Shaping food innovation ecosystems: roles and activities of a focal actor

This research aims to examine the different roles and activities of a non-firm focal actor in shaping the food innovation ecosystem. We adopted the innovation ecosystem approach and applied multiple methods in a case study setting to empirically investigate one focal actor, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food. We show that EIT Food manages and supports value creation in the European food innovation ecosystem. We found that EIT Food adopts already defined and additional roles and activities according to the innovation ecosystem approach and provides directionality and orchestrating activities. We conclude that the way EIT Food works can act as a role model for other public sector entities in implementing strategies to direct food system transformation. These insights are valuable for policy makers to better understand the potential power of a focal non-firm actor with its multiple roles in shaping innovation ecosystem.