"Solutions and interventions for the technological transfer and the innovation of the agro-food sector in South East regions"

The agro-food industry is one of the main sectors of the South East Europe (SEE) economy in terms of turnover, number of SMEs and employees. The TECH.FOOD project, arises from the needs of such sector, aimed to define common strategies, tools and opportunities to support research, technological development and innovation of food enterprises, by promoting cooperation among research bodies, institutions and enterprises of 7 SEE regions.

The main objective is to support and improve the competitiveness of agro-food enterprises from the project area, in line with the strategic objectives of the Lisbon process. The project, promoted by the Province of Modena, through the creation of a transnational network among above mentioned regions, will support the creation of new opportunities for innovation and business among regional bodies and target groups with the aim of improving products quality and implement processes and services more efficient and sustainable.

The project realisation will contribute to renew consumers’ confidence by allowing a more mature perception of products quality and an increased awareness of the high technological food production and will provide sector operators with new methodological and technical-scientific tools to improve competitiveness and security of food production and will ensure to the institutions better monitoring of the technological research and support to innovation activities.

The initiative, co-financed by the European Union within the “South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme”, involves as partners Ministries, Provinces, Local Authorities, Universities and Research bodies from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Serbia. The project will conclude its activities in March 2012.