The cluster steering team convened for its 1st meeting to formalise the team and discuss its role for the future direction of AgriTech cluster activities.

The Steering Committee team has triple helix representation:
• Barry Lynch (AgriNet)
• Deirdre O’Donovan (O’Donovan Engineering)
• Robert Shine (SAMCO)
• Edmond Harty (Industry Expert)
• Joseph Walsh (MTU Head of School STEM, Director IMaR & ACE)
• James Maloney (Enterprise Ireland)

The initial meeting covered a range of topics: the story so far, cluster performance monitoring, membership, a review of the needs analysis & potential projects arising from the Summer workshops and a focus discussion on defining the workplan for the cluster.

Some general topics that were agreed:
1. Cluster activities need to focus on accelerating sustainable growth for AgriTech companies.
2. Create more opportunities for members to meet so that relationships can form naturally through discussions. These relationships are key.
3. Ensure strategy & workplan provide clear reasons for getting involved in the cluster

A SWOT analysis to help shape the cluster strategy and workplan is in work – a snapshot is shown in the figure below.

AgriTech Cluster: SWOT analysis (in progress).

The SWOT analysis will be further developed in the next cluster steering team meeting, 1st week of October.

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