Smart Sensor Systems for Food safety, quality control and resource efficiency in the food processing industry (S3FOOD) will facilitate the modernisation and digitalisation of the food processing industry. S3FOOD will stimulate the integration of IoT and related technologies via the implementation of smart sensor systems in the food production processes in order to improve quality control, resource efficiency and the follow-up of food safety in the food production process. S3FOOD brings together clusters with a background in food processing industry, IoT, ICT and sensor technology. It will strengthen current and develop new cross-sectoral industrial value chains within the food production and processing industries through a combination of direct and indirect innovation actions, as well as support and capacity building measures. S3FOOD sets up a network of living labs, organize cross-sectoral, cross-border matchmaking/business/investment events, demonstrations and study visits for SMEs across geographical borders, sectors and with different innovation actors. An innovation voucher scheme will support the realisation of high-TRL, large scale, demonstration and commercialisation projects across Europe. Besides the consortium network, associated clusters from the S3 platform on Smart Sensor Systems 4 agri-food and other networks will support the outreach to SMEs across the EU. More than 2000 SMEs will be reached. More than 200 SME will participate in matchmaking events. A turnover growth rate of 30% is targeted in the SMEs having participated in support cases one year after the end of the project, preserving / creating more than 1000 jobs after the end of the project and by 2025. S3FOOD will operate for 3 years and has a total budget of € 5.046.050, €3.993.000 of which will directly benefit SMEs (79%). € 2.875.000 of the budget is targeted to provide innovation vouchers, and catalyse large-scale demonstration with commercialisation projects with 62 beneficiaries.

TRIBIOME's vision is to develop and implement a systemic solution to transform current food production systems. To this end, TRIBIOME aims to advance alignment with the Green Deal and Farm2fork strategies, by deepening the knowledge of soil/plant/animal and human microbiomes, as well as their interrelationships and interconnections, so that they can play a leading role in the resilience of food production systems in the near future. TRIBIOME will face the main challenges such as the need to minimize resources, reduce the environmental impact and promote healthy and plant-based food chain while feeding a constantly growing world population under the paradigm of climate change. This project aims to drive this concept from its base, establishing its central nucleus in current agricultural production systems based on the relevancy of the soil and plant microbiome, in order to produce more with less, through knowledge of microbial biodiversity and its interaction with the plant, developing novel technologies to influence its modulation (i.e., those enhancing plant growth, nutrient use efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and better nutritional and health quality of food products) in such a way as to generate an upgrade quality food and have a positive influence on the microbiomes of both animals and humans. To this end, we will work cooperatively in a multiactor approach framework with all actors in the food production systems chain, from farmers to consumers, industry, investors and policy makers, in order to develop systemic solutions that guarantee their implementation and solve the real problems and needs of society.

Mixed bio-waste generated along the agri-food value chain is an abundant resource, rich in valuable compounds e.g., polysaccharides or polyphenolic constituents. Yet, its potential as a source of recycled components is untapped - 75% of the generated bio-waste (approx. 85 M/y) is landfilled or incinerated, constituting 3% of total EU GHG emissions. Valorisation of mixed bio-waste from the agri-food sector is hindered by (1) technological challenges of removing impurities (e.g., plastics, cardboard, or metals) that would otherwise decrease the process quality, (2) logistics challenges of collecting seasonal, geographically dispersed feedstock that lower valorisation cost-benefit. MixMatters proposes an innovative system that efficiently separates and valorises three types of mixed bio-waste streams containing impurities from the agri-food industry (wholesale markets, greenhouses, food and drink industry) and obtains six high value-added outputs (powder ingredients, sugar concentrates, recombinant proteins, green fibres, bioactive compounds, plastic monomers). The MixMatters system is modular and multi-purpose - able to treat a range of mixed bio-waste streams (ensuring feedstock supply). The separation stage is automated, integrating advanced robotics and AI. It is also containerised separating the bio-waste at waste generation sites to avoid inefficient transportation of water and stream spoilage. The system functioning is optimised via a Decision Support while transparency + traceability are ensured via a Digital Product Passport. In the project, the system will be demonstrated during 15 months at three waste generation sites, along with output validation with 6 bio-based industries and active involvement of value chain actors (partner networks outreach + 2,280 members) to ensure result deployment. MixMatters will contribute to meeting the separation targets of the Waste Framework Directive (separated 6,240 t/y by one system at industrial scale).

Livestock farming is a crucial pillar of the rural economy in Europe. However, it also causes pollution with a significant impact on air quality and climate change. Europe annually produces over 1.4 billion tonnes of manure, with cattle contributing 75%, and pig and chickens representing 12% each. Livestock is by far the main primary European sub-sector responsible for NH3 (~1.5Mt/y) and CH4 (~166Mt/y) emissions. Despite many efforts in the past decades, current manure management and disposal on farmland as fertilizer still poses significant pollution problems such as soil degradation, eutrophication of surface waters and pollution of groundwater. In this vein, new opportunities are foreseen for small-scale biorefineries, which have the potential to provide diversification opportunities to the rural actors. In this context, ManuREfinery aims at deploying a smart, modular, mobile and sustainable small-scale decentralised biorefinery that will convert livestock manure into added value biobased feed (microbial protein, caproic acid, protein-enriched grass cake) and bioingredients (sodium nitrate, ammonium bicarbonate, p-rich ashes) for fertilisers. The Manurefinery solution exhibits high scalability/replicability potential by integrating: 1) Advanced thermo- and bio-chemical modular and mobile feedstock conversion units. 2) Digital twin and data science for multicriteria decision making and process optimization, upscaling and replicability. 3) Sustainability (economic, social, environmental) and circularity assessment framework. 4) Strategies to boost the engagement of livestock stakeholders and enhance social acceptance of the solution. 5) New, sustainable and replicable business models for income diversification in the livestock sector. ManuREfinery will be demonstrated at TRL 6-7 in 2 pig farms (Romania and Spain), 1 cow farm (Slovenia) and 1 poultry farm (Romania), thus fostering the transition of CEE regions towards a sustainable bieconomy.