Consortium Partners

Erasmus University Rotterdam provides excellent education and is part of the international top in certain research areas. Erasmus University is not only an internationally oriented university, it is also well embedded in the city of Rotterdam and the region. Its expertise is concentrated on: Economics and Management, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Law, Culture and Society.

ESHCC offers high-quality education, based on academic research, at the interface between the Humanities and the Social Sciences.

The Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH) is one of the research institutes at the Faculty of Medicine at Heidelberg University, Germany’s oldest university. Through its research, the institute aims to contribute to improving the health of some of the sickest and poorest populations worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia. Through its teaching, the institute aims to train the next generation of global health researchers and practitioners.

The research projects at the institute focus on

• identifying important disease risk factors and health care needs
• discovering new approaches to improve population health
• establishing novel models of providing health care in Europe, Africa and Asia.

The institute was founded in 1962 and currently has more than 200 members (2021).

KU Leuven is a prestigious research university located in Leuven, Belgium. Renowned for its academic excellence and rich history dating back to 1425, KU Leuven is consistently ranked among the top 100 universities globally. KU Leuven is actively involved in various interdisciplinary research projects aimed at advancing sustainability solutions. With a strong emphasis on research, sustainability and innovation, KU Leuven collaborates with international partners, industry stakeholders, and governmental organizations to address global challenges and drive societal progress.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is ‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’. Over 7,600 employees, 13,100 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning from more than a hundred countries work everywhere around the world in the domain of healthy food and living environment for governments and the business community-at-large.

The strength of Wageningen University & Research lies in the combined efforts of the various fields of natural and social sciences. This union of expertise leads to scientific breakthroughs that can quickly be put into practice and be incorporated into education. This is the Wageningen Approach. Collaboration with other parties such as government, business and NGOs are indispensable.

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) speaks out on behalf of the Fair Trade Movement for Fair Trade and Trade Justice with the aim to improve the livelihoods of marginalised producers and workers in the South. The FTAO is the political office of the Fair Trade Movement in Brussels, its focuses on influencing EU policies so that they can effectively promote Fair Trade mission, vision and values.

The University of Valencia of today is the outcome of more than five centuries of history that have led to the accumulation of knowledge and unique documentary treasures, making it one of the top Spanish universities.

The University of Valencia has become one to the top five scientific centres in Spain thanks to its commitment to excellence and to the wide range of teaching and research activities offered in all areas of knowledge (basic sciences and engineering, health sciences, educational sciences, humanities and social sciences, economics and law).

National Association of Interest Representations for Small-scale producers and service providers – short name: Kislépték Association (Kislépték means small-scale in Hungarian)

The Hungarian Association’s – which represents the interests of small-scale farmers, producers – objective is the amelioration of the legal and economic conditions for small-scale, local initiatives that can strengthen the local economy. Kislépték assumes the promotion of food production and processing with low burden on the environment, handicraft production, as well as their markets’ access, through its advocacy of protection of the environment, and its international relations.

The Association has more than 110 members. It supports small-scale producers and foster local food systems, short food supply chains in Hungary through knowledge transfer activities, creating a country-wide  expert and advisory network specified on short food supply chains and supporting small-scale producers including producers involved in agrotourism services.

Tecnoalimenti S.C.p.A. is a private-public and non-profit research network and innovation platform of 30 companies in the agri-food sector and the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research.

Founded in 1981, it can be qualified as a historical leader in Italy for techno-scientific research and innovation for the agri-food industry.

It brings together, both horizontally and vertically, a large heritage of companies, knowledge and skills related to the agri-food sector, with the aim of studying and applying scientific knowledge and new technologies for product, process and system innovation, in line with the evolution of the industry, the market and civil society.

Tecnoalimenti’s activities are:

– Research agendas shared by member companies to guide collaborative innovation initiatives, thematic tables, technological paths and consortium events.

– Advanced consultancy on cutting-edge issues for the agri-food industry, such as food defence plans and courses, FSMA-IA, technological and scientific scouting, technology transfer.

– Independent research on own research and innovation projects, development of new knowledge and technologies for third parties.

– Third party services for national and European research and innovation design, research coordination, project management and grant office.

As part of University of Zagreb, the Faculty of Economics & Business – Zagreb (FEB) plays a significant role, being the oldest institution of higher education in economics in the region and the only triple accredited  institution in the Republic of Croatia. With around 270 research and teaching staff, FEB focuses on training future business leaders and emphasizes internationalization through student and staff mobility. The Faculty offers diverse undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs, including those taught entirely in English. With robust infrastructure and extensive experience in international projects, FEB is well-equipped to contribute to the successful management and implementation of collaborative initiatives.

The European Football for Development Network (EFDN) consists of professional football clubs, leagues and FAs who are committed to their communities and social responsibilities and have the passion to cooperate and engage on a European level.

The network aims to promote the power of football as a tool for social development and support the efforts of the network members in their initiatives to use football to reach out to various target groups in their communities.

This creates a collaborative environment for knowledge sharing in order to develop a diversity of training methods that will directly benefit communities throughout Europe.

