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Portuguese Agrofood Cluster with EEUM’s intervention Back

Monday, 11/27/2017   
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The IAPMEI – Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation recently recognised 20 national competitiveness clusters. The Portuguese Agrofood Cluster is the highlight of this edition and counts on the intervention of the School of Engineering of the University of Minho (EEUM).
Strengthening the competitiveness of companies in the agrofood sector by increasing their technological index, promoting the production, transfer, application and valorisation of knowledge oriented to innovation; and promoting the internationalisation of companies in the sector through their training as well as identification and attraction of new project opportunities are the two main axes of the Portugal Foods association’s mission.

The first steps towards the creation of this cluster occurred about nine years ago, at the time by an entity called Integralar Association – an association created by companies and entities of the scientific system for the agrofood sector. This association quickly evolved into the brand now known as Portugal Foods, which, together with InovCluster, AgroCluster and PortugalFresh, created the Portuguese Agrofood Cluster. This cluster has a national dimension – with Portugal Foods as the leading promoter – and counts on the Federation of Portuguese Agrofood Industries to preside over the Strategic Council.

“Portugal Foods – which is the lead entity in this process – is focused on the transformation as far as food industry is concerned. It is an entity that promotes a strong internationalisation component and is very focused on R&D&I in sector, which stimulates cooperation between entities of the scientific system and companies”, José Teixeira, President of the Scientific Council of Portugal Foods and EEUM’s representative through the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB), explained.

Regarding the relevance of the aggregation of competencies in multisectorial clusters, José Teixeira has no doubt that this union “is the place where people can meet and discuss ideas. The cluster is also an integration entity that helps promoting the contact between industry and scientific system entities, seeking to discourage a certain isolation that may occur at this level”.

This cluster counts on the participation of the Centre of Biological Engineering (CEB) and the Institute of Polymers and Composites (IPC), both from the EEUM. It also counts on the participation of 153 companies and associations of the agrofood sector, 12 entities of the national scientific system and five invited entities.

In February 2017, within the presentation of the Interface Programme, the Portuguese Agrofood Cluster was recognised by the Portuguese Government as a Competitiveness Clusters, along with other 19 national Clusters.

+ info: http://www.portugalfoods.org/
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