DIH AGRIFOOD
Coordinator: ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster Murska Sobota
ROLE IN DIGI-SI
Business support and ecosystem building partner. Thematic focus on Agrifood.
DIH AGRIFOOD brings together Slovenian and European research and development expertise in the field of Agriculture, Food production & processing and food supply. DIH AGRIFOOD represents a One-Stop-Shop, providing services to organizations through a Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) cooperation, providing safe, sustainable, and quality food while considering economic, environmental, and social aspects and implications of food production and delivery. DIH AGRIFOOD network includes close to 1000 organizations (reaching more than 7.000 European organizations), involving the ecosystem of more than 30 projects, 5 Innovation Networks, 20 Living labs, more than 70 European DIHs and 130 Business Support Organizations. Altogether, DIH AGRIFOOD is based on the strong facilitation of 22 trained facilitators from 10 countries.
ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster Murska Sobota
ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster Murska Sobota (ITC) is a non-profit Business Support Organization located in the North-Eastern part of Slovenia, bordering Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. The Cluster was established in 2011, with its vision to foster cross-sectoral innovation and implementation of novel technologies and ICT in rural-based sectors. ITC’s main focus is to bring together target groups (such as SMEs, food system actors, farmers and other rural actors) and turn them into being “Smart”, thus creating a unique Europe-wide innovation-based ecosystem, supporting the shift towards more resilient, healthy and environmentally, socially, economically sustainable rural areas. ITC acts as a regional technology transfer intermediate, innovation center and business support cluster.
ITC is a founder and main administrative office of the Digital Innovation Hub – DIH AGRIFOOD, bringing together Slovenian and European research and development expertise in the field of Agriculture, Food production & processing and food supply.
- ITC has also established the GREEN POINT Living Lab, which acts in the area of Short Food Supply Chain (SFCS), based on fully deployed and functional SFSC called Green Point, located in Pomurje region (Slovenia). Its mission is to:
- empower cities and regions as agents of food system transformation by providing a demo-based environment for social change and
- provide an end-to-end technological and collaborative environment where SFSC actors and solution providers (SMEs, startups) could meet and use the living lab for systemic innovation in the areas of food production and processing, distribution, marketing, access and food consumption.
GREEN POINT SFSC involves more than 70 local farmers and food producers, covering the process of production in greenhouse and open-air fields, with logistics from its own distribution center and different means of sales such as public institutions (schools …), institutions from the hospitality sector (restaurants …), and its own retail store and online shop – GREEN POINT. The Green point SFSC is continuously implementing innovative business models and technologies while actively contributing to increasing the proportion of local and safe food through awareness-raising campaigns. Moreover, the GREEN POINT (under the umbrella of ITC) is providing innovation infrastructure to test technologies and demonstrate new value chains developed within the food supply, with Multi-Actor based
Market applications
Agriculture/Agrifood
Environment
Technology applications
Artificial Intelligence
Blockchain
Big Data
Internet of Things
Robotics
Competences and expertise
ITC/DIH AGRIFOOD employs interdisciplinary experts with strong international references, a network of institutions and extensive experience in conducting EU funded projects and other projects focused on rural development. Our interdisciplinary team covers the following topics:
- Agriculture and food production
- Rural development
- ICT technologies and digitalization processes
- Business modelling
- Project management
- Communication skills
- Investment finding
- Ecosystem building and networking
Our experts have implemented numerous EU funded projects (Interreg, Erasmus+, H2020) in last 5 years, while ITC is currently implementing 7 H2020 projects, all dealing with topics related to the Agrifood and rural development sectors.
Infrastructure and equipment
ITC has established the GREEN POINT Living Lab, which acts in the area of Short Food Supply Chain (SFCS), based on fully deployed and functional SFSC called Green Point, located in Pomurje region (Slovenia). GREEN POINT (under the umbrella of ITC) is providing innovation infrastructure to test technologies and demonstrate new value chains developed within the food supply, with Multi-Actor based approach, involving: policy makers, local governance, academia, business actors, food actors, consumers / consumer organizations, civil society and NGOs.
DIH Agrifood
DIH AGRIFOOD represents a One-Stop-Shop, providing services to organisations through a Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) cooperation, providing safe, sustainable and quality food while considering economic, environmental and social aspects and implications of food production and delivery.
Our network includes
0
organizations
7000
EU organizations reached
20
living labs
30
projects
70
european dih’s
22
trained facilitators
5
innovation networks
130
Business Support Organisations
10
countries
Networks and projects
Aioti, European network of living labs, European cluster collaboration platform, EU S3 thematic platform – thematic area: High tech farming.
Members
Projects
National networks and initiatives
European networks and initiatives
- European Clusters Alliance
- European network of Living Labs (ENoLL)
- DIHNET Community
- EU S3 thematic platform - Thematic area: High Tech Farming
ITC with Green Point Living Lab is a member of two Special Interest Group oriented Task Forces:
- Rural Living Labs
- Agriculture & Agri-food
- AIOTI DIH network
- Danube Priority area 8 - Working group: Artificial Intelligence
- Danube Priority area 8 - Working group: Innovation & Technology Transfer
Key ecosystem players
Policy and Strategic Support:
- City of Murska Sobota (public awareness, rural development support)
- Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (direct support and strategic orientation)
- Chamber for agriculture and forestry (advisory service)
- Development center Murska Sobota (development projects)
Academia and Business Environment - University of Maribor (technology deployment)
- SMEs – solution providers (delivering innovative products and services)
- DIH AGRIFOOD (tech transfer, European projects)
- ITC – Innovation Technology Cluster (technology transfer office)
Food Supply Actors and Consumers - Farmers & local food suppliers
- Consumers – citizens
- Public Institutions (kindergartens, schools, hospitals, nursery homes …)
- HORECA sector (hotels, restaurants, spa resorts, and canteens)
- Other food supply chains and waste processing actors
Civil Society and NGOs - Citizens (Living lab involvement)
- Centre for Health and Development Murska Sobota (health and local food promotor)
- Food bank SIBAHE (Food donation)
Contact
DIH AGRIFOOD
Daniel Copot, ITC innovation technology cluster