The Spring in the Air 2014 project is an initiative of Matís ohf in collaboration with the municipalities of Vesturbyggð and Tálknafjarðarhreppur. The project is intended to encourage interested residents in the municipalities to implement their ideas in the field of food production and biotechnology.
The project will run for one year and is expected to deliver at least three fully developed ideas by the end of the project.
The purpose of the Spring in the Air 2014 project is to increase the possibility of increased processing of raw materials and thus increase the value added of the raw materials available in the southern Westfjords. There is great potential in the valuable raw materials that are created in the area, both at sea and on land. There are many opportunities to process the raw material into a valuable product or to develop new products from what is obtained during the processing of the raw material. There is a great deal of knowledge and experience regarding fishing and processing of catfish, but in addition, aquaculture is a powerful and growing profession in the southern Westfjords. In Arnarfjörður, lime algae is processed by the Icelandic Lime Algae Association in Bíldudalur, where most of the products are exported abroad, but some are processed in Iceland for human consumption. Agriculture has been hit hard in the area, but both sheep farming and milk production are driven by beauty on at least a few lands in the county. Therefore, there are many possibilities for improved utilization and processing of products from the area and it is possible to significantly improve the profitability of operations with increased value creation at home. Companies and municipalities in Barðastrandarsýsla are very aware of environmentally friendly and good treatment of nature and the ecosystem and many of the companies have organic certification or other types of recognized environmental certifications in their production which significantly strengthens their position in competition. Such certification is to the advantage of the region as a whole in the marketing of products and services, as the public's environmental awareness is constantly increasing.
The aim of the Spring in the Air 2014 project is to support ideas that entrepreneurs in the area have and help them implement the ideas. Such assistance with ideas lays a strong foundation for start-up projects that can then grow and prosper in the hands of local people and thus contribute to strengthening the economy and society as a whole in the southern Westfjords. The ideas that will be supported by Matís will have in common that it will be possible to see tangible results during the project period and at least three fully formed ideas, products or business plans will be created during the twelve months that the initiative will run. It is expected that the results of the Spring in the Air 2014 project will be formally announced in the autumn of 2014 and the products of those who have participated in the development will be presented on that occasion.
The project has already been presented at open meetings held in four places, Patreksfjörður, Tálknafjörður, Bíldudalur and Barðaströnd, in mid-December and the reception from the locals was excellent. A further elaboration of the ideas that have emerged and a decision on the projects that will be part of the Spring in the Air 2014 initiative will be made. Those who have shown interest in participating will define their ideas better in the coming weeks in collaboration with Matís staff and prepare a work plan. . Work on product development and implementation of each idea is expected to begin in early February, when agreements have been made with partners and participants.
The project Spring in the Air 2014 is funded by the Research and Innovation Fund of Vestur-Barðastrandarsýsla and Matís, in addition to which the projects of entrepreneurs will be carried out in collaboration with the municipalities of Vesturbyggð and Tálknafjarðarhreppur as far as possible.
Further information about the project Spring in the Air 2014 is provided by Lilja Magnúsdóttir, an employee of Matís in Patreksfjörður (858-5085, liljam@matis.is).