FoodBooster SII

IIS FoodBooster currently brings together some seven partners (see "Partners"), covering the entire functional ingredients value chain, from the collection and valorization of food industry by-products to the consumption of functional foods, and in particular prebiotics, probiotics and bioactive peptides used in human and animal health.

Role

The main ambition of the IIS FoodBooster is to federate a consortium of cross-industry players into a structured, integrated network focused on the entire value chain of the functional ingredients sector. By giving these players the opportunity to meet other manufacturers in the sector, as well as researchers from university laboratories and research centers, the IIS FoodBooster aims to support innovation in small and medium-sized agri-food businesses, provide assistance with European financing and promote the development of this industrial sector.

Governance

Governance Committee

The Governance Committee, which meets monthly, is responsible for the operational management of the IIS. It is made up of the ULiège and CER Groupe project leaders, the IIS coordinator, a representative of the Wagralim cluster and the Project Management Officer/Project Liaison Officer of the Win4Excellence FoodWal project portfolio.

The Governance Committee's mission is to :

• collect and update IIS data (partners, projects);
• prepare Steering Committee meetings;
• participate in and report to the SPW;
• inform partners of open calls for proposals and sources of funding;
• mobilize and support stakeholders in setting up actions;
• if necessary, set up theme-specific working groups, active for a defined period.

Steering committee

The steering committee, which meets twice a year, is made up of the IIS coordinator, academic and research partners (ULiège and CER Groupe leaders, TTO LIEU, Synhera representative), public partners (CRA-W), members of civil society (Test Achats), companies (ECI, FW Bioconsult, Cosucra, Beneo, Vesale Pharma, Puratos/THT, Biolife) and a representative of the Wagralim cluster. The committee also includes the leaders and coordinators of the Protewin IIS and the DigiBiocontrol IIS, as well as the PMOs/PLOs of the FoodWal portfolio.

Its purpose is to discuss current IIS activities and define future actions, to monitor intellectual property and commercialization issues within the IIS, and to decide on relevant IIS-related communications.

Work areas

• Support the development of new high-performance, environmentally-friendly processes and products that meet the needs and constraints of manufacturers.
• Facilitateaccess to state-of-the-art equipment, e.g. for product characterization, to position products in their value chain and meet regulatory requirements (food safety, health claims).
• Intensify collaborative research between different players.
• Help companies obtain European funding.
• Act as a central point of contact for the Walloon functional food industry and promote its local and international visibility.
• Promote the valorization of co-products in new value chains and encourage local supply chains, in order to improve the circularity and sustainability of the Walloon food industry.
• Contribute to the training of skilled workers and young researchers.
• Accelerate and secure innovation and decision-making processes for functional foods (fail early, fail cheap).