Second digital agri-food workshop

As part of the Competitiv’eko project to improve the competitiveness of SMEs in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine/Euskadi/Navarre Euroregion, a day of working meetings focusing on the agri-food sector and digital innovation is planned for 23 May in San Sebastián, in the Spanish Basque Country.

Officially launched on 15 December 2016 in Hendaye, the Competitiv’eko project encompasses clusters, technology centres and economic development agencies in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Spanish Basque Country and the Autonomous Community of Navarre. With 65% funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the ultimate aim of the project is to create two sustainable focal points for cross-border cooperation.

Competitiveness is analysed across the three cross-border regions and avenues for cooperation have already been identified, principally via business-to-business meetings and international benchmarking exercises carried out in parallel. In 2017, more than 250 businesses took part in the Competitiv’eko project via various workshops – including the recent one on additive manufacturing, held at the Technocité site. While the overall project envisages the creation of two cooperation focal points, in the meantime, four economic crossover areas have been identified:

·       Advanced manufacturing: cars, electric vehicles, lightweight materials, mobility and sustainable development;

·       Energy: offshore wind, storage, onshore wind, smart grids;

·       Health: medical devices, advanced manufacturing, e-health, big data (cross-cutting concept);

·       Agri-food: advanced agri-manufacturing, big data, preservation techniques (freezing), energy-health combination, 4^th range (fresh, ready-to-use products) and 5^th range (cooked products).

Following the first agri-food/digital workshop in Pamplona, Navarre, in October 2017, a second day of meetings and workshops on this subject will take place on 23 May in San Sebastián. The agri-food-sector representatives invited to the event are tasked with developing axes of cross-border cooperation, coming up with ways to create a cross-border consortium and designing joint activities.

For the programme and to register, visit: www.competitiveko.eu/actualites/2eme-workshop-agro-food-digital-2/