VIDA

Value-added Innovation in fooD chAins (VIDA) will nurture and harness the growth and innovation potential of SMEs working across European food c hains, bringing together four complementary and mutually dependant sectors; food, energy, water and key enabling technologies (KET). VIDA will strengthen current and develop new cross-sectoral industrial value chains within the food production and processing industries through a combination of direct and indirect innovation actions, as well as support and capacity building measures. These will include open-innovation and virtual collaboration tools, mentoring and knowledge-sharing activities and a 'twin-track' innovation voucher scheme which will support the realisation of high-TRL, large-scale, demonstration and commercialisation projects across Europe. We will effect change among more than 6200 organisations, primarily SMEs. VIDA combines expertise from four complementary European Strategic Cluster Partnerships (ESCPs): FoodPackLab, EU4Food, Energy in Water and AdPack, with a direct reach of over 700 SMEs across the partner clusters (and 2100 SMEs across the collaborating ESCPs). The collaborating partners have been carefully selected to ensure a complementary balance of geographies, knowledge, experience and expertise within VIDA's four sectors, and maximise the potential for cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary exchanges to create new industrial value chains. VIDA will operate for 3.5 years with a total budget of €5,031,141.25. VIDA will allocate more that 81% of the total project budget for innovation in SMEs. €3,355,000 of the budget will be used to provide specialist innovation vouchers, and catalyse large-scale demonstrations with commercialisation innovation projects, involving >100 beneficiaries.