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Richard Howell, Senior Inspector
Research Division,
Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

What is Innovation?
– new, improved or successfully applied products, processes or services, for instance products with adapted quality, new production methods, opening to new markets and new forms of organization
– innovation is more than dissemination of research: it occurs as a result of the creativity and interplay between actors for combining new and/or existing (tacit) knowledge
– In the end, it is only when a new creation really becomes more or less mainstream that it is called an “innovation”.
In short: ideas put into practice with success
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Commitment to R, D & I;
Exploiting key areas in the bioeconomy;
Investing in skills & infrastructure;
Supporting start-up companies;
Building competitive advantage;
Developing a Green Economy Strategy
Sustainable food production & processing;
Food for Health
Marine Renewable Energy
Processing Technologies & Novel Materials
Manufacturing Competitiveness

The Innovation Support Landscape

FIRM
• Primary funding mechanism for institutional food research
• Create knowledge base in generic technologies to support a consumer-focused industry
• Innovation, product development, safety
Stimulus
• Focus on modern animal / plant biosciences, agri- environment & non-food land use, agri-economics & finance.
• Support sustainably competitive agric. practices & policies
CoFoRD
• Support forest policy, sustainable forest management , use of forest products and provision of public goods /ecosystem services.
All ‘public good’ in nature

• Publications
• PhDs; MSc; Contract Researchers, Postdoctoral scientists,
• Conferences
• Centre of Excellence
• New technology, product, or process
• Invention disclosure/Patent/Licences/Spinouts –work with EI
• Trained graduates for Industry / State Agencies e.g. AFFGDP
• Sound basis for Extension to inform farming practice
• Consultancy / Contract research / Workshops
• Leverage funding from other sources e.g. FP
• Inter-Institute collaboration lead to specialised units able to participate in Industry-led research & SFI / EI Centres (e.g.
APC, FHI) & in EU/global initiatives (JPI’s, GRA, etc.)
• Contribute to Evidence-based policy development

Nutramara : marine functional foods research
Feasibility study
Mapping of marine resources, IP
Audit, Consumer attitudes and market analysis, Regulatory affairs, Literature Searches,
Identification of knowledge gaps
Toxicity & Dietary intervention
Sourcing &
Processing of raw materials
Algae, Products/Byproducts of processing,
Aquaculture
VISION: To create an internationally recognised capability for the discovery and validation of marine based bioactive components and for the sustainable exploitation of their use in functional foods
Scale-up & delivery
Pilot scale isolation & extraction, Formulation
Stabilisation
Bioavailability
Production of model foods
Shelf life studies
Sensory assessment
Bio-active discovery
& generation
Extraction, Characterisation
Purification, Mining (Chemical and enzymatic hydrolysis) ,
Algal production optimisation
Bio-active screening & validation
Model systems, Gene expression, Cell Cultures
Animal models

Mission
To support science-based innovation in the Agri-food sector and the wider bio-economy that will underpin profitability, competitiveness and sustainability.
> 40,000 farmer clients
> 1,800 FTEs in full time education and 500 FTE in continuing education
Dedicated Food Industry Development
Department and pilot plants

Helping companies of all sizes to engage in Research and Innovation
Innovation Vouchers €5,000 for small companies to get innovative solutions to technical and business challenges
The R&D Fund – grants for inhouse R&D projects, small and large, and collaboration bonuses for company-to-company collaboration
Innovation Partnerships – up to €250,000 available for collaborative projects between companies and research teams in Higher Education
Applied Research Enhancement Centres – collaborate in clusters of companies and access equipment and technology
Technology Centres – industry-led research in emerging technology sectors
EU, FP7 and ESA – access funding and research partners across Europe

 Partnership between:
 Public Research Organizations
 Irish food industry
 Funded by
 Enterprise Ireland and Industry partners
 Total budget € 22,5 mio
 Industry-led research agenda:
 Infant nutrition, metabolic health, infection/immunity and healthy ageing
 Stipulated dairy based
 Strong market position of industry partners
One centre aimed at developing, manufacturing, marketing and selling functional food products to improve people ’ s health and wellness

