Newfood Project: food technologies valorization in traditional foods sector

The European food and drink sector is unique in its very high regional and continent-wide cultural diversity, which is not only a point of pride for many citizens, but also provides a framework ideally suited to foster creativity and innovation. The NEWFOOD - Food Technologies Valorization project joins the ambitions of the 4 public Universities of the Northern Region (University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portuguese Catholic University - Porto Regional Center, University of Minho and University of Porto) to accelerate the expansion and consolidation of the so-called "traditional products" through a proposal of innovation catalyzed by the transfer of knowledge and technology. This project proposes three Actions that are articulated: (i) develop a knowledge and skills map of the Region and an inventory of the needs of the sector to ensure the innovation process focused on the central axes of expansion and consolidation of the sector; (ii) promote innovation projects aimed at generating new products / solutions of economic relevance in the "Traditional Products" sector and (iii) actively disseminate knowledge, skills and resources to the entities involved, including stakeholders from the relevant economic sectors. Critical factors for the competitiveness of the traditional products sector will thus be worked out. Given the territorially distributed nature of the project, it will also promote the competitiveness of the Region associated with Agro-food activity, but also with related activities such as Tourism. The dissemination, both national and international, of knowledge and traditional products will contribute to the notoriety and attractiveness of the Region and the Country, adding value in the production chains. In this way, it is intended to support the internationalization of value added products such as traditional products, thus promoting the competitiveness of the agro-food industry.