Partnerships

EIT Food

EIT Food

Partnership website: https://www.eitfood.eu/

EIT Food connects businesses, research centres, universities and consumers.

About the community + programmes

The EIT food wants to make our food future-proof by involving more the consumers in the innovation process and consequently increasing the consumers trust in new food products. It also wants to make our food cycle more sustainable and healthy. Therefore it wants to achieve a reduction of the food related GHG emissions by 40% by 2030. To reach these objectives they have set up 6 types of programmes:

  • Innovation schemes relating to regenerative agriculture protein diversification and labelling, packaging and transparency
  • Education through summer schools and a dedicated Masters or PhD course
  • Entrepreneurship incentives specifically focusing on start-ups, scale-ups and female entrepreneurs
  • Increasing public insight and engagement 
  • RIS schemes for regions that are doing less well in terms of innovation
  • Cross-KIC projects with other innovation communities

How to get involved?

The EIT publishes calls for proposals for these different programmes. You can find out the opportunities and latest news at the webpage of the innovation community

The EIT works through five regional EIT food hubs with the HQ based in Leuven. Non-members can also take part in most projects so it is not a closed community. You can contact the HQ by mail: info@eitfood.eu

Finally you can contact the NCP for Food, pascal.verheye@vlaio.be

What are partnerships?

Partnerships group the EC and private and/or public partners, to coordinate and streamline the research & innovation initiatives and funding in some selected key domains.

How to use partnerships?

  • orientation
    Partnerships publish strategic documents, e.g. outlining the main research and innovation challenges or key focus points.
  • networking
    Partnerships often organise events, such as info days, brokerage events, etc. Meet potential partners and learn about the nuances that are not visible in the official documents.
  • ecosystem analysis
    Partnerships typically have an advisory board, and publish impact studies of previous actions. These are good sources of information to uncover the main R&D&I players in the domain.
  • steering the agenda
    Partnerships collaborate with the EC on outlining the strategy and the future funding opportunities in their domain, based on input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders.
Author Do you have an additional question? Or spotted a mistake? Don't hesitate to contact me!
Image of Pascal Verheye
Pascal Verheye

pascal.verheye@vlaio.be

Testimonial

image of RUSTICA - Converting organic residues into bio-based fertiliser products

RUSTICA - Converting organic residues into bio-based fertiliser products

The RUSTICA project obtained funding under Horizon 2020, more in particular under the topic ‘Closing nutrient cycles’.  RUSTICA focuses on demonstration and implementation of circular bio-based nutrient valorisation chains, focusing on waste from the fruit and vegetable agro-food system. The project kicked off in 2021 and will run until 2024. It will use a strong multi-actor approach to co-create both socio-economic and technological knowledge in four case study regions in Europe and one in Colombia. The Flanders-based company DRANCO is one of the project partners and acts as technical project manager for the entire project. DRANCO participates in the project to develop its own technologies, to network and to help make the transition to a more circular based economy.