SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT | 34 As a result, they are seeing consortia building around Embracing community some of the big issues highlighted in the reports, such “We’ve become an organisation that is better able to as optimising the nutritional value of food. “We’ve welcome diverse and new perspectives on the big issues, allowed ourselves to admit some of these things are just but also to translate that into funded or co-funded really complex, and actually you need an environment actions much more quickly. But also then to connect that supports complexity, working itself out. Instead that community to other communities globally, and to of running away from it, we’re running towards it. We recognise the role of Europe and the global food system. won’t solve everything, but if over time we’re resolving some of the issues then we’ll make more impact more “The workshops were the spark that has taken that quickly and at a greater scale,” explains Andrew. collaborative approach to the next level, bringing di昀昀erent characters and di昀昀erent capabilities of di昀昀erent networks together. That’s been something we’ve driven and built on in this last year,” says Andrew. About roadmapping As a nod to this, EIT Food has joined the IfM’s Open Innovation Forum. The group aims to share best practice Roadmapping is a strategic and explore hot topics and opportunities along the food, planning technique that enables the drink and fast-moving consumer goods value streams. development and communication of strategy and innovation. For Andrew has noticed that there is a crossover in more information about the membership between EIT Food and the Open Innovation Forum, which has enabled him to get wider insights into approach, case studies, courses and organisations that they already know. downloadable templates, visit the IfM Engage website. “We’re seeing it through the eyes of the people in those businesses who are driving the open innovation practices,” says Andrew. He has found it to be a non- competitive environment where people are comfortable discussing their failures as well as their successes. “It’s all driven by shared experience and shared learning. That’s supported us in building new and enriching existing relationships with our community,” says Andrew. Andrew concludes: “We’ve emerged signi昀椀cantly stronger as an organisation, both in our sense of purpose and our ability to drive change. The process has led to a fundamentally di昀昀erent quality of attitude and behaviour, which is more open and more collaborative, where we want to work with organisations as peers, not just be at the end of a funding process.”