For the Action Plan, ASCA has designed a joint work framework, which includes: actions, timeline, division of responsibilities, and resources. This translates into the ASCA Training and Capacity Building Plan, with two differentiated but coordinated programs that will serve as the basis for the GT3 Pilot Action:
Capacity Building Program for Agro-industrial SMEs.
Training Program for STEM Students.
The program for SMEs has been designed in two phases:
i) 1st Phase (6 months): Training for 170 SMEs in industrial transition and smart specialization with topics on safe, sustainable, and healthy food:
* New processing technologies to improve nutritional value, such as non-thermal pasteurization (high pressure) or germination.
* Food reformulation using highly bioactive by-products from the industry itself.
* Sustainability in nutritional improvement of products for specific populations (children, elderly, celiacs, etc.).
* New water and energy monitoring and control systems.
* Circular economy and waste valorization in agro-industry (AI applications).
ii) 2nd Phase (9 months): Individualized support for 130 SMEs, which will allow prioritizing challenges to be addressed in the subsequent Pilot Action.
The Training Program for 280 STEM Students (9 months) has been structured into various modules:
Module 0: Presentation of ASCA and the agro-industrial context.
Module 1: Level and adoption of entrepreneurial skills and problem-solving.
Module 2: GreenComp Framework and key aspects of sustainability for SMEs.
Module 3: Opportunities of digitalization and AI for the agro-industrial sector.
Module 4: Facilitators of change for the green and digital transition in an SME.
The timeline, responsibilities and tasks of the partners, and necessary resources to implement the programs are detailed in activities A 2.1 and A 2.2.
