Partners
The European inter-regional circular ingredients partnership
I4CE is anchored on Agri-Food Innovation Clusters, which constitute the core of the partnership.
Other relevant stakeholders and Research & Innovation intermediaries are enriching the partnership with their expertise, infrastructure and representativity (Research & Technology organizations – RTOs, Regional Authorities, Regional Innovation Agencies, etc)
The I4CE partnership currently represents 7 Member States (Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Lithuania and Spain) and 14 European regions (Wallonia, Flanders, Gelderland, Britany, Pays de la Loire, Normandy, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur / région Sud, Occitanie, Corsica, Emilia-Romagna, Central Macedonia, Central Lithuania, Galicia, and Navarra). At the NUTS2 Level, the partnership represents 24 regions.
Though in its early-stage, the I4CE Community brings state of the art expertise as well as an an impressive portfolio of companies (Start-ups, SMEs, Corporates), universities, research & technology organizations, investors, agencies, etc. Inter-regionbal collaborations are already in action across the partnership and with leading organizations across Europe
I4CE has an ambitious and open strategy to grow geographically, thematically, and in terms of inter-regional innovation & business development and investment opportunities.
ANFACO-CECOPESCA is a private non-profit business association founded in 1904, whose mission is to represent and defend the sectoral interests of the marine and food cluster, and to provide high-value services through its Technology Center with the final goal of boosting the competitiveness of the sector. Located in Vigo (Spain), the Technology Center has modern laboratories and the most advanced technologies for the characterization of new compounds of interest for the food system, the study of the interaction between nutrition and health, research on processing, packaging and food preservation, aquaculture, development of robotics and vision systems, valorization of by-products, and it also contains a Pilot Plant for the scaling of technological solutions at semi-industrial level and an advanced infrastructure for aquaculture research. All of this provides companies in the food sector with improved products and processes through the development of applied research and market-oriented technological innovation.
Region covered: Galicia
ART-ER Attractiveness Research Territory is based in Bologna, Northern Italy. It was born in May 2019 from the merger of two long-established regional government agencies: ASTER (research and technology) and ERVET (regional development). Previously, ERVET carried out activities, projects and services on request of regional government departments, in coordination with provincial and municipal authorities, to promote a territorially balanced and socio-economically and environmentally sustainable development of Emilia Romagna. ART-ER’s mission it to foster the region’s sustainable growth by developing innovation and knowledge, attractiveness and internationalisation of the regional economic system.
Regions covered: Emilia-Romagna
The AgroTech Export Cluster was established on the 27th May 2020, in Thessaloniki, Greece, as an Non-for-Profit Organization (NPO) under the Greek Law (GEMI 155207304000). The Cluster is focused on agri-food, agrotechnology and agrobiotechnology, formed by a variety of privately owned firms in collaboration with SEVE (Greek Exporters Association), CERTH (The Centre for Research and Technology Hellas), the Greek-Italian Chamber of Commerce (Thessaloniki Branch) and the American Farm School (Thessaloniki – _Research & Education Institute).
Our vision is to become the growth catalyst and reference point of the Agri-food sector in Greece and abroad, utilizing the unique Greek agricultural products and the know-how, innovation and productive capacity of its members, to promote prosperity, healthy Mediterranean diet and sustainable development. Our mission is to equip partners and members with competitive advantages of international scope, providing innovative solutions, know-how, products and services of high added value.
Region covered: Central Macedonia
Clust-ER Agroalimentare. Launched in January 2018, Clust-ER Agrifood is a non-profit association of over 100 public and private organisations: companies, research centres, training institutions that share skills, ideas and resources to support the competitiveness of the sector that aims to strengthen the innovation system in the agrifood sector in Emilia-Romagna, developing the activity of collaborative research and technology transfer, as defined in the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3). Clust-ER Agrifood is one of the 9 thematic clusters set up by the Emilia-Romagna Region to support collaborations in strategic R&I sectors to boost the regional innovation potential. Together with the Technopoles and the High Technology Network laboratories, the Clust-ERs are key players in the regional innovation ecosystem coordinated by ART-ER, the Emilia-Romagna consortium for innovation and technology transfer.
Region covered: Emilia-Romagna
Clusaga is the Galician cluster for the food sector, acting as a key element for the sustainable growth, enhanced competitiveness, innovation and internationalisation of the Galician food and drink sector. Clusaga has above 180 members including: companies sub-sector business associations, universities and technology centres, as well as other actos from the regional food ecosystem. Member food companies (of which approximatly 60% are SMEs) represent over 30% of the total employment and over 65% of the total turnover of the sector in the region. Clusaga is experienced and well positioned at European level, through its participation in European projects, networks and partnerships.