Opportunities in Ireland
Ireland’s Excellent Biorefining Potential results from highest growth rates of agricultural biomass per hectare of any EU country
Irish Technology Centre For Biorefining &
Bioenergy
Membership – Industry led programme comprised of Industry Members, Research
Members and Public Service
Bodies/Agencies
Objective Leverage skills, resources and cooperation of Industry members, Academic institutions and Government Agencies working together to deliver economic benefits from respective themes

• Advises COM & MS on coordination of research across the
ERA relating to the Bioeconomy including forestry and marine. Works through Plenary + SCAR WG + dedicated
Collaborative WG’s.
• CWG on Agr. Knowledge & Innovation Systems (AKIS) :
– Science driven (H2020) V Innovation driven (CAP) research
– Innovation is bottom-up, social process needing interaction of many partners (not just research, advisors, education, etc
– Primarily up to business but also warrants Govt investment - Spill-overs & mitigate problems

The EIP will provide challenge-driven solutions based on:
– interlinking innovation-related measures and initiatives to achieve synergies and enhance effectiveness
– facilitating communication among stakeholders and creating workable links between science and practice
– providing EU value added through networking and enhancing complementarity
– using a lean governance structure, based on existing mechanisms

Advisors
Closing The Innovation Gap
Research
Farming Practice
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• The innovation model under the agricultural EIP goes far beyond speeding up transfer from laboratory to practice through diffusion of new scientific knowledge ("linear innovation model").
• The EIP adheres to the "interactive innovation model" which focuses on forming partnerships - using bottom-up approaches and linking farmers, advisors, researchers, businesses, and other actors in Operational Groups.
• This knowledge “exchange” will generate new insights and ideas and mould existing tacit knowledge into focused solutions. Such an approach will stimulate innovation from all sides and will help to target the research agenda.
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Means to support operational groups (OGs)
1. Rural Development Programmes:
– Cooperation (establishing operational groups)
– Knowledge transfer, including demonstration projects
– Advisory services, including training of advisors
– Investment in physical assets
– Business development
– Quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs
2. European Union Research Policy (Horizon 2020)
– Applied research enhancing the knowledge base
– Clusters of applied innovation actions and multi-actor projects
– Support innovation brokers and innovation centres
– On farm experimentation

– Interlinking innovation-related actions of Rural Development Policy and the EU Research and Innovation Framework
– Collection of relevant information (data bases, project lists, etc.)
– Ensuring an effective flow of information and providing advice on opportunities provided by EU policies (helpdesk function)
– Exchange on innovation topics, best practice, and accompanying research (focus groups, seminars, workshops, field days)
– Systematic feedback to scientific community on practice needs
– Exchange with Technology Platforms (ETPs), Research Area
Networks (ERA-NETs), Joint Programming Initiatives, etc.
– Interface with SCAR)

• Primary production : technical solutions to increasing productivity and economic viability
• Resource management : ecosystem services, soil functionality, water management, and genetic resources (“public goods”)
• Bioeconomy : innovative technology for the bio-based economy recycling; new products; reduction of post harvest loss
• Supply chain : integrated supply chain solutions; new services; logistics, and management systems
• Quality and consumers : food quality, food safety, and healthy lifestyles (consumer information and consumer choice)
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Steering Board (SIP & Sherpas)
European Innovation Partnership
‚Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability ‘
Rural
Development
Network
Steering Group
Rural
Development
Committee
EIP
Network
Standing
Committee on Agricultural
Research
(SCAR)
Research & Innovation
Framework:
• Research projects
• Multi-actor projects
• Pilot project clusters
• Innovation brokers
• On-farm experiments
ETPs, ERA-
Nets, JPIs, etc.
Horizon 2020
Programme
Committee
Rural Development
Policy :
• Knowledge transfer
• Cooperation
• Pilot projects
• Demonstration
• Advisory services
• Investment
Member
States
Programmes
Operational
Groups
Operational
Groups
Operational
Groups
Operational
Groups
Operational
Groups
Farmers .
Advisers .
Enterprises .
Scientists. NGOs