Unibo Team Leader: Prof. Davide Viaggi, Dip. di Economia e Ingegneria Agrarie-DEIAGRA
Strategic network learning is of crucial importance for innovation as it enables the food company to expand its resource base and to absorb new trends and technologies. It is observed that food SMEs often fail in establishing a strategic and efficient network. This project sheds new light on this issue by combining research actions at two levels: the focal company level, investigating how attitudes and preferences determine the food SME's individual network behaviour in order to achieve business objectives. The network level, investigating the functioning of the network as a whole and how this results in innovation and economic growth and how network stakeholders can make the network better performing. The project combines scientific research with developing network learning tools of practical use to food SMEs, network organizations and policy makers. A broad definition of networks is applied, including networking with competitors, suppliers, knowledge centres and a variety of other actors through formal and informal linkages. Research activities take three steps: (1) profound analysis of success factors and barriers for network learning. Particular focus is on the relationship between informal and formal networking and global networks. (2) Network behaviour is analyzed at the focal company level, providing insight in network
characteristics affecting innovation and SMEs' preferences for different network designs. (3) a prototype tool is developed and tested to assess performance of the network at network level. In the development stage of the project, the network learning toolbox will be developed, market-tested and launched. It consists of a set of instruments to enhance the capacity of SME's, network organizations and policy makers to improve network learning based on strategic network management. The strength of the toolbox lies in the confrontation of our instruments with the business perspective and two-stage testing within SMEs and network organizations.
Coordinator
UNIVERSITEIT GENT (Belgium)
Other participants
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM-UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
- Dip. di Economia e Ingegneria Agrarie-DEIAGRA
- Resp. Scientifico: Prof. Davide Viaggi
TEAGASC - AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (Eire)
STICHTING FOOD VALLEY (The Netherlands)
DEBRECENI EGYETEM (Hungary)
SKANES LIVSMEDELSAKADEMI (Sweden)
INSTITUTE FOR FOOD & AGROINDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT (Denmark)
ASSOCIATION DE GESTION INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE LASALLE BEAUVAIS (France)
RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAET BONN (Germany)
Start date 01/05/2010
End date 30/04/2014
Duration 48 months
Project cost 3.528.312 EURO
Project Funding 2.956.186 EURO
Subprogramme Area Barriers to network learning in SMEs
Contract type Collaborative project-Small or medium scale focused research project