Number, Role, Short name, Country

Participant name and description

1 | COO | UVIGO | ES

Universidade de Vigo

Description

Project management and nutrition studies: Jesus Simal-Gandara leads a research group on Environment, Agriculture and Food Research. He has a strong record of national and international research projects granted by public administrations and private companies and published >500 research papers. His group investigates the distribution of agricultural and environmental organic chemical contaminants in the food production chain, and the sensory and quality of food, with an eye on the food chain in its globality (environment, agriculture, sustainability, nutrition and public health issues). Infrastructure: a chromatography laboratory, a pilot plant is completing our facilities with a supercritical fluid extractor, biomolecules purification units, fermenters, high pressure reactors, and high-pressure technology for food preservation.

2 | BEN | USC | ES

Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

Description

Development of AI-based predictive models and services.: CiTIUS – Research Centre in Intelligent Technologies is one of the singular research centers of the Campus Vida of the USC. CiTIUS hosts >120 researchers (including 31 senior researchers selected by a Scientific Advisory Board). The center is also member of CLAIRE, associated partner of AI4Media and Network Member of TAILOR. The research carried out at CiTIUS in the field of ML aims to design and develop models, methods and technologies that allow the computer to incorporate new capabilities based on the identification of regularities in observation data. It is important to strike a balance between plasticity and generalizability, making efficient use of computational resources, minimizing their environmental impact and maximizing their economic viability. The application of machine learning is extensive to any socio-economic sector and to any scientific, social or humanistic discipline. Infrastructure: a Datacenter, with an HPC cluster, a Big Data cluster and GPU servers, ready to support SOSFood project. CiTIUS researchers have also free access to the public CESGA Supercomputing facilities that support multiple research institutions and networks in Spain and Europe and of which CiTIUS researchers regularly use the Big Data facilities. CESGA’s servers are available for experimentation and research activities.

3 | BEN | SRU | NL

Stichting Radboud Universiteit

Description

Data analysis and interpretation in product development for health and sustainability: The Environmental Science (ES) group of RU aims to understand and predict both the relative and cumulative impact of anthropogenic stressors on ecosystems and humans. They translate detailed mechanisms into overarching principles, applied in models for future projections, in particular in (1) LCA of products and technologies, and (2) LC-impact assessment models to handle environmental trade-offs. The scientists working in ES have an extensive experience in sustainability impact assessments of food products and are used to collaborate in an interdisciplinary context. ES group therefore fully align with the tasks associated to the RU in SOSFood. Infrastructure: ES group at the RU has been conducting research on methodological development and application of LCA for 25 years and has direct access to all the important methods and software tools needed for such research, such as the Life-cycle impact assessment methods ReCiPe2016 and LC-IMPACT.

4 | BEN | Unife | IT

Universita Degli Studi di Ferrara

Description

Data analysis and interpretation in product development for sustainability: The department of Economics and Management is leading department at both national and European level in environmental and innovation economics with many top-level researchers. Its main fields of research are environmental policy, innovation and energy economics and policy, economic evaluation by stated preference techniques, waste management and policy, climate change and development. UNIFE will be strictly involved in all the activities linked to the environmental economics and the sustainability of the food systems. Infrastructure: one of the most relevant research centers: SEEDS (Sustainability, environmental economics and Dynamics studies) – an interuniversity research center aiming at gathering the skills on applied environmental economics of Italian researchers and organize one annual conference and various thematic workshops through the year.

4.1 | AE | UCSC | IT

Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Description

Data analysis and interpretation in product development for sustainability (Affiliated Entity of UNIFE): UCSC has a strong expertise in transitional process and societal impacts, with as main fields of research environmental policies, institutional and governance aspects of sustainability, circular economy, energy economics and energy transition. UCSC will be strictly involved in all the activities linked to the socio-economics aspects of sustainability in the food systems. Infrastructure: 1272 tenured researchers, 35 institutes, 30 departments, 87 research centers, 5 university centers and 10 spin-offs, aimed towards the study and understanding of crucial issues of life and society (new frontiers in economics and bioethics, changes in the field of law, family and cultural trends, mass media, changes in political systems, aims and goals of medicine, technological applications of mathematics and physics, and the most recent discoveries in environmental research.

