Several studies have identified 3 main waste streams that are the most promising for being valorised to obtain bio-based fertilisers (BBFs): (1) manure, (2) sewage sludge, and (3) food chain waste. From these, manure is the largest waste stream, representing more than 70% of the nutrients, but several studies have been conducted in the last 10 years aimed at its valorisation as BBF and have shown that it is a feasible feedstock for obtaining N-rich streams and organic amendments that can be used directly as BBF, but most of them are not suitable to be used as ingredients for centralised high quality fertiliser production due to the presence of pollutants such as heavy metals (mainly Zn and Cu) and organic matter. Sewage sludge and food chain waste have not yet been deeply investigated at the levels required for industrial implementation, such that their fertilising potential is still under-exploited. The ReLEAF project is based on the advancement and widespread demonstration (in 5 technology demonstration sites) of a suite of extraction techniques to produce key BBF ingredients from waste streams prevalent across Europe – sewage sludge, fish processing waste and wastewater, mixed food waste, and agri-food residues. The formulation and production (in 2 sites) of cost-effective BBFs will address the serious issues of externalities (i.e., dependency on foreign supply chains (P and K), and petroleum-based resources (N)) from fertiliser production and use in European soils together with security of supply and waste valorisation. Investigations of the effectiveness and replicability of the BBFs within the varying climate conditions and soil ecosystems of 4 different field demonstration sites, in addition to co-creation activities, will allow for regional engagement with stakeholders to promote widespread acceptance, while industrial involvement will facilitate a rapid scale up and industrialisation of proposed technologies.

The digital transformation of food systems has entered a twilight zone: data-driven innovations have proven to be promising, but it is still unclear how to upscale adoption and have broader acceptance. The Data4Food2030 project aims to improve the data economy for food systems (DE4FS) by expanding its definition, mapping its development, performance and impact to create new insights and opportunities. This contributes to a more competitive and sustainable food system in the EU and supports implementation and adaptation of relevant policies such as a Digital Single Market, Green Deal and the Common Agricultural Policy. Data4Food2030 is a 4-year project that aims to 1) enlarge the knowledge base and insight into the DE4FS, 2) develop a system that monitors and evaluates the development, performance and impact of the DE4FS on relevant EU policies 3) identify drivers and barriers and turn these into opportunities, recommendations and solutions, 4) test solutions and evaluate recommendations in case studies and through stakeholder dialogues and 5) provide future scenarios and a roadmap and sustain the monitoring system to support policy development and accelerate the desired future state of the DE4FS. Data4Food2030’s approach is targeted at an improved future state of the DE4FS from which clear design principles, recommendations and solutions are derived for improving and adapting policies and practices at public and private level. As an essential part of the project, stakeholders are deeply engaged to provide input to various DE4FS concepts and evaluate several project outcomes to increase the impact of the project. Nine case studies provide real-life examples of the DE4FS at micro- and meso-economic level, deploying data and technologies, which are used for mapping and improvement to promote data-enabled business models. In this way, Data4Food2030 creates credible pathways to navigate properly through the twilight zone towards a fair, inclusive and innovative DE4FS.

The ENOUGH project will provide technologies, tools and methods to contribute to the EU Farm to Fork strategy to achieve climate neutral food businesses. The ENOUGH project will identify how the food industry can 1. Reduce GHG-emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. 2. Achieve climate neutrality for food businesses by reducing energy use and increasing energy efficiency by 2050. 3. Improve the overall integrated sustainability of food systems (including social/health, climate/environmental and economic aspects) whilst at the same time meeting societal goals. 4. Increase awareness among policy makers, businesses, investors, entrepreneurs, institutions, stakeholders and citizens of selected innovative systemic solutions and their potential for uptake at EU scale. The project brings together 30 partners from 9 EU nations, Norway, Turkey and the UK, who have in depth expertise across the whole food chain (refrigeration, cooking, baking, drying). The ENOUGH project is constructed around 11 work packages (WP): WP1 will identify 1990 and 2020 baselines for GHG emissions and will then forecast how emissions will change moving forward to 2030 and 2050. In WP2, we will identify what are the energy efficient measures and new technologies that are vital to achieve the maximum reductions in emissions. In WP4 we will use all the information and models from WP1 and 2 to develop a web-based tool that will identify the benefits of thermal integration heating and cooling and provide information on potential global emission reductions across the whole food chain. In WP5, data from food process and the food supply chain will be used to optimize and better control operations and technologies to minimize emissions. In WP3 and 7 we will examine how social behaviour, policy and finance can add to the GHG reductions target. In WP6, the more relevant and promising technologies will be demonstrated. A set of the most promising technologies TRL (5-7) have been pre-selected for demonstration based on their relevance and readiness. Additional technologies/operational adaptations will be added during the project and will be selected using a robust process managed by the coordinator and demonstrated in real life. Work from the ENOUGH project will be widely disseminated with an ambitious communication plan in WP8. WP9 includes all project management. WP10 oversees the ethics compliance of the project and WP11 includes communication with European Commission.

“KATANA - Emerging industries as key enablers for the adoption of advanced technologies in the agrifood sector" supports European SMEs in the agrifood value chain to simultaneously access knowledge, technology, capital and markets in order to respond to the global competitive environment. KATANA aims to provide this access to companies by leveraging upon the multiplier potential of cross-border/cross-sectoral collaboration and the systemic approach which homogenizes services towards the overall aim to place new products/ services in the market. KATANA proposes a systemic approach by combining (i) an innovative selection and funding scheme based on peer to peer evaluation and crowdfunding; (ii) a holistic portfolio of support services covering the entire KATANA lifecycle and (iii) three large scale demonstrators capitalizing upon emerging industries (eco-industries, mobile services and personalized health). KATANA is a cluster-driven project, bringing together 7 active clusters of SMEs from all over Europe (from Scandinavia to Mediterranean and Balkans) covering the entire ecosystem, namely agriculture, food production and ICT/ emerging industries. At the same time a diverse and strong presence of five SMEs – technology providers within the consortium will guarantee that the technological infrastructure for the large scale demonstrators will be delivered by actors who understand the needs of the community. The innovative selection method and the corresponding algorithms will be provided by an RTD organization with long experience in organizing and running Open Calls and competitions for SMEs.