Website: http://www.clusterfoodmasi.es/

Cluster FOOD+i association was set up in 2009; it is a non-profit organization that manages the food industry cluster called “Cluster FOOD+I” in the Ebro Valley region, NE Spain. Ebro Valley region, is among the most productive agricultural areas in Southern Europe, containing 25.2% of Spanish food companies, reaching an annual turnover of 29,362 M€ (35.67 of total).

The cluster is a network of companies, research centres and regional government institutions. Currently the organization interacts regularly with an ecosystem formed by more than 250 food companies. It is important to highlight that SMEs represent 91% of the total of their associated members.

The aim of Cluster FOOD+i is to promote competitiveness and the development of the regional food industry through collaboration and innovation. Any company, body or entity wishing to innovate and get involved can become member and be a part of the initiative.

FOOD+i is clearly committed to foster the collaboration between the agro-food business sector and innovation stakeholders, thus together with its technological partners, the Cluster is developing its own work methodology, designed to build technology and offer training to meet innovation, commercial challenges and needs of companies of companies from the Ebro Valley and beyond.

CF+I will have a strong role in WP7: as leader of the Task Communication Strategy, CF+I will be responsible for developing the action plans for communication activities. Within this CF+I work package, it will be in charge of identifying and selecting the target stakeholders, the target audience to subsequently carry out the relevant actions: organization of fairs and events, workshops, publication with the aim of fostering de impact of SHEALTHY project. CF+I will also lead the Replicability activities in order to widening the results of the project beyond the project boundaries.

CF+I will be also strongly involved in WP3 Business Models Development. The main problem of the adoption of these novel technologies by the SMEs arises from the high costs associated with them. It is necessary to study and create new business models based in a collaborative approach between entities In this way, CF+I will help these small and medium-sized companies to innovate within their business model, evolving into a collaborative business model that is sustainable in time and that impacts their results.