Since 2008, players from Lower Normandy’s agrifood industry can rely on the skills of the Valorial competitiveness cluster’s team to accompany them throughout each and every stage of their joint innovation projects. Support that lets them concentrate on developing tomorrow’s foodstuffs.

Under the French flag

Under the French flag
Val de Vire Bioactives is an Elle & Vire subsidiary located in Condé-sur-Vire, and is looking to develop new prospects for the cider-based sector by promoting apple marc brandy. A genuine specialist in apple “cracking “, the SME extracts the fruit’s natural ingredients for the cosmetics, nutrition and food industries. “We contacted Valorial to take part in the Vitafoods exhibition in Geneva,” recalls Hélène Masson, the company’s sales and marketing project leader. “Several companies from the sector were reunited on the French stand: « Label France ». “For an SME like ours, it’s an experience that offers genuine exposure”. Similarly, Valorial informs them of the latest trends in this very specific sector, via a regular newsletter. The cluster “filters” the great mass of information to provide only truly relevant issues.

The Valorial competitiveness cluster is working for our region. Historically located in Rennes, the cluster has already extended its influence beyond its Breton frontiers to the Pays de Loire in 2007, then Lower Normandy in 2008. As a cluster with a national vocation, it actively encourages the development of a common strategy for tomorrow’s foodstuffs, by federating all economic, scientific, political and regional institutional players. “Valorial targets players from the entire agrifood sector (milk, meat, ovoproducts, vegetables…) from the producer to the consumer, be they industrial firms or suppliers, equipment providers or ingredient manufacturers…” explains Emmanuelle Leflemme, the cluster’s delegate for Lower Normandy. The cluster’s action focuses on research priorities at the forefront of which stands the conception of new ingredients and food. “Innovative technologies (milk, ovoproducts, meat), microbiology, functional ingredients, health and nutrition are all among Valorial’s field of expertise, for the certification of projects that offer access to public co-funding specifically destined for competitiveness clusters,” explains the regional delegate.

Certified innovation projects

Valorial must now promote its action among associated players in Normandy. “One of my roles is to promote our mission among businesses and technical and research centres throughout Lower Normandy,” explains Emmanuelle Leflemme. “Faced with an ever-changing market, the agrifood sector needs to invest in research to improve its competitiveness, via an increase in the added value offered by the products it markets.” Emmanuelle Leflemme’s role is to facilitate collaborations leading to the emergence of new and innovative projects likely to be certified by Valorial. “Each project is required to associate several partners, all of them cluster members,” she highlights. “A minimum of two companies and a research or training institution. Thanks to our network, we can provide project initiators with a number of potential contacts.” Certification is prerequisite to public co-funding for joint projects that fall within the scope of the cluster’s field of expertise. “Certifying a project offers the opportunity to access complementary funds, specifically designed for competitiveness clusters and aimed at developing cooperation, alliance and synergy between businesses, research centres and training institutions,” she stresses. “The lever effect offered by public support is considerable.” But the agrifood sector is looking even further ahead. Valorial has joined forces with two other competitiveness clusters (Vitagora and Agrimip Innovation) to create the French Food Cluster “F2C Innovation” within the framework of their international development… A first in the field that is sure to facilitate the emergence of international projects and to enable France’s agrifood sector to win the competitiveness challenge.

(1) France’s “Great West” (Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Lower-Normandy) is today in prime position within the nation’s agrifood industry, with a turnover of €32Bn and around 130,000 associated jobs. Valorial can rely on over 500 agrifood players from Lower Normandy.

> Emmanuelle Leflemme
Valorial’s delegate for Lower Normandy
6 Rue des Roquemonts 14053 CAEN cedex
Tel: 02 31 47 22 03
Website: http://www.pole-valorial.fr/

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