The European Digital Innovation Hub Network (EDIH Network in advance) has created a thematic Working Group on agrifood. The launch event was celebrated online on the 23rd of April.

This working group has been born to become an important opportunity to contribute to the development of digital innovation in Europe, strengthen the position and give visibility to key players working for the European agrifood.

The Thematic Working Group aims to discuss how to enhance digital innovation and enable technology in the sector as well as to address the lack of digital literacy and facilitate the adoption of new technology.

During the meeting, the EDIH moderating members were presented: EDIH Bretagne (region Brittany), DigiAgriFood (regions of Central and Northern Greece) and Andalucia Agrotech DIH (region Andalusia). Moreover, the motivations for creating and participating in this new working group were explained and an interactive session was held to interact and learn about the interests of the participants, the main challenges and the provision of services.

Some of the answers provided about the different interests or benefits to achieve through the participation of the Working Group were: agroindustry; sharing experiences about business models, procedures and tools; agricultural development; cross-border issues; the exchange of information and experiences; and cooperation with other similar EDIH.

The second question about the main challenges of the EDIH in the agri-food sector obtained the following responses: the adoption of technologies in small and medium-sized farms and processing companies; reaching SMEs not familiar with innovation; attracting a strong customer base; applying digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics and create a supply chain; fighting against the “agrarian mentality” and the lack of knowledge and innovation in the agricultural sector; and providing digital innovation technologies in the agrifood industry.

Finally, it was asked about the possibility of providing services outside each country, in the context of the EDIH network. In this sense, the ideas received were to reproduce cases in other countries; the investigation; or the possibility of planning a determinate offer outside the country.

About the EDIH Thematic Working Groups

Thematic Working Groups of the EDIH Network, composed of EDIH with shared interests. These informal communities aim to promote interaction, exchange ideas, and encourage collaboration within the EDIH Network. Several Working Groups have already started their activities (cybersecurity, data in manufacturing, smart connectivity, etc.) while others will be launched soon (e.g. sustainability or public administration with focus on AI)

These groups bring together experts to share knowledge, experiences and best practices, as well as to collaborate on joint projects and activities.

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EDIH contact point: info@edihnetwork.eu

EDIH website: https://european-digital-innovation-hubs.ec.europa.eu/home

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