Region covered: Galicia
CNTA, the National Centre for Food Technology and Safety is a private non-profit making association. Since 1981, the aim of this technological centre is to contribute towards improving the competitiveness and quality of the food sector. It has a staff of 150 professionals and a state-of-the-art facility of 3.300 m2 of laboratories.
Region covered: Navarra
Flanders’ FOOD is a cluster organisation and spearhead cluster agri-food in Flanders and responsible to translate the Flemish RIS3 into practice. FF focusses on the economic growth of the Flemish agri-food industry and has about 300 company members (for the larger part SMEs and about 70% from agri-food industry) and in that respect acts as an enabler for innovation and integrator to create a trust zone of open innovation with all stakeholders in the agri-food business complex.
Region covered: Flanders
Innov’Alliance is a French competitiveness cluster, dedicated to natural products. We support innovation in agriculture and plant processing, in four major markets: food, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, aromas and fragrance industries. Based in the south-east of France, our cluster gather more than 350 members, including SMEs and large groups, research and training organisations we well as more than 5000 academics and researchers. All actors are representative of the whole plant-based value chain in each market, from producers to consumers through solution providers. Innov’Alliance missions consist of supporting SMEs growth through open innovation.
Regions covered: Région Sud, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, Corsica
NAGRIFOOD’s mission is to contribute to the growth of the company members, promoting an economic return of the investment, researching new business opportunities, and improving their competitiveness in the new international environments that are being created. We aim to be a collaborative innovation model not only for the local but also for the European and international sector, recognized for the quantity and, most importantly, the quality of the projects implemented and the acknowledgment of the brand ‘Navarra’ as a synonym of food competitiveness.
Region covered: Navarra
RCM consists of seven regional units: Imathia, Thessaloniki, Kilkis, Pella, Pieria, Serres and Halkidiki. It borders north with two Balkan countries. The Region has approximately 1.9 million inhabitants and ranks second in terms of population among the 13 Regions of Greece (covering 17,1% of total population). The rural population accounts for 26% of the Region’s total population. RCM contains the Country’s richest collection of Agricultural products like: (1) fruits, vegetables, cereals, meat, fisheries, honey, milk, cheese, etc (2) Our primary sector participates by 26% in gross value added of the primary sector at national level.
Region covered: Central Macedonia
SMART food cluster is a food cluster managed by Lithuanian food exporters association (LitMEA).
A cluster consists of food industry companies representing individual industry sectors in domestic and foreign markets, not acting like direct competitors to one another, and creating possibilities for mutual trust and cooperation.
Regions covered: Lithuania
Foodvalley is the agri-food cluster located in the Oost Region, NL. The cluster works with national and international partners on a global ambition: by 2050 there must be tasty, healthy, affordable and sustainable food for ten billion people. To get there, we have to work together.
Region covered: Gelderland
VALORIAL is the agri-food competitiveness cluster for the greater west of France (Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Normandy) gathering 400 members manufacturers, research centres and higher education establishments, representing more than 800 structures and has a network of 5,000 innovators, around the theme of smarter food. VALORIAL is member of local, regional, and national networks in food & bioeconomy as well as at EU level of EIT Food, several S3P in Agri-food (ingredients, Smart Sensors, Traceability, Packaging).
Regions covered: Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Normandie
Wagralim is the official Agri-Food Cluster in Wallonia, Belgium. The cluster counts close to 300 members, composed of industries (mainly) and businesses, academia, research and training centres. Wagralim counts 15 years of experience in setting up collaborative, innovation projects in research,training, and investment. Besides being active in EU programmes, the cluster provides following services to companies and the regional ecosystem: networking activities, trainings (including in the field of industrial performance and digitalisation), internationalisation, technical and technological as well as marketing support.
Region covered: Wallonia
The I4CE Governance
The I4CE partnership has established a governance structure:
- Board members: compoased by the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Established office, and the working group leaders
- Chair: Gus Verhaeghe (Flanders’FOOD, BE)
- Vice-Chair: Célia Gavaud (CLUS-TER, IT)
- Established Office: Yuan Chai, Betty Milano (WAGRALIM, BE)
- Communication working group leader: Adrienne Gentil (Valorial, FR)
- Project working group leader: Theodoros Tsamourtzis (ATE, GR)
- Steering Committee: composed by ALL Partners
