
Since the beginning of 2024, Clust-ER Agrifood as part of the Biotech4Food (B4F) I3 project has worked on two key project activities under its “Value Chain Mapping” work package. Activities have focused on gathering insights from actors of the biotechnology for food sector in Emilia-Romagna, a leading region in Italy for innovation and the economy generally.
This dialogue with local actors has taken two main forms: interviews of 18 of them to gather their input on such critical questions as challenges and opportunities in the sector and an on-site workshop in Parma at the end of May.
Both exercises have confirmed some of the most important challenges that the sector faces and in particular smaller companies; such as the need to overcome public reluctance and fears in consuming food having undergone biotechnology processes (first barrier) through shaping better “Claims” for products issued of biotech processes and those deriving from waste in particular. Another top-of-the-list argument, for what concern valorisation of “waste” through biotech is the urgent need for harmonization of regulation, at EU and Member State levels; in Italy “what falls to the ground” cannot be considered a by-product and therefore cannot be further used to produce food. Italians have the feeling that our approach is incorrect and that of Nordic countries for example, as they rightly foresee a product and co-product logic, are more coherent and should me followed; an idea is for example to change terminologies such as replacing “by-product” with “secondary raw material”. Access to skills and innovation capacity is another massive hurdle, getting bigger every day as industry and research realise that it is unlikely that sufficient talents are being nurtured in the area of biotech for food who can then be channelled and directed to increase innovation capacity. The need to implement specialist courses (for example on biotechnology-enzymology) is clear and generally, the scientific ecosystem (Regional authorities together with Higher Education) needs to act fast on the educational offer of the new generations and encourage multidisciplinarity.
An important aspect of B4F is the aim to strengthen interregional cooperation in biotech for food; on this, the consulted Italian actors agree that it can only be an asset to foster that level of cooperation. But first and foremost, they are very conscious that to be able to collaborate they need to be informed – partnerships like I4CE are therefore essential tools to help our local ecosystems understand what happens in other ecosystems. One area where they see interregional cooperation as essential is that of better waste management – the need to elect a local point that can manage waste – also coming from other regions was highlighted; with the need to identify intermediaries to act as local management point for waste – need for an intermediate figure between those who produce and those who reuse waste, capable of stabilizing waste. To them also inter-industry collaboration should be envisaged not just within the regional boundaries but should naturally be possible/envisaged at interregional levels (both in the same country or between bordering countries as distances need to be relatively short to ensure feasibility). Actors consulted agree that greater collaboration between the biotech industry and other industries (mechanical, chemical, etc.) is a desirable path to improve products.

More insights emerged from the consultation of these regional actors. What is very clear is that the dynamic kicked started through the initial phases of the Biotech4Food project is dearly welcome by these stakeholders; they call for more actions to consolidate the network of actors in Biotech for food created through these first activities. On that basis, C-ER proposes to continue organizing meetings between this group, extended it gradually to include more actors, creating moments of BtoB awareness, to evidence how advantageous the collaboration with small innovative companies can be for research organisation and larger companies, to introduce and promote innovations; and to continue involving intermediary organisations such as consumer associations – in Parma for our regional workshop “ConfConsumatori Parma – was present to address the consumer acceptance challenge and inform the debate on these aspects.