration
Critical factors for progress (1) • To understand the research needs of SMEs, who frequently do not know them themselves • To understand the differences in main drivers, success criteria and time frame for different stakeholders in R+D activities and ensuring benefits for all of them • Food businesses - multinationals and large companies - SMEs • Researchers - universities and public research institutes • Government • Differences in drivers for organisations and individuals • To understand national and regional differences – Europe is not uniform
Critical factors for progress (2) • Improving the efficiency of knowledge transfer • Open and realistic view • SMEs, - specifically in new member countries and accession countries - have very limited resources – they focus mostly on a few priorities related to immediate needs / short term • Collective research, clustering, networking of SMEs, supply chain management approaches , loan schemes may help, but they are operating properly currently in a few countries only • There are significant differences between the current situation and potential improvements in the future • Networking of national platforms can increase efficiency.
Proposed questions for future discussion • How to increase the impact of the national technology platforms (NTPs) on enhancing innovation of food businesses to stimulate competitiveness ? • Specific aspects of increasing SMEs involvement to food industry innovation ? • How to get better acknowledgement of NTPs by national authorities and funding bodies? • Clarification of the function and operation of NTPs? • How to ensure appropriate human resources for the future?
Proposed future activities for collaboration of NTPs ”Food for Life” • Regular networking activities • Periodic meetings (frequency?) • Sharing knowledge and experiences • inventories • successful experiences • best practices • Joint actions with shared resources • Supporting members involvement in collaborative R+D projects
Proposed future activities for collaboration of NTPs ”Food for Life” • Inventories • potential activities • existing networks • funding schemes • funding value • best arguments • Inventory of successful methods of NTPs • Discussion of successful experiences in technology transfer