CHEERS: EU funded Horizon Europe project kicks off!
CHEERS is an EU-funded project led by Mahou San Miguel with a consortium of 11 partners from 5 countries. The project aims to revalorise under-utilised or waste by-streams from the brewing industry for subsequent conversion into five high value-added industrial bio-products through a biorefinery approach. The initiative proposes to achieve a reduction in the resource use and environmental impact of the beer production chain and aims to cover wider impacts on biodiversity and agricultural land use. CHEERS will develop sustainable transformation processes using innovative biological platforms inspired by nature, which will be validated on a demonstration scale [...]
Irene Paredes from Innovarum attends workshop organised by JRC foresight and DG AGRI
Agriculture is one of the important sectors in the transformation of Europe's economy and society towards a long-term sustainable future. European farmers will face several challenges in the future as they continue to supply food and non-food products and at the same time contribute to this transition. The challenges are wide-ranging and include: climate change, resource scarcity, infrastructure problems and changes in food demand and dietary habits. Irene Paredes, co-CEO and co-founder of Innovarum, attended the workshop "Transformative Futures for Farmers and Rural Communities", organised by JRC foresight (Joint Research Centre) and DG AGRI on 20-21 September. In [...]
The EU Green Deal after 3 years
Making Europe the first climate-neutral continent in the world is a major goal set by the European Commission hand in hand with the EU Green Deal. “The European Green Deal is, in short, a commitment to the future, an opportunity to achieve a sustainable economy that will reward society by allowing future generations to meet their needs, for Europe to lead the fight against climate change and to drive cooperation between the different countries.” – Public Agency Ihobe. In more detail, the EU Green Deal aims to reach no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 (reducing net greenhouse [...]
€120M for projects in the bioeconomy: the CBE JU call for September 2022
The details of the very first call of CBE JU were published this June after a year of transition and the publication of the CBE JU Annual Work Programme 2022. Like this, the first call of CBE JU (HORIZON-JTI-CBEJU-2022) follows the line set by its predecessor (BBI JU); looking to fund projects that develop innovative and sustainable bio-based solutions. On this occasion, the focus of the call is on the following strategic priorities: feedstock, processing, products, and cross-cutting aspects of communication and environmental sustainability. All in all, a funding opportunity for projects and initiatives that support a stronger [...]
The top 5 EU policies, plans & strategies key for agri-food projects in the bioeconomy
EU Projects are determined by policies and plans seeking to achieve strategic EU objectives in specific areas. Being aware of these policies and plans is key when preparing a project and very especially during the proposal writing process. A clear understanding of the policy environment of the specific program and topic to which our project is addressed will largely increase our possibilities of success. In this post, we will identify and describe the most relevant policies and plans for EU projects within the agri-food and bioeconomy sector: The EGD aims to promote sustainable growth by transitioning to a [...]
Innovarum at BIOKET 2022 with VALUEWASTE
The 15th, 16th and 17th of March 2022, Innovarum participated in BIOKET 2022 with the VALUEWASTE project, an innovative project that proposes an integrated system for urban biowaste valorisation into key strategic products for the EU. BIOKET is dedicated to bio-based solutions and processes, tackling technological, economic and environmental challenges of the bioeconomy. The fair focuses on innovation in processes for biomass conversion using emerging technologies, minimizing waste production and optimizing economics. Know more The European project VALUEWASTE (Grant Agreement No. 818312) proposes an integrated approach in urban biowaste upcycling to produce added-value end products in a [...]
What you need to know about the EU Soil Strategy and its relevance for the agrifood sector
Experts have been warning about this for a long time already: Europe is losing its soil. According to the European Environment Agency, erosion, construction and pollution have degraded 60% to 70% of the “live” layer of our soil: a layer 15 to 25cm wide, found just below the earth´s surface that hosts 25% of the planet biodiversity, providing food, biomass and raw materials and regulating water and carbon cycles – in other words, a key resource to fight climate challenge. Soil degradation hampers ecosystems´ ability to produce raw materials and generates irreversible loses: it takes years to form just [...]
Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument, a new initiative to strengthen cooperation in the EU.
The European Union continues supporting collaborative and innovative projects under the European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF), in this case, through a new funding instrument called I3 Instrument or Interregional Innovation Investments. The programme aims at promoting innovation through “Smart Specialisation” and collaboration between EU regions. If you are looking for funding to move forward a project for the digital transition, the green transition or the smart manufacturing, and your solution is in a commercialisation or scale-up phase; then the I3 Instrument is interesting for you! On 9 December 2021, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency [...]
Practical Tips on Section 2: impact in Horizon Europe proposals
The impact section has often proven to be the most problematic for applicants. The new structure of this section under Horizon Europe, where the “pathway to impact” must be defined, may be even more of a challenge. However, the applicants must be aware of the utmost importance to address this section well, not only regarding the proposal evaluation (the credibility of the pathways is one of the evaluation criteria), but also the reasoning behind the project. After all, we all design projects to make a change, and this is not possible if the impact of the implemented activities is [...]
SISTERS kicks off: innovations in the agri-food value chain for a reduction of food waste
AITIIP Technology Centre leads SISTERS, a project that seeks to minimize waste and residues throughout the food chain. The initiative proposes a series of cross-sectoral innovations to reduce food losses by 27% and CO2 emissions by 20% in the case studies. SISTERS develops innovative solutions that cover the entire agri-food value chain: production, processing, logistics, marketing, and consumption. AITIIP technology centre is leading the European SISTERS project, which proposes a holistic solution to the challenges of the food industry to reduce losses and waste generated at each stage of the food value chain in Europe by 27% and reduce [...]