Innovating in agrifood supply chains

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), established in 1926, is one of the oldest and largest modern universities in Greece and the Balkans region. The University plans to expand into green SCM research.

With EU funding, the GREEN AGRICHAINS project aims to improve the University's research capacity in the above field, focusing on the Greek agrifood sector. The undertaking unites three AUTh research groups. The research addresses aspects of the subject, including sustainable farming, green procurement and sourcing, waste management and packaging reuse, corporate social responsibility plus several business-related topics. The project was inaugurated in October 2012 and runs until March 2016.

Group members recruited and hosted 11 experienced researchers, all at the post-doctorate level, thus developing the University's capability. The team also established synergistic relationships with agrifood sector players, leading to new opportunities for value-added products. The relationships include a total of 40 knowledge transfer secondments with 11 partner organisations.

The project drafted a dissemination plan including internal and external events. To date, the project has achieved knowledge transfer via hosting of 4 workshops and 5 information days, while an International Conference will be held May 27-30, 2015. Moreover, the project team has presented papers in 38 international and 9 national conferences. All 47 were further published in the corresponding conference proceedings. In addition, 30 research papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals and books. Additionally, a book covering the central theme of the conference edited by the project coordinator and team members will be published by Wiley within the summer 2015. The project also developed printed dissemination materials and a web portal. Finally, the project has led to at least five spin-off research activities with EU and Greek industrial/research partners, while several project proposals has been submitted or are under preparation in conjunction with an impressive set of EU partners.

Other achievements include helping Mediterranean agrifood sector small and medium-sized enterprises become more competitive through the adoption of new added-value SCM techniques. By promoting state of the art supply chain management strategies, the project is facilitating a comprehensive approach to the agrifood supply chain. The work raises the overall capacity of the Mediterranean region to participate in agrifood research, and is advancing business awareness of green logistics, sustainable supply chains management, and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The GREEN-AGRICHAINS project has created and extended the University's research linkages in the field of green/sustainable SCM. The end result will be a greening of the sector's business practices leading to its increased competitiveness while promoting regional economic and social welfare.