5 | BEN | UNL | PT

Universidade Nova de Lisaboa

Description

Impact analysis of the food chain on health systems, identifying those key factors for health improvement on vulnerable people.: NOVA Medical School (NMS) is the Medical School of UNL. NMS is at the forefront of medical education and research. CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research is an NMS R&D Unit whose mission is to promote an integrated basic, clinical, and applied research, for accelerating the cycle of translational research through the development of methodologies, tools and technology to collect and analyze complex biomedical data and information (e.g., Big Data and AI), as well as to contribute to decision-making processes. Infrastructure: a multicenter, decentralized and flexible grounded in 46 partner institutions (29 Higher Education institutions, 12 hospitals/health institutions and 5 health companies) and 8 Higher Education institutions acting as hubs (e.g., NMS). The center aggregates >500 researchers, including medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, and other health professionals, in 24 research groups working in 3 main thematic lines: Preventive Health and Societal Challenges; Clinical and Translational Research; Health Data and Decision Sciences & Information Technologies. Besides its own equipment, UNL holds close links with hospitals (private and public), patient care facilities and social structures.

6 | BEN | DIH DATAlife | ES

DIH DATAlife - European Digital Innovation Hub

Description

Data collection and analysis, Galician case study: It is a digital Innovation hub focusing on life sciences (health, agrifood & biotech). As a non-profit association funded in 2019, DATALIFE is active on several data-sharing initiatives at regional, national and European level. Infrastructure: technologies including AI, IoT, HPC and cybersecurity. The main role is to support SMEs and public administration in accelerating their digital transformation, by providing a range of technological services, as well as access to funds, training and ecosystems of innovation. DATALIFE is part of the EDIH network, further solidifying their role in digital innovation. 

7 | BEN | AFL | LT

Agrifood Lithuania DIH

Description

Data collection and analysis, Lithuanian case study: Agrifood Lithuania is a non-profit cluster organization established since 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania. AFL brings together major research, business and public stakeholders in Lithuania for the common mission of transforming agriculture, food and associated sectors with digital-based innovations. AFL links its stakeholders with international and cross-sectorial initiatives, provides all-round dedicated support in the research, development and deployment of agri-food innovations, and fosters the competence and capacity growth of the innovation ecosystem in general. The cluster is also operating as a Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) and has been acknowledged by the EC Joint Research Centre as an example DIH with excellence in sectorial specialization.

8 | BEN | SAH | EL

Smart Agro HUB anonymi etairia

Description

Data collection and analysis, Greek case study: SAH is a dynamic competence center operating in the fields of smart farming and agrifood sustainability. It is running as an independent entity (private company) in which the Agricultural University of Athens has joined forces with 12 private Greek companies, engaged in information and automation technologies, digital & energy systems, smart farming technologies and circular agriculture. Due to consolidated relationships with the local agricultural ecosystem of farmers, agronomists, agricultural research centers, food companies and service providers, the company offers consulting services and technological solutions devoted to digitalization of agricultural processes.

9 | BEN | SOFTEAM | FR

Softeam

Description

Development of SOSFood software architecture and Food Data Lake: Private software vendor and engineering company with about 2250 employees and about €241M in revenues. From 2020 SOFTEAM has become an autonomous subsidiary of DOCAPOSTE, an IT branch of La Poste to join a team developing innovative solutions in AI, blockchain, IoT and e-health. SOFTEAM gained a privileged position to address the needs of 23 000 clients in digital transformation with security and trust. SOFTEAM’s R&D Department actively participates in various national and EU research projects in the software engineering and modelling domains. Among them FOODITY (HORIZON Europe) that just started in 2023.

