BMEL-project B2B-Konnekt: Optimization of the regional food economy and network development through collaborative technology

Since the end of 2024, the market research institute CENTOURIS and the Chair of Data Science at the University of Passau have been working together with Regiothek GmbH and Maschinenring Ostbayern GmbH on the research project ‘Business 2 Business – Cooperative Optimisation of the Regional Food Industry and Network Development through Collaborative Technology (B2B-Konnekt)’ to strengthen networking in the regional food industry.In January, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir presented the funding decision at the Green Week in Berlin.

Increasing ecological, economic and social demands are confronting companies along the entire value chain in agriculture and the regional food industry with growing challenges. Customer companies, such as those in the catering, retail or commercial kitchen sectors, often lack an overview of what is available regionally, while companies that produce regionally often face a lack of visibility and insufficient demand.

In order to meet these challenges, the three-year joint project ‘Business 2 Business - Cooperative Optimisation of the Regional Food Industry and Network Development through Collaborative Technology (B2B-Konnekt)’ started in November 2024. On 20 January, at the Green Week in Berlin, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir presented the funding decision to the team, underlining the relevance of the far-reaching optimisation potential for the regional food industry that is resulting from advancing digitalisation and increased interoperability and networking.

The project will expand and optimise the B2B marketplace, a commercial trading platform within the website of the regional marketer Regiothek GmbH, where companies from the entire regional value chain can connect. The aim is to make the purchase and sale of regional food more efficient, transparent and easier for all parties involved. ‘Our B2B marketplace is flexible and can be adapted to different requirements, from logistics to individual processing models. The further development of the marketplace will make the collaboration of all players more efficient,’ explains Alexander Treml, co-founder and managing director of Regiothek GmbH.

The project takes an open web index approach. ‘Websites as a third data source expand the possibilities of data collection and analysis to efficiently extract and use industry-specific information,’ explains Professor Michael Granitzer, Chair of Data Science at the University of Passau. He makes it clear that ‘the use of AI technologies, in particular large language models and semantic search technologies, not only enables an improved search experience, but also the intelligent linking of data.’

The developed systems will be implemented on the platform and tested in a real-world context by supplier and buyer companies. Parallel acceptance research will accompany this implementation to ensure user-friendly development with the aim of high user acceptance. ‘It is crucial to capture users’ perspectives on technological innovations and to actively involve them in the development process. In doing so, we take into account both the needs in terms of usability and future development potential,’ says Dr Stefan Mang, Managing Director of the CENTOURIS Institute at the University of Passau.

In order to achieve a sustainable and effective use of the project results, the B2B marketplace is being established in the district of Cham and beyond. ’We are already receiving positive feedback from the participating companies. We are looking forward to further customising the offer to their needs and thus optimising the cooperation even more,’ explains Johann Stibich, Managing Director of Maschinenring Ostbayern GmbH. The acquisition of further pilot companies, also beyond the Cham region, is a central focus of the project.

Further information about the project can be found here.