Projects

International Project Activities in South Savo

Members of the South Savo Food Cluster—including development organisations and regional businesses—participate in numerous international projects. Below are examples of international food-sector projects, grouped by funding source.

Interreg Europe by the European Union

SMEOrigin – Boosting SME Competitiveness through preserving Europe’s culinary heritage

The overall objective of SMEOrigin is to improve regional development policies and funding programmes that strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs in the food sector. More specifically, the project supports geographical indication products by improving SME quality standards, encouraging digital transformation and promoting product authenticity.

Project partners:

  • Steirische Wirtschaftsförderungsges.m.b.H., Austria (lead partner)
  • Savonlinnan Hankekehitys Oy, Finland  https://savonlinnanyrityspalvelut.fi/savonlinna-business-services/
  • Stara Zagora Regional Economic Development Agency, Bulgaria
  • Opolskie Centre for Economy Development/Opolskie Voivodeship, Poland
  • University of Patras, Greece
  • Municipality of Calasparra, Spain
  • INTERBIO Aquitaine/ Limousin/ Poitou-Charentes, France

Project duration: 1.3.2023 – 31.5.2027

More information: https://www.interregeurope.eu/smeorigin

Social Circular Food Webs – Socially inclusive circular solutions for food waste prevention

Social Food Webs helps regions improve policies to reduce food waste and make better use of surplus food. The project promotes the development of local redistribution systems that are efficient, fair and sustainable. Surplus food is used to support people in vulnerable situations, in line with EU goals for a greener, more inclusive Europe.

Project partners

  • South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Xamk (Finland) (lead partner)
  • Economic Council of East Flanders, EROV (Belgium)
  • Vejle Municipality (Denmark)
  • Valles Occidental County Council (Spain)
  • Lille European Metropolis, MEL (France)
  • Riga Planning Region (Latvia)
  • Wielkopolska Region (Poland)
  • Environment Company of Porto Municipality, EMAP (Portugal)

Project duration: 1.5.2025–31.7.2029

More information: https://www.interregeurope.eu/social-food-webs

Interreg Baltic Sea Region by the European Union

BASCIL – Innovative Solutions Enhancing Sustainable Culinary Tourism Services Through Diversification In Rural Food Production Sector

The project BASCIL helps local food producers in rural areas diversify their business into sustainable culinary tourism services, and thus reach new customers.

Project partners

  • Krinova Incubator and Science Park (Sweden) (lead partner)
  • South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Xamk (Finland)
  • Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce (Estonia)
  • Association of Rural Tourism Mecklenburg-West Pomerania e.V. (Germany)
  • Association of Klaipeda Region Municipalities (Lithuania)
  • Pomorskie Tourist Board (Poland)
  • Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (Lithuania)
  • Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association (Lithuania)
  • Foundation “Polish Nature” (Poland)
  • HANEN – Norwegian Tourism and Local Food Association (Norway)
  • Latvian Country Tourism Association (Latvia)
  • NGO “Farmers Parliament” (Latvia)
  • Estonian Rural Tourism Organization (Estonia)
  • Pomerania Development Agency (Poland)
  • Lomalaidun ry (Finland)

Project duration: 01.01.2023 – 31.12.2025

More information: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/bascil/

KISMET – Sustainable food environments

The project tackles the challenge that local and regional authorities often lack capacity, require new impulses or need innovative solutions for realizing more circular and sustainable food environments. KISMET provides them concrete instruments and tools for working better with governance, the demand-side and the production side.

Project partners

  • City of Hamburg (Germany) (lead partner)
  • South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Xamk (Finland)
  • Södertälje municipality (Sweden)
  • Foodworks Association (Germany)
  • Vidzeme Planning Region (Latvia)
  • Vejle Municipality (Denmark)
  • Beras International Foundation (Sweden)
  • Tartu Biotechnology Park (Estonia)
  • ScanBalt Public Institution (Estonia)
  • Public Institution Lithuanian Innovation Centre (Lithuania)
  • Prizztech Ltd. (Finland)
  • Steinbeis Wissens- und Technologietransfer GmbH (Germany)
  • Food Organisation of Denmark (Denmark)

Project duration: 1.1.2023-31.12.2025

More information: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/kismet/

Interreg Central Baltic Programme by the European Union

Scaling Experiences

This project supports new growth-oriented SMEs in mainly rural hospitality and creative sectors through an innovative Experience Economy programme.

By shifting from basic services to unforgettable experiences, these businesses can boost visitor appeal and increase revenue—because people pay more for what they truly remember.

