Our third partner in the project is KErn - Competence Centre for Nutrition from the region of Upper Franconia that is located in the State of Bavaria, Germany. Read more what KErn wishes to accomplish with the project and what their region is known for.
What is KErn about?
The KErn (Kompetenzzentrum für Ernährung, engl.: Competence Center for Nutrition) belongs to the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry. KErn is responsible for a science-based, interdisciplinary exchange between research, nutrition education institutions and food production enterprises. The aim is to reach a flow of information between all participating groups and to help transferring current knowledge into practice. In a huge network with regional partners in Bavaria, Germany, KErn supports those people who make the Bavarian agricultural and food industry with its established structures and various forms of cooperation.
Who will be working with the project?
The KErn-Team responsible for FRiDGE is located in the department for food industry and production. KErn itself is quite new to international projects, FRiDGE is the second Interreg project besides the Interreg Alpine Space project “AlpBioEco”. The department for food industry and production supports producers, processors and service providers in developing innovative food products and fostering (regional) networks.
The project will be managed by project manager Katharina Distler and supported by Robin Ehrhardt and Alexander Hugel from the same team.
- Working on different processes and intersections, I hope to be able to combine my knowledge from my studies in project management in the project. I am looking forward to the exchange of experiences and to new challenges. Improving the development and competitiveness of the region are our main objectives in the project, says Katharina.
FRiDGe project team at KErn.
Tell us something interesting about your region?
Our main office is based in Kulmbach in Upper Franconia, the region with the highest density of breweries, butcheries and bakeries in the world. The food sector in our region is mostly dominated by small scale and crafts enterprises which produce typical and traditional Bavarian products such as beer, sausages, meat products, cheese, spirits and other products from orchard cultivation. The free state of Bavaria wants to support these regional enterprises and value chains with its premium strategy including programs for further education and touristic involvement.
What do you want to achieve with FRIDGE project?
As part of the project, we would like to examine where we can further improve our premium strategy in order to better support SMEs and increase their competitiveness. A further goal would be to improve communication and cooperation with all participating companies, authorities and stakeholders and, for example, to achieve better advice and support with regards to funding opportunities. We also hope we can profit from the knowledge and experiences of all partners regarding international and especially Interreg projects.
Who are involved in your stakeholder group?
In our stakeholder group there will be representative from the managing authority for the premium strategy (Bavarian Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Forestry), regional and local public authorities, various associations, chambers, initiatives and most importantly local food processing SMEs.
First stakeholder meeting will take place on the 30th of January 2020. Our aim for the meeting is to establish contact with the stakeholders, inform them about the project and to achieve a common exchange within the project.