OpenDot is a research and open innovation centre dedicated to making a positive impact on people and communities by addressing their real needs.

Located in Milano (Italy) and founded in 2014 by Dotdotdot, a multidisciplinary design studio. We believe in shared innovation. We work to make a positive impact through co-design and technology, developing solutions that answer to specific needs by engaging and empowering all the actors involved. Solutions are more relevant and impactful when they are designed with people.

Loki Foods’ mission is to create sustainable, plant-based food that does not compromise on nutrition or taste. Loki Foods uses natural ingredients to create unique products in Iceland.

Food banks are private social solidarity organisations that fight against food waste by distributing food free of charge to people in need. The Food Banks in operation collect and distribute tens of thousands of tonnes of products and support institutions throughout Portugal all year round. In turn, these distribute cooked meals and food baskets to people who are demonstrably in need, with a total distribution of more than 390,000 people. The action of Food Bank is based on gratitude, giving, sharing, volunteering and sponsorship.

Future Intelligence (FINT) is an IoT original solution manufacturer building software and hardware for various market verticals. The company started its IoT activities from the infrastructure domain (2009) and now offers delicate solutions for Agrifood and RES capacity prediction, among other niche applications. FINT’s mission is to bring usable innovative solutions in everyday life. In CUES, FINT will demonstrate farm upstream traceability working with 4 different pilots.

The Association of Conscious Consumers (ACC) or in Hungarian Tudatos Vásárlók Egyesülete (TVE) promotes sustainable, circular, ethical, fair and just consumption and lifestyle choices since 2001. We facilitate behaviour change for decreasing the ecological footprint of consumers and maximizing their social impact.

TVE provides science-based information to consumers to make more sustainable choices (free and subscription-based product and service tests). We publish our own consumer media contents and calls for action related to sustainable consumption, consumer engagement and behaviour change (tudatosvasarlo.hu). We run behaviour change programs like the EcoTeams, and promote community supported agriculture and other local solidarity based food systems. Our digital innovation for sustainable and fair consumer choices is the Conscious Consumer phone app.

We believe in what we do and enjoy our work while taking it very seriously.

Q-PLAN is an innovation and management consulting company based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It focuses on design, management and implementation of Research and Innovation projects as well as studies; support of private or public organisations of different types and sizes to (re)design, implement, audit, and accredit/ certify their management systems and processes; and support services for businesses to make the most out of available funding and financing opportunities. Q-PLAN has been involved in over 55 EU-funded projects and policy studies.

KEPKA is a non-governmental, non-profit, independent consumers’ organization. It was established in 1982. Our main activities are raising consumers’ conscience, protecting consumers’ rights, informing consumers on products, services, economic interests, health, nutrition, environmental protection, human rights, ethics and urging the Greek Government to develop a consumer policy towards the improvement of the quality of the consumers’ and citizens’ lives. KEPKA is a member of Consumers’ International (CI), of the European Consumers’ Organization (BEUC), of European Organization for Standardization (ANEC), of Transatlantic Consumers’ Dialogue (TACD)

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development and is active in 125+ countries. ICLEI Europe supports local governments in implementing the European Green Deal, the overarching EU strategy for climate neutrality, to build more resilient and equitable communities. ICLEI Europe, through its Sustainable Food Systems team, is a strong advocate for food systems transformation from local to global levels, and firmly believes in the demonstrated power of the (public) plate to address and help meet the global Sustainable Development Goals.

ASUFIN, the Spanish Financial Users Association was founded on 2009. It is member of the Spanish Council of Consumers and Users (CCU), of “Finance for All”, the financial literacy program of the Bank of Spain and the CNMV, from which ASUFIN obtained the Award for Best Track Record in the development of the Financial Education Plan in 2021.

It contributes to the protection of the financial user by being member of the advisory councils of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the Financial Services Users Group (FSUG) of the European Commission and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). It belongs to the non-profit organizations Finance Watch, BEUC and Spainsif.

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a research-led university specialising in engineering science & technology. Education, research and knowledge valorisation at TU/e contribute to: i) science for society: solving the major societal issues and boosting prosperity and welfare by focusing on the Strategic Areas of Energy, Health and Smart Mobility, ii) science for industry: the development of technological innovation in cooperation with industry, iii) science for science: progress in engineering sciences through excellence in key research cores and innovation in education. TU/e is situated in the Eindhoven Brainport region, the technological heart of the Netherlands, and provides a significant contribution to the scientific research agenda promoted and delivered in the region. To facilitate technology transfer and commercialisation of research, Innovation Lab has been created at TU/e. This service supports researchers to translate academic and technological findings into solutions that tackle key societal challenges.

At EIT Food, our mission is to transform how food is produced, distributed, and consumed and to increase its value to European society. We will achieve this by solving the biggest innovation challenges through trusted industry, education and research partners working together with informed and engaged citizens.
Food Unfolded is a global multimedia platform helping to tackle the sustainability challenges in our food systems by bringing people closer to their food. We reach diverse audiences through documentaries, podcasts, online articles, social media and events – including dialogues, talks, exhibitions, workshops and screenings.