A great way to succeed in developing new products and bring them all the way from the first idea to finished product on the market, is to collaborate and network. As the Interreg Baltic Sea Region project Biobord open innovation platform connecting bioeconomy developers in BSR (ConnectedByBiobord) is gathering momentum, an Innovation event is on it’s way!
When, what, and why?
On March 11th and 12th Alternative proteins and functional foods themed Food Hack by Biobord will unite transnational team of experts and hackers together to collaborate on the food innovation challenges, where each participant will have their own role in making the ideas come to life. While SMEs will share their needs and challenges, the external experts will work as advisors of the hackers and give their insights to develop innovations.
The two-day event is hosted by Krinova in Kristianstad, Sweden, along with the working group of SMEs and external experts from Sweden, Latvia, Finland and Estonia. Food Hack by Biobord is an event where open innovation and the idea of everyone growing whilst sharing knowledge is core, meaning that everyone can claim the ideas or solutions that comes up during the event and that everything you share will help to fulfil this purpose.
The challenges faced together
By working together, the processes of learning, making mistakes and creating a consumer demand, are sped up. The main objective of this event is to bring new high-quality products to the market more successfully and faster. All proposed challenges are starting points for discussions, regarding how to collaborate on common issues, obstacles, and possibilities, and how to benefit from each other's knowledge and experience.
Get acquainted with the challenges, that are common for companies in the Baltic Sea Region:
How can different stakeholders working on similar challenges share their knowledge and expertise in a creative and constructive way? What do the channels of information look like today and how can we improve them? In what way can we gain access to process and technology know-how? Today and in the future?
What kind of marketing strategies, for example nudging, can be used to increase consumption of healthier and more nutritious innovative food products that are beneficial, attractive, and affordable, thus more sustainable for the planet, businesses and the individual? What technical solutions could benefit healthy food choices?
What strategies can be built to change our perception of plant-based proteins as a direct alternative to a particular dish (sausage, hamburger) and instead of modifying the structure of the product to see it as a stand-alone protein source? What would we call these products and how would they be marketed?
What would happen if we placed the insect food product in a different context (environment, tradition, or culture)? How do we design the “insect food experience” to attract new markets? What marketing strategies can be explored to design the insect food experience? In which context, tradition or culture could the insects fit in?
What could be the new alternative protein sources? Where can we obtain knowledge about such raw materials and how should this information be made available?
What happens next?
The winning team of the Food Hack by Biobord will move to a 2nd innovation round and will have the opportunity to develop the innovation even further with new experts and support. All participants leave the event with new transnational contacts and new knowledge, and who knows – with new innovations!
For more information:
Riikka Kumpulainen
project manager of ConnectedByBiobord
riikka.kumpulainen@jamk.fi
Elin Hansson
event coordinator and project ConnectedByBiobord partner
elin.h@krinova.se