Development and implementation of a model for promoting innovation in traditional food products through academic entrepreneurship

ABSTRACT

Traditional food products are products made in a specific way according to the gastronomic heritage and known due to their sensory properties and associated with a specific local area, region or country. These products are often associated with rural areas lacking sources of innovation and competitiveness. This study aims to develop and implement a model to promote innovation in traditional food products through academic entrepreneurship, integrating it with a perspective of product development. The development of the model was based on the program and the contest developed under the Newfood Project, where a process for product innovation was incorporated. The developed model proved to be easy to implement and replicate among PhD students and researchers in the areas of food biotechnology, food science and nutrition. Its implementation, with a new product development process, allowed the prototyping of innovative products in the traditional products sector.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic entrepreneurship
• new product development
• innovation
• newfood
• traditional foods

Acknowledgments

This study was supported within the scope of NEWFOOD - Food Technologies Valorization (NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000043) which was co-financed by the Northern Regional Operational Program (NORTE2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the implementation of the Fund European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It was also co-financed by the European Union - ERASMUS+ Program, through the ABioNet project (586136-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP).

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leandro Oliveira

Leandro Oliveira is nutritionist and holds a PhD in Clinical Nutrition, a MSc in Consumer Sciences and Nutrition, and another in Food Technology and Safety. He also has postgraduate in Economics and Business Management and in Management of Training. His areas of interest are: Public Health, Innovation, New Product Development, Entrepreneurship, Circular Economy, E-learning. In the last few years, he has been doing research in public health, clinical nutrition, education, and entrepreneurship. He has been assisting the coordination of several R&D+I projects, some co-financed by programs such as ERASMUS+ or the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Eduardo Luís Cardoso is a researcher, assistant professor, and coordinator of the task force on Knowledge Transfer and of the Services to Companies at Faculty of Biotechnology – UCP Porto. He has got a PhD in the area of Innovation and has experience in management roles at different projects and programs from research, innovation and technology commercialization. He also has been member of the board at the Faculty, the CBQF Research Center, and at the AESBUC University-Industry Association. He teaches Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Learning Technologies; and Research Methodologies in different Undergraduate, Master and PhD Programs, in Business, Science and Technology. His research interests cover: Innovation; Individual and Organizational Learning; Knowledge Management and Entrepreneurship. He has coordinated a number of R&D+I projects, some funded in programs like RTD FP, ERDF or ERASMUS+.