Project partners:

  • Tartu County Tourism Foundation (Estonia) (lead partner)
  • South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences Ltd, Xamk (Finland)
  • Latgale Region Tourism Association (Latvia)
  • NGO Vidzeme Creative Hives (Latvia)
  • Association of Local Authorities of Lääne-Viru County (Estonia)
  • Tartu Centre for Creative Industries (Estonia)

Project duration: 1.5.2025–31.10.2027

More information: https://centralbaltic.eu/project/scaling-experiences/

Rural-UP

Rural enterprises in the partner regions face challenges due to their remote location and limited access to larger markets. Although food and beverage production is a key part of the local economy, most major companies are located in urban areas. This project aims to support the growth of 20 rural start-ups in the food and beverage sector and related industries. By helping these businesses scale up, the project will strengthen rural entrepreneurship and increase the competitiveness and cohesion of the Central Baltic region.

Project partners:

  • Valmiera Development Agency, VDA (Latvia) (lead partner)
  • South Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Xamk (Finland)
  • Latgale Planning Region, LPR (Latvia)
  • Tartu Business Advisory Services, Tartu BAS (Estonia)

Project duration: 1.5.2025–30.4.2027

More information: https://centralbaltic.eu/project/rural-up/

Interreg Northern Periphery and Artic

GIFT – Geographical Indication boosting Food, Non-food and Tourism sectors in Northern areas

Small producers in the NPA regions often face challenges like remote markets, low visibility, and difficulties in securing fair prices for quality products.

The overall objective of GIFT -project is to enhance the competitiveness and visibility of local food, non-food and tourism SMEs in NPA area, promote their co-operation and contribute to wider visibility of the whole NPA geographical area by increasing the use of EU’s Geographical Indication (GI) and tools associated to it. The GIFT project helps local food and non-food SMEs stand out by using the EU’s Geographical Indication (GI) system, which links products to their place of origin.

Project partners

  • University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute (Finland) (lead partner)
  • Local Enterprise Office, Donegal County Council (Ireland)
  • Icelandic Lamb, Iceland Ministry of Agriculture (Iceland)
  • Self-Sufficiency, Energy and Environment (Greenland)

Project duration: 1.4.2025-31.3.2028

More information: https://www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/gift/home/about-the-project/

The Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research

Bridge builders – Building sustainable nutritional bridges between research and health and wellbeing services for elderly

The network consists of a wide and diverse range of expertise in food and nutrition research (healthy food, alternative proteins, mealtime interventions, aging) as well as in service applications and good practices (dietary habits and environments, training of social and health professionals). By combining and utilizing these in a more effective way, the challenges of shared mega-trends of aging and sustainability can be better addressed.
Project partners
South-Eastern University of Applied Sciences (Finland) (lead partner)

Linnaeus University, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences (Sweden)

University College Copenhagen, Faculty of Health (Denmark)

 University of Stavanger, Faculty of Social Sciences, (Norway)

Project duration
01.10.2020 – 30.06.2022

More information
https://www.xamk.fi/en/research-and-development/bridge-builders/

EU Horizon Europé RIA

Advanced biodiversity monitoring for results-based and effective agricultural policy and transformation (BioMonitor4CAP)

As part of the BioMonitor4CAP project, affordable and reliable biodiversity monitoring systems and methods are being developed, evaluated, and tested for successful use on agricultural land and in EU-designated Natura 2000 sites. The project combines traditional biodiversity indicator systems with new technological approaches, including acoustic, optical, and molecular systems.

The goal is to provide recommendations for adapted management practices, strengthen biodiversity on farms internationally, and support the development of EU biodiversity policies.

Project partners

  • University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute (Finland)
  • 23 partners from five European countries and Peru

Project duration: 1.12.2022-30.11.2026

More information: https://biomonitor4cap.eu/en

Evidence-based support for transition to agroecological weed management in diverse farming systems and European regions (CONSERWA)

CONSERWA brings together agroecological farming practices and investigates their optimal combinations and transferability, including their suitability under climate change scenarios. The project supports the combination of identified practices and the use of new tools to measure their performance and impacts. It also promotes knowledge management and stakeholder communication related to agroecological farming practices and weed management. In addition, the project examines, together with actors across the value chain, the factors influencing farmers’ decision-making.

Project partners

  • University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute (Finland)
  • 26 partners from 12 European countries

Project duration: 1.5.2023-30.4.2027

More information: https://www.conserwa.eu/