13 June  | Graz, Austria | Food Innovation Incubator

13 June | Graz, Austria | Food Innovation Incubator

The Demonstration Day of the Austrian Case Study was carried out on the 13 June 2024. The aim was to give those who are interested in replicating the Food Innovation Incubator insights and a deeper understanding of the Incubator by sharing knowledge, experiences, and results.

Practitioners, potential customers as well as network partners were also invited to participate in workshops to learn about the results and the performance of the incubator as well as future potentials for cooperation.

The morning session was centered around the topic “From the idea to the product”. The aim was to provide participants with basic knowledge about product development to ensure a general understanding of the Food Innovation Incubator. Visitors were guided through the laboratory, learning about regional consumption, product development, hygiene and plant construction.

In the afternoon, the focus was placed on the Food Innovation Incubator itself. The model and structure were presented and experiences of the last four years were shared. Two reports from partners participating in the Food Innovation Incubator were presented, showing the potential of the Food Innovation Incubator for the regional food sector.

The event was completed by a panel discussion on the topic of “Innovative food in Styria from a practical perspective”.

An interesting and fruitful follow-up event was an exchange with network partners from the Swiss Case Study, who are interested in our Food Innovation Incubator program, progress and experiences.

 

 

Case study update: Introducing the Food Innovation Incubator – Cultivating the Future of Food!

Case study update: Introducing the Food Innovation Incubator – Cultivating the Future of Food!

The final co-creation workshop of the Austrian case study was held on the 21st of March. In the goal-defining and implementation workshops held in spring 2021, stakeholders from the Styrian fruit and vegetable value chains were invited to participate. Based on the workshop results, a program for the Food Innovation Incubator was defined, and activities within the three incubator modules (1) innovation coaching, (2) knowledge transfer, and (3) networking were executed. During the final co-creation workshop, the conducted activities and results were presented and discussed with the respective stakeholders. This discussion encompassed policy perspectives and options for the continuation of the Food Innovation Incubator beyond the conclusion of FAIRCHAIN. This workshop was organized in collaboration with Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research.
On the demonstration day event, practitioners will be invited to participate in workshops and observe the results of the incubator. The target audience for this event includes farmers, food entrepreneurs, and students. During this event, videos will be recorded and made available, showcasing interviews with stakeholders documenting their experiences collaborating with the Food Innovation Incubator team.
The Food Innovation Incubator was presented at a workshop co-organised by CO-FRESH and FOODRUS

The Food Innovation Incubator was presented at a workshop co-organised by CO-FRESH and FOODRUS

This  week, FAIRCHAIN participated in the Innovations in Agri-Food workshop organised by the CO-FRESH and FOODRUS projects in Nitra, Slovakia.

Hartmut Derler (FH JOANNEUM) shared the findings of the Food Innovation Incubator case study with presentations on ‘Consulting, networking and prototyping of products, processes and technologies’ and ‘Collaboration with practice: Findings from the project FAIRCHAIN.’

Our project was presented at the STADTLANDBIO congress

Our project was presented at the STADTLANDBIO congress

FAIRCHAIN was represented at the 2022 edition of the STADTLANDBIO congress, which took place in Nürnberg from 27 to 28 July. During the round table “EU agricultural policy, world market, large corporations – how regional can agricultural and food policy really be?” partners from FH JOANNEUM  discussed intermediate value chains and the Food Innovation Incubator case study.

Case study update: Jour Fixes at the Food Innovation Incubator

Case study update: Jour Fixes at the Food Innovation Incubator

The Austrian case study started with the Food Innovation Incubator programme in September 2021. Two Open Food Jours Fixes took place since then. Jour fixes will have a defined agenda and take place three times a year in a virtual room.

Each jour fixe starts with a short introduction round of the persons who take part in the meeting. It continues with the presentation of a specific food innovation topic, shows updates of the ongoing activities within the incubator programme and invites selected participants to introduce a topic of interest. It ends with a general discussion of other relevant dates, activities and events connected to the target food system. The target group of the jour fixes are food system and network stakeholders and experts.

Also, in November 2021 a ‘Call for Food Product Innovation Ideas’ was sent out, and 11 farmers and food entrepreneurs sent in their ideas to be developed as part of a co-creative workshop series. On the 21st of January, a kick-off workshop took place, in which the goals of the respective food product development projects were discussed, and the infrastructure of the incubator was shown to the participants (picture).

The Austrian case study presented at ERSCP 2021

The Austrian case study presented at ERSCP 2021

The Austrian case study was shared with the participants of the 2021 European Round Table on Sustainable Consumption and Production, which was held in Graz between 8 and 10 September 2021. During the session ‘How will we eat?’, case study leader FH JOANNEUM, represented by Hartmut Derler,  gave a presentation entitled ‘Food innovation incubator as a co-creative space for the establishment of intermediate and competitive food value chains’.