AgriFood Connect has been launched to address challenges in the agriculture and food sectors, providing a cross-border environment for businesses to work together.

The project focuses on connecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and research institutions to drive sustainable growth and productivity while bridging the gap between research and practical application.

SMEs involved in agriculture and food production often struggle to adopt new technologies due to a lack of resources, networks, and expertise, resulting in missed opportunities for growth, sustainability and increased productivity.

These challenges pose a risk not only to the competitiveness of SMEs but also to the long-term sustainability and economic resilience of the sector.

Munster Technological University’s AgriTech Ireland Cluster have joined forces with the Agri-Food Quest Competence Centre (hosted by Queen University Belfast) to provide scalable solutions for the industry.

Building partnerships

Agrifood Connect will be rolled out in four phases with each one focused on building strong partnerships and translating research into tangible, market-ready solutions.

Commenting on the launch, Alison Currie, director of innovation and entrepreneurship at Inter Trade Ireland said, “The clusters are working collaboratively on addressing critical challenges faced in the agri-food sector by fostering a strong, cross-border innovation ecosystem that bridges the gap between research and practical application."

She emphasised this project will help convert challenges into solutions resulting in competitiveness and sustainable growth for SMEs within the agriculture and food sectors in Ireland.

For those wanting to get involved, there is an expression of interest form available here.

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