Project partners | Matchmaking Platform

University of Maribor will implement transnational activities, supporting the involvement of all stakeholders within Food4CE. It will also develop study and research activities, contributing to the development, implementation and monitoring of strategies and pilot actions that will gather knowledge, experience and good practices in the field of logistics operations for AFNs. Additionally, the University of Maribor will directly support RRA Podravje - Maribor in the implementation of the Innovation Hub setup for AFNs logistics knowledge transfer and stakeholders’ matchmaking by providing a platform for knowledge transfer and logistics matchmaking.

Within the Food4CE project, RRA Podravje - Maribor will be responsible for delivering methodology and supporting partners with the establishment of regional Innovation Hubs and co-creation of the transnational Innovation Hub.

Thanks to their extensive knowledge and experience working with local producers, RRAPM will co-create events and activities that will show the real needs and challenges of AFNs creation, which will be later incorporated into regional Action plans for the support of AFNs.

ITL will provide the necessary support to the AFN policy-making and strategic planning framework. After an initial phase of mapping, classification and liaising with existing AFNs and other relevant stakeholders in the Emilia-Romagna region, ITL will set up and manage a regional Innovation Hub. The goal of this Innovation Hub will be to enhance the logistics competences of AFNs, foster collaborative innovative solutions, develop joint action plans and policy guidelines to support AFNs.

MATE's main mission is to support project partners with their knowledge in the field of agriculture by coordinating the identification and classification of existing AFNs in Europe. Additionally, MATE will setup and manage Innovation Hub and develop the pilot action in Hungary. MATE will also contribute to the development of the Knowledge Transfer Platform and the Matchmaking Platform.

Łukasiewicz-PIT has a transversal and transnational role in the Food4CE project, contributing to the analysis of existing AFNs in Europe, their characteristics and needs, as well as their logistical best practices. L-PIT will help to create the path toward the strategic planning framework and co-create a regional innovation hub in Poland and its pilot operations.

Through long-term cooperation with agricultural producers and processors of agricultural products, PULS will identify and assess the level of development of AFNs in Poland. Moreover, PULS will manage the Innovation Hub in Poland and co-create transnational network of innovation hubs.

Within Food4CE, ECONSULT will lead the process of mapping AFN logistics solutions and best practices. Additionally, ECONSULT will support project partners with its knowledge and logistical expertise in several other tasks, including the methodology development for the regional and transnational Innovation Hub, the development of a Knowledge Transfer and Matchmaking Platform and finally the development of regional action plans for AFNs support.

UAS BFI Vienna will lead the development of Knowledge Transfer Platform (KTP). As activity leader, it will work closely with the University of Maribor on development and testing of KTP and its implementation. Additionally, UAS BFI Vienna will set up and manage the Innovation Hub in Vienna in close cooperation with ECONSULT.

Finally, UAS BFI will play a central role in the dentification and analysis of AFNs in Austria, helping to understand their logistical needs and best practices.

OPEN ENLoCC focuses on the dissemination and exploitation of activities. For this reason, it is involved in all activities with the aim of capitalising, communicating, sharing and exploiting the results in the Central European area. It directly follows up all project results to support the partners in communication issues and takes care of developing specific results from a technical point of view thanks to the expertise of the regional competence centres.