What was the challenge/problem addressed?

In MAPA’s Digital Innovation Hub, called la Vega Innova, challenges companies in the sector to create agrotechnological solutions that address current industry needs in the form of challenges.

How did you solve the problem?

The goal of the Open Innovation Challenges is to develop innovative solutions to meet the sector’s needs. The aim is to identify issues affecting the industry and invite the network of companies in the AgriFoodTech sector to find the best solution to meet the need.

What is innovative in your practical case?

Challenges like Hackathons can be faced by La Vega Innova and Telefónica. They are looking for creative minds to help solve the challenges of the AgriFoodTech future. If the entrepreneurial spirit is your hallmark, you can participate in other hackathon.

What are the success factors in solving the problem?

Finding solutions to current challenges in the agri-food sector with the help of new technologies.

Making the developed solutions accessible to all players in the agri-food sector for everyone’s benefit.

Integrating the data generated by these projects into La Vega Innova’s FIWARE platform, facilitating information exchange using the same standard and developing new Agrotech products or services based on this data.

Identifying sector trends that currently lack a specific solution for their application.

Lessons learned

1. Invite interested companies to propose different problems to be solved.

2. Application processing and problem selection.

3. Inviting companies to present their solutions..

4. Application processing, analysis, and selection of finalists. Presentation of the finalists’ solution to a panel of judges and selection of the winning company.

5. Budget allocation to the winning company. Project execution. Solution monitoring and validation.

6. Reporting and dissemination of the final product (e.g., press/social media).

What role does the advisor or advisory service play with the practical case?

These projects are targeted at all visitors to the iHUB (companies, organisations, researchers, students and all actors in the agri-food sector) who would like to offer solutions to the challenges presented or find out which challenges are being developed and offer a solution.

The entity that develops the challenge will be required to present the solution, through a presentation or training session at La Vega Innova, to all actors in the agri-food sector who are interested and who could benefit from it.

Advisors can play many roles in these proposals: participants, leaders, coordinators, facilitators, innovation broker, etc.

Can your approach be transferred and/or adapted for other innovation challenges and regions?

Yes

Estimated transferability on a scale from 1 to 5

(where 1 is easy and 5 very difficult)

2

For sharing the experience on the good practice, please contact 

jpromero@mapa.es

Juan Pedro Romero Trueba

Link to external information

https://lavegainnova.es/en/innovation-challenges/