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How clusters drive innovation in the food sector

From roasted pulse snacks and pickled bamboos shoots, through to medicinal mushroom lagers and organic fermented foods. These are just some of the trailblazing innovations driving the recovery and growth of the food and agribusiness industry.

As the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre, Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) recognises the critical role innovation will play in seeing industry unlock its potential.

In celebration of Australia’s renowned ingenuity, FIAL has published the fifth edition of its Celebrating Australian Food and Agribusiness Innovations.

While this is the fifth year that FIAL has been profiling Australian food and agribusiness innovations, this edition of Celebrating Australian Food and Agribusiness Innovations is the first of its kind. The over 45 featured innovations all have one thing in common – the businesses behind them all belong to clusters.

Clusters – geographically proximate groups of interconnected companies that benefit from being able to tap into a local ecosystem of knowledge and relationships – are a growing force in Australia’s food and agribusiness industry.

With approximately 180,000 businesses, largely SMEs, scattered across a very large geographical area, the case is growing that clustering is essential for building the capability, capacity and confidence necessary for businesses to innovate and get the economies of scale to compete on the world stage.

FIAL has been a key driver behind food and agribusiness clustering in Australia. Through its Cluster Programme, up to $300,000 of matched funding was provided to four of the clusters included in Celebrating Australian Food and Agribusiness Innovations.

“FIAL is proud to highlight the incredible work Australia’s clusters are doing to support our industry. It has never been more important than today to innovate and back our clusters in helping our businesses, regions and cities grow towards positive futures,” said Dr Mirjana Prica, FIAL managing director.

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