The HempClub project (Competent and Connected Clusters Unfold the Hemp Industry Potential for the European Bioeconomy), funded by the COSME Programme and coordinated by the LGCA cluster, brings together 7 clusters and associations operating in the bioeconomy, advanced manufacturing and hemp production sectors to create interconnected and interregional supply chains between operators in primary production, agri-food processing and green chemistry in the hemp and bioeconomy sector. With its unique chemical properties, environmental benefits, high yield and wide range of applications, hemp is a valuable crop for the bioeconomy, contributing to achieving climate neutrality, although still representing a niche crop in Europe.
Through mutual learning, and SMEs and other stakeholders’ mobility, HempClub aims to unlock the hemp biomass exploitation potential supporting the ClusterXchange scheme’s implementation. ClusterXchange pilot scheme supports short-term exchanges between two different COSME countries to better connect Europe’s industrial ecosystems. It facilitates transnational cooperation, peer learning, networking and innovation uptake between actors of different industrial clusters and it is a great opportunity to share knowledge and commercial opportunities in the bioeconomy, enhance collaboration and networking among actors of EU bioeconomy value chains and learn more about the potential of hemp as sustainable biomass.
To this end, during the last ClusterXchange – the Indica Sativa Trade Business Exchange – that took place in Bologna (Italy) on the 13-15th of April, Azienda Agraria Sperimentale Stuard (Parma, Italy) hosted some representatives of the HempClub project and the companies Meditteri d.o.o., Mediterri&Co d.o.o. and Nystart GmbH aiming at creating new collaboration opportunities within the hemp value chains. Representing the farm company, Professor Vita Maria Cristiana Moliterni (researcher from the CREA) showed us their variety of hemp-based textile products and their pilot plant to macerate hemp for textile use. It was also a great opportunity to know more about the CATERPILLAR project, represented by CREA and Azienda Agricola Sperimentale Stuard.
The Caterpillar project (Fiber hemp agro industrial chain for the production of functional food and animal feed additives) is a project funded by Emilia-Romagna Region within the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, measure 16.1.01 “Agricultural European Innovation Partnership Operational Groups”, focus area 2 A. The project is coordinated by Open Fields, a company operating in the agri-food sector, promoting innovation along the supply chains, and the scientific coordinator is the Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Center of the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA). Caterpillar project operates in the Italian hemp supply chain and aims to diversify production and improve the profitability of the crop, generating new high value-added by-products and opening up on-farm access to new markets. In particular, the project aims to strengthen aspects related to the food uses of products and by-products resulting from the processing of hemp fibres.
This collaboration was a great opportunity for networking and cooperation, allowing interaction with different realities in the industrial hemp sector.
HempClub project
web: https://hempclubproject.com/
e-mail: hempclub.eu@gmail.com
Caterpillar project
web: https://www.gocaterpillar.it/
e-mail: info@openfields.it
tel: +30 0521 1812730
