Boosting the digitisation of the Italian and Maltese agri-food sector  

The Regional Cluster (RC) Italy-Malta is led by a consortium for innovation and technology transfer in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, and one of Europe’s largest farmers’ associations. 

This RC’s focus lies in supporting and fostering the digital transformation of the agri-food sector, connecting all the individual players of the national and regional innovation ecosystem. To serve this goal, it promotes the creation of new Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) by leveraging already existing initiatives fostering the participation of farmer communities to these innovation ecosystems. 

This does not only facilitate the adoption of cutting-edge innovations, it also fosters farmers’ participation and strengthens their connection with these innovation ecosystems. In total, it covers 15 distinct DIHs, addressing a wide variety of agri-food sectors: From viticulture and aquaculture, to the quality assessment of agricultural production and many more. The dynamic cooperation between the stakeholders of this RC is emblematic for the entire SmartAgriHubs (SAH) project itself and ensures a self-sustaining innovation ecosystem, amplifying regional expertise through the integration in a pan-European network.