From mid-May, the Global Coordinating Secretariat (GCS) for Food Innovation Hubs, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and partners, will be located on Wageningen Campus. The GCS, which consists of a team of 3 people, was announced last January by Prime Minister Rutte during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
To provide the growing world population with healthy food in a sustainable way, we will have to change the way we produce and consume our food in a sustainable way. Innovative solutions (such as the use of sensors and big data) can help with this, but are still used to a limited extent and are insufficiently scaled in the Food and Agri sector.
Food Innovation Hubs
Food Innovation Hubs are locally or regionally led platforms in which different parties work together to implement and scale innovations to sustainably adapt food systems. NGOs, farmers' organizations, research institutes, local and international companies, governments, and innovative companies work together in projects of the Food Innovation Hubs. Food Innovation Hubs are currently under development in India, Colombia, Vietnam, Kenya, and Europe. Foodvalley NL is the pioneer of the Food Innovation Hub Europe.
The GCS supports the different Food Innovation Hubs, coordinates the initiatives, and stimulates collaboration and joint learning from experiences between the different hubs. “The first online meeting with people from the different hubs took place online and we hope to meet a delegation from different hubs 'live' in Geneva and Wageningen at the end of June,” says Angelique van Helvoort, program manager at GCS.
Personalized Nutrition for All Challenge
One of the initiatives that the Food Innovation Hub Europe is organizing is the competition: Personalized Nutrition for All. In this, the Food Innovation Hub Europe, together with EIT Food and Foodvalley NL, is looking for new solutions to monitor and improve personal health. The aim is to reduce obesity and prevent malnutrition through personalized nutrition. Six winners will be chosen in October, each of whom will receive 30,000 euros to further develop their solution.
The Netherlands, and in particular the food valley region around Ede and Wageningen, is an international leader in innovations in Agri and Food. The GCS is supported by the Dutch government, the provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel, and is a nice addition to the ecosystem of Wageningen Campus.
