Emerging findings of the peer review: Innovation Dissemination workshop: Peer review 17 May 2018 Varna, Bulgaria

Innovation “Moving from intellectual satisfaction to business satisfaction” – Prof. Plamen Mollov

Strengths Information sharing and support from multinationals (some industries) Eagerness to use EU funding Some desire to innovate Strong international partnerships

Weaknesses Regional support for SMEs and lack of connection to commercialization Transparency/cooperation for innovation (amongst sectors) No connection to Tech park or incubators to food industry Supply Chain Structure for SMEs Communication between government as a stakeholder (lacking partnership) Managers lack related education and industry experience in government

Opportunities Ageing population needs innovation Urbanization needs new solutions for feeding the city Trend towards market oriented innovation Incubator for food business development and networking Developing regional food identity Food accreditations development for SMEs Capitalize exchange of learning and development through projects

Threats Brain Drain Urbanization Lacking finance for business growth Differences amongst countries

1. Recommendation Set up a business support structure based on quadruple helix partnership, to have access to expert advice road to investors, create new routes to market support networking provide accesses to business support prevent “Braindrain”, and generate profit and jobs in the food industry.

Value Proposition Key Partners Government (local) Reps for key players in the SC Network Advisors Universities Private advisors Finance institutes Grant providers Key Activities Providing advice Expanding incubator to a support service Innovation broker Finance Business development Value Proposition Expert advice Road to Investors New routes to market Networking Accesses to business support Prevent “Braindrain” Generating profit Customer Relationships Creating bonds, transparency and networks Customer Segments - From farm to fork Channels - Face-Face - Workshops Food awards Community involvement Regional events Key Resources People, tech, skills Cost Structure Sales and marketing Operation and process People and skills Finance and KPIs Revenue Streams Subsidized services and paid services

Further Recommendations Strengthen, create, empower, and build food associations Implement food accreditation for SMEs to simplify market access Create mentorship program Create regional food identity and brands (sectors)