VLAIO - ERA-NET Co-fund - ICT-AGRI-FOOD Joint Call 2024

Research

Funding organisation:

Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen

What?

ICT-AGRI-FOOD is an ERA-NET Co-fund that wants to underpin the transition towards more sustainable and resilient agri-food systems with digital technology. Data from the entire food chain is used for this purpose. All stakeholders benefit, but ultimately it is the consumer who will be able to make smarter, healthier and more appropriate choices based on information about environmental impact, origin, nutritional value, safety and integrity.

The 2024 Joint Call is officially open for proposals that will make contributions “Towards the transformation of agri-food systems for the benefit of planetary health, consumers and other stakeholders along the food value chain using data-based systems and ICT technologies”.

The call aims to address urgent global challenges in agricultural and food systems emphasizing the role of these systems in mitigating issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. To bring about the necessary transformation, the call advocates for closer involvement of policymakers and the use of digital technologies for communication and data-driven decision-making.

The call emphasizes the need for better exploitation of data resources, development of interoperable tools and maximizing data sharing for societal benefits. It also prioritizes stakeholder collaboration and the implementation of inclusive decision-making processes based on scientific knowledge.

Furthermore, the call encourages the rediscovery and promotion of proven but underutilized best management practices for more resilient and ecologically sustainable agri-food systems.

The scientific scope of the call addresses collaborative projects in 4 research topics:

Topic 1: Artificial intelligence (AI) Tools for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems
Topic 2:Post-industrial agriculture: the best knowledge, digital technologies for reviving and strengthening best practices for regenerative agriculture
Topic 3: Smart decision-making and reflection systems in farming
Topic 4: Open topic

VLAIO participates with:

• agricultural trajectories (with the possibility to extend a running project !)
• development projects
• research projects

Indicative budget: 1.000.000 EUR, the maximum budget that can be requested (for each project) by partners from one country is 70% of the total requested project budget.

Project duration: minimum two years (24 months) and maximum three years (36 months).
  

Who?

All Flemish companies (both sme and large) and knowledge centers that can contribute to data-driven agri-food-systems can contribute.

Eligible consortia will consist of a minimum of 3 independent entities seeking funding from a minimum of 3 different Funding Parties of 3 different countries participating in the ICT-AGRIFOOD 2024 Joint Call.

Each applying consortium must be led by a project coordinator, who must be from an organisation that is eligible for funding from one of the funding parties in the call and must request funding.
  

Application?

2 step procedure:

Deadline mandatory pre-registration: May 16, 13:00h CEST.

Deadline full proposal submission: June 20, 13:00h CEST.

Submitting for the 2 steps has to be done simultaneously to ICT-AGRI-FOOD and to VLAIO.

Only OBI is allowed to submit the part for the "kennisinstelling" in the VLAIO portal, as they have a mandate to do so.
  

More information?

You can find more information on the VLAIO website and the ICT-AGRI-FOOD website.

There will be a webinar for applicants on 24^th of April 2024, 10:00h CEST. You can register for the webinar using the following link:

Registration Webinar 24-04-2024.

The slides of the webinar will be available after the webinar under the "Call Documents".

Please always contact research@uhasselt.be if you want to apply.
  

Deadline

16.05.2024

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail sarah.szyr@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211269052