Synergy Days is an ever-expanding network, aiming to connect stakeholders across the entire agri-food chain. This year, we are proud to showcase the work of European Digital Innovation Hubs as key actors in digital innovation. Who are they, and what digital solutions do they offer to the European agri-food sector? We spoke to EDIH Bretagne to learn more about the EDIH, its goals and journey.

 

 

What inspired the creation of your EDIH? 

Brittany is famous worldwide for its primary and food production, being one of the 1^st producing regions in France and Europe. Historically traditional agriculture land, Brittany has progressively turned toward an industrial economy based on food production. It’s long and rich tradition of innovators and food pioneers were beneficial for the region, but the sector is now facing new challenges, such as generational gap and conflicts in production models, technology adoption, skills and labor, climatic, environmental and geopolitical changes.

Convinced that digital solutions can play a key role in addressing these challenges, the EDIH Bretagne project partners considered Agrifood sector as one of its focuses, as of strategic importance for the Region’s resilience. They gathered competencies and networks to address the agrifood industry’s challenges. With the idea of offering a secured digital transition, after many agrifood industrials were cyber attacked, as more digital solutions can also bring higher risks. 

Can you share some of the key milestones or successes your EDIH has achieved to date?

EDIH Bretagne as federated the regional digital innovation ecosystem, ensuring a good geographic coverage of the region, to deliver relevant services. This was not easy, as the ecosystem is already rich and have a long history. To be identified, known and trusted, the project has been consolidating its presence with events, workshops and provided first support to companies. They key was to be complementary with other actors, not in competition with the private sector or other organizations. Entitled by the Regional authority, EDIH Bretagne aims to be the one-stop-shop, and it is happening progressively, with success stories, proper communication, and results.

What innovative technologies or methods are you most excited about within your EDIH? 

Finding the way to approach and satisfyingly address companies’ challenges, with tailor-made support and digital transition journey is exciting, as it is always different. We try to find patterns, and good practices, but each companies has its own challenges, and a one-fit-all journey is not possible, so we have to be really listening to the companies needs and help them to overcome barriers, finding suitable options, solutions and services. It seems that digital transition is strongly connected to other types of transition (environmental, social, governance, resilience), so the topic goes often way beyond pure digitalization. Or let’s say that digitalization often wakes up other topics. But with the right support and the good connections with the ecosystem we can make wonders.

What advice would you give to other innovators looking to make an impact in the agricultural / food sector through digital technologies? 

Understand the sector, going in the field, organize some workshops were needs can meet solutions. It is very often tailor-made solutions, so embrace the cooperative way to innovate, experimenting and build solutions with partners (rather than clients). Remember that innovation as to bring something for the company, so a very good needs analysis is primordial.

What is the added value of Synergy Days for your EDIH? 

Synergy Days is a way to affirm the EDIH ambition of having a widespread European initiative, a common methodology to address digitalization, and showcase its results and impacts in the Agrifood sector. It is to me the event where the European Agrifood innovation ecosystem meets, an inspiring place to confront imaginaries, leverage obstacles and build this much needed European cooperation.

Want to meet them and learn more about the EDIH? Join EDIH Bretagne at Synergy Days 2024! More details and how to register.