Innovation networks on Mediterranean non-wood forest products

A new paper identifies ways to improve the employment and income-generating potential of NWFP through open innovation in forest policies and management.

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The Wild Mushrooms & Truffles iNet Scoping Seminar held in Soria, Spain, in June 2018. Photo: INCREDIBLE

Non Wood Forest Products (NWFP) are important resources for rural economies. The European network of the ‘Innovation Networks of Cork, Resins and Edibles in the Mediterranean basin’ (INCREDIBLE) project brings together the main actors associated with NWFP with the aim of sharing knowledge, expertise and experience. INCREDIBLE facilitates open innovation by establishing and operating Innovation Networks (iNets) for different NWFP. The objective of open innovation is to bring together innovative ideas of actors from different organisations, thus making the best use of their respective areas of competence in order to create an effective innovation ecosystem.

In 2018, each iNet held an international Scoping Seminar, with a total of more than 180 participating stakeholders, to identify and validate the most important social, technological and silvicultural challenges for each NWFP value chain. The seminars established priority themes on which to focus INCREDIBLE actions, the results of which can be found in this paper. Findings confirm that extensive efforts are required to develop the full potential of NWFP in the Mediterranean.

Join the INCREDIBLE iNets and be part of the next steps in this project to address the issues raised.

REFERENCED ARTICLE

Mutke, S., Bonet, J.A., Calado, N., Calvo, J., Taghouti, I., Redondo, C., Martinez de Arano, I,, (2019). Innovation networks on Mediterranean Non Wood Forest Products. Journal of Innovative Science and Engineering. 3(1): 1-10

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Head of Service for Forest Industries, Forest Research Centre, INIA Madrid. Expert in the field of NWFP, forest genetic resources, Mediterranean stone pine and pine nuts. He coordinates the Wild nuts & berries Innovation Network, Thematic Network INCREDIBLE (H2020) and IUFRO RG1.08.00 on Silviculture for production of edible fruits. Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sven_Mutke