Luxinnovation, Agriculture Ministry Team Up to Support Agri-Food Sector via Innovation

On Thursday 13 July 2023, Luxembourg's Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development and Luxinnovation GIE signed a first three-year partnership agreement which aims to support the agri-food sector and strengthen competitiveness and sustainability through innovation, digitalisation and collaboration with research stakeholders.

The new cooperation will promote networking between the various agri-food sectors and public or private partners and their access to aid programmes, in order to develop resilient and diversified agri-food value chains.

Luxinnovation will continue to facilitate access to knowledge, financing, technologies, equipment, infrastructure, networks, markets and business opportunities through a portfolio of relevant services for agriculture.

"We are committed to supporting the development of resilient and diversified agri-food value chains through innovation," explained Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation. "We are present to inform companies, but also to support them in their innovation projects, to put them in direct contact with public and private players and to promote collaborative projects benefiting the entire agri-food sector and, beyond that, the Luxembourg economy."

Claude Hostert, senior advisor for the agri-food sector, will provide coordination within Luxinnovation and support for the various innovative national initiatives in the sector.

According to the economy and agriculture ministries, the potential direct beneficiaries of this cooperation are suppliers of agri-food products and services as well as agri-food processing, digital services, equipment, agri-food consulting, agri-food distribution and bioeconomy companies. Among the indirect beneficiaries are primary agricultural producers, the research sector and companies with advanced technologies such as aquaponics or vertical farming.

Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Claude Haagen, stated: "These synergies will create important opportunities for innovation and diversification for the agro-food community and strengthen the implementation of the strategic plan for the common agricultural policy and the PAN-Bio 2025 action plan."

Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, added: "The partnership between Luxinnovation and the Ministry of Agriculture will ultimately benefit the competitiveness and sustainability of the agri-food sector. Developing resilient and diversified agri-food value chains is a real challenge not only for Luxembourg but also for all of Europe. Luxinnovation, as a national innovation agency, will thus put its expertise to good use, in order to support all innovative projects emerging in this context. Innovative agri-food production projects, such as aquaponics or vertical farming, for example, fit perfectly into our efforts to support the transition to a sustainable economy, in particular by advocating the active development of the circular economy."