HortiCo 4.0: the networking and transfer project for horticulture 4.0 innovation funding in Germany

Research and development of innovations should be supported by a professional network management to implement innovations in horticultural value chains successfully. For this reason, the networking and transfer project HortiCo 4.0 was established for the German funding priority Horticulture 4.0. The main objective of this project is to interlink the Horticulture 4.0 research and development (R&D) projects. Technical and economic analyses of innovations under development at the meta level will demonstrate how digital change affects structure, competitiveness and sustainability of the horticultural sector. Technology assessments will address the potential of innovation clusters and their impact on individual enterprises, the horticultural sector and society. The most important results of R&D projects have to be communicated to specialists and stakeholders who then contribute to a wide dissemination of the innovations. Additionally, the public will be informed on socially and politically relevant innovations and challenges. The project started in 2020 to identify and leverage synergies between the different Horticulture 4.0 R&D projects. Four innovation clusters were identified and established for R&D projects with similar areas of work: (1) technology development, (2) digital processes, (3) information systems, and (4) technology assessment and practical application.