 

10 | BEN | JIBE | NL

JIBE company BV

Description

SOSFood data sharing platform: JIBE is a high-tech SME organization, specialized in developing and operating large scale applications in fields of e-commerce, e-mobility, and data sharing. JIBE will be responsible for the data platform, resulting product from the H2020 PoSeIDon project and the HE FOODITY project, which will be consolidated in WP4 into an SOSFood data sharing platform and provided to the other partners and actors in the SOSFood ecosystem to facilitate safe, trustworthy and where applicable GDPR compliant data sharing. It will serve as the main technical building block for the SOSFood project.

11 | BEN | CTA | ES

Contactica SL

Description

Communication & Dissemination, Exploitation and Support in Project Management: CONTACTICA is a private Innovation Consulting Company that guides and leads innovation processes with know-how and capacities applied to new products, services, and solutions developments. It has expertise in access to international markets and alliances for the benefit of new business opportunities, including fundraising for R&D based business models. CTA has broad experience in the implementation of R&D European projects, especially in communication, dissemination and exploitation activities and EU projects coordination (also, support to coordination). Also, CTA has strong expertise in Life Cycle and Sustainability Assessment and evaluation of the environmental, social and economic impacts of products and services.

Currently, CTA is involved in 20 ongoing European R&D projects, coordinating three (ALEHOOP, and CALIMERO and LCA4Bio) and supporting coordination in the rest.

12 | BEN | CUEVAS | ES

Ignacio de las Cuevas SA

Description

Validation of SOSFood results: Grupo Cuevas is a business conglomerate that began its journey in 1867 and currently operates notably in different sectors, including food distribution, with its own and franchised supermarkets and cash & carry centers distributed throughout the northwest of Spain. It also develops work in the agri-food industry, with the transformation of chestnuts into different products whose sale reaches not only the national area but also reaches more than 30 countries in the world.

13 | BEN | VKA | LT

Vikonda grupe, UAB

Description

Validation of SOSFood results: Vikonda Group is located in Kėdainiai region, where fresh and underground water makes the area perfect for agriculture and food manufacturing. The group operates in the agribusiness and food production with an annual turnover of the group for year 2022 – 90 M €. The group unites over 12 growing businesses: FMCG food production, agricultural and retail and employs 540 people.

14 | BEN | JOTIS | EL

YIOTIS anonimos emporiki & viomixaniki etaireia

Description

Validation of SOSFood results: JOTIS is a leading food company, founded in 1930 as the first infant and baby food producer in Greece. Infrastructure: It has one production site in Athens where baby food, confectionary and cooking mixes, baking products, powder mixes for instant desserts and dessert kits are manufactured and a second one in Agrinio for chocolates, refrigerated RtE products, low Glycemic Index desserts, syrups, glazes and toppings. Jotis has founded the Hellenic Research and Innovation Center (HRIC),  an Institute of food safety accredited with ISO/IEC 17025, that offers high quality chemical, microbiological and molecular analyses for food safety and quality, as well as consultation services to the food industry.

15 | BEN | EURO COOP | BE

Communaute Europeenne des Cooperatives de Consommateurs

Description

EURO COOP represents cooperatives of consumers in 20 countries across Europe. It provides information and guidance to its national members on legislative and non-legislative initiatives relevant to food retail, sustainability, enterprise and consumer policy, among others. The Sustainability and Food Policy Manager is working, among others, on the entire package related to the Farm to Fork Strategy including labelling initiatives (i.e., nutrient, sustainability and green claims). Taking part in different coalitions of stakeholders active on the F2F Strategy, his insights include an exhaustive knowledge of the challenges posed by the greening of the food systems to consumers and business alike.

16 | BEN | AGADER | ES

Axencia galega de desenvolvemento rural (AGADER)

Description

Policy initiative, Galician case study: AGADER is a legal entity dependent on and attached to the Galician Regional Minister for Rural Affairs (Xunta de Galicia, Regional government of Galicia). AGADER is in charge of promotion and coordination of Galician rural territory development, with the aim of improving the living conditions of its inhabitants and avoid depopulation. For >20 years AGADER has dealt with agrifood production projects all over Galicia rural areas. The projects Model Rural Villages and Smart Rural Villages, following the Galician Act on the recovery of Agri land, offers a chance to test on the field the feasibility of SOSFood goals and achievements.