The roundtable discussion
Organized by Smion, the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology at the University of Zagreb, and the EIT hubs from Croatia, the Roundtable Growing the Innovation Ecosystem for Healthy and Safe Food – Policy to Practice was held at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology.
The event began with opening remarks from the organizers, followed by an introductory lecture titled “Presentation of the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3)”” delivered by Dr. Ivana Crnić Duplančić from Hamag-Bicro. The lecture provided a detailed definition of the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3), its purpose, and its goals.
Smart Specialization Strategy
The Smart Specialization Strategy (S3). The new S3, building on experiences from the 2016–2020 period, aims to enhance Croatia’s innovation performance and drive industrial, digital, and green transformation by 2029. 2022.
S3 is aligned with the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia until 2030, particularly with the goals of a sustainable economy and balanced territorial development.
The main priority areas of S3 until 2029 include personalized healthcare, smart and clean energy, smart and green transport, security and dual-purpose applications, sustainable and circular food, customized wood products, digital products, and platforms.
The central discussion focused on the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3), which defines priority areas for investment in research, development, and innovation (RDI) and directs funding from EU funds. The main objectives of the strategy’s implementation are achieving a competitive and innovative economy and strengthening the regional competitiveness of the Republic of Croatia.
The final part of the lecture was dedicated to food and the bioeconomy as a thematic area aimed at producing sustainable and circular food, i.e., increasing the competitiveness and sustainability of food production and processing by focusing on higher-value-added food.
From policy to practice
In the first panel “From Policy to Practice,” Jasmina Ranilović, PhD, Neno Rakić, Mato Mrkalj, and Ivana Crnić Duplančić, PhD, discussed the topic, with Anita Tregner Mlinarić moderating the panel.
According to the triple helix model, the panel highlighted the cooperation between the government, business sector, and universities, through which solid foundations for the development of a region or country are created. The uniqueness of this model lies in the collaboration of all three mentioned actors, as such cooperation leads to innovation development, opportunity exploitation, and social and economic progress.
The conclusion of the panel was that the government, universities, and business sector are interdependent in terms of innovation development, opportunity exploitation, and social and economic progress. To improve food safety and health, cooperation between stakeholders from each of these sectors is necessary. Some panelists also emphasized that, although Croatia is considered a small market, it has enormous potential to improve the agricultural and food sector. Additionally, it has the potential to improve current production processes to ensure consistency in quality and thus create added value, which would set it apart from other countries in terms of food production and distribution.
Best practices
In the second panel “Best Practice Examples,” Vesna Gabelica Marković, PhD, from the EIT Health Hub, Karlo Kukec from the EIT Urban Mobility Hub, Maja Trstenjak, PhD, from the EIT Manufacturing Hub, and Mile Milković from the Development Center of the Lika-Senj County participated with their Croatian examples. The panel was moderated by Miro Hegedić, PhD, from Smion, which is part of the EIT Food Hub in Croatia.
The panel presented best practice examples through various EIT initiatives in Croatia and development centers. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a unique European Union initiative that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe by leveraging the power of diversity. EIT support helps innovators and entrepreneurs across Europe turn their ideas into products and services for the market.
As a result of collaboration, new companies are established, and a new generation of entrepreneurs is trained, bringing ideas to the market, students becoming entrepreneurs, and most importantly – driving innovation. These partnerships are called EIT Innovation Communities. EIT support helps innovators and entrepreneurs across Europe turn their ideas into products and services for the market.
The event concluded with a discussion summarizing how universities, governments, and the business sector must collaborate if they wish to be drivers of innovation, with the EIT community offering support in this endeavor.
In addition to this final discussion, an informal gathering of panel participants was held after the event, where many other topics related to food production, distribution, safety, and competitiveness in the Republic of Croatia were discussed.
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