Current Projects
AGRIFOODSKILLS
The AGRIFOODSKILLS project is funded by the Erasmus+ program with a budget of 4 million euros and a duration of 48 months. The consortium is coordinated by UNITO (University of Turin) and consists of 29 partner organizations from 13 European countries.
AGRIFOODSKILLS aims to contribute to the strategic development of a community of practice within the framework of the Agrifood Pact for Skills and to improve the skills of workers in the plant and animal production, agri-food and veterinary sectors. This will be achieved through innovative content on topics such as artificial intelligence, the future of food, digital and environmental skills, all the while building on the results of previous projects FIELDS and I-RESTART.
In addition, AGRIFOODSKILLS will serve as the centerpiece of the Agrifood Pact for Skills (Agrifood P4S) by sharing the project results with the community of practice. Long-term sustainability will be ensured by the establishment of the Agrifood P4S Observatory, which is organized in working groups and which will involve Agrifood P4S members through meetings and multiplication events.
The project complements and strengthens the FIELDS and I-RESTART strategies in the agricultural and veterinary sectors and provides essential tools to address future challenges through micro-qualifications organized in competence levels (EQF levels 3-5 and 6-8).
In addition, Forum 2050 will serve as a strategic platform to guide the direction and resources of the Observatory's working groups, providing critical insights and input to support their activities.
As a member of the consortium, the Food Research Institute (LVA) is a partner in the project.
Project Start: January 1, 2025
Project Duration: 48 months
Project Number: 101183898
Visit project website: www.agrifoodskills.eu
I-RESTART
The Pact for Skill roundtable raised several issues the Agrifood sector is facing, and identified potential ways of overcoming them: upskilling and reskilling workers; intersectoral skill transfers; increased attractiveness of the sector to youth; digital transition; partnerships between learning institutions and companies.
The I-RESTART project aims to reskill and upskill the workforce in the agrifood and veterinary sectors, retrain the employees leaving the heavy industry to hire them in the agrifood sector, and engage some students that want to enter the agrifood labor market, to improve their digital skills and facilitate the transition to the Green Deal initiative.
To reach these objectives, I-RESTART will facilitate inter-sectoral and intergenerational skill transfers through the adoption of an innovative micro-credentials methodology that will provide inclusive, flexible and engaging work-based patterns with mentors, while also opening the ecosystem to external workers.
The project, complementing the FIELDS Blueprint on agriculture and forestry, will provide the tools to tackle the future challenges with the offering of 10 occupational profiles (EQF 4, 5 and 6) for a total of 3200 hours of training and 3600 hours of work based learning. In total 16 trainers and 120 trainees will benefit from the pilot training in 8 countries, and 40 students will complete the work-based learning scheme that includes advanced entrepreneurial skills and involves 32 mentors.
The 29 partners consortium from 11 countries will identify skills needed (including urgent ones) and gaps, create occupational profiles, detailed curricula, design European strategies and 10 country roadmaps to reflect the country's needs while keeping EU quality standards (ESCO, EQAVET) to address the mobility of learners through Europe.
A strong connection will be established with the Pact for Skills initiative, in order to make useful content for the members that will implement the pact.
WASTELESS
The WASTELESS project aims to reduce Food Loss and Waste (FLW) across the European Union. Food wasted in developed countries is comparable to the sum of all foodstuff produced in sub-Saharan Africa, therefore action regarding the reduction, redistribution and repurposing of food waste is urgently needed. WASTELESS will (1) develop innovative tools and methodologies for FLW measurement and monitoring, (2) devise and recommend harmonized methodological Framework for FLW quantification, and (3) develop a decision support systemic Toolbox targeting all food value chain stakeholders. This should lead to an reduction of FLW by at least 20% annually after the project’s end. WASTELESS will make use of the ‘Farm2Fork’ strategy to reach the targets of the ‘European Green Deal’, that aim to reduce the amount of food waste by half per capita at retail and consumer levels by 2030. In addition, outcomes from this project will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, contributing to global climate change mitigation strategies.
PLAN'EAT
PLAN’EAT (Food systems transformation towards healthy and sustainable dietary behaviour)
Across the world, dietary patterns are shifting towards dominant food consumption patterns and eco-agri-food systems that have high health, societal and environmental costs. Without a significant change in current trends, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will continue to rise while the quality and quantity of available natural resources will decline. As dietary behaviour is a strong determinant of food consumption, it represents a key lever for action to transform food systems and vice versa. The main objective of PLAN’EAT will be to foster the transition to HSDB(healthy and sustainable food behaviour) through an in-depth understanding of its underlying factors and drivers and through the design of effective recommendations, tools and interventions targeting food system actors.
PLAN’EAT will aim at implementing an evidence-based, multi-actor, multi-layered and systemic approach at macro (food system), meso (food environment) and micro (individual) levels. Various socio-cultural and geographic contexts will be considered by implementing 9 Living Labs (LLs) in different European areas, 4 pan-European food value chain Consultation and Working Groups (CWGs) and 1 Policy Lab. In the LL, the dietary patterns of specific population groups will be mapped and ‘monetised’ in terms of environmental, socio-economic and health impacts through True Cost Accounting (TCA). The factors influencing dietary behaviours with the highest potential for change (i.e., high impact behaviours) will be analysed. The knowledge and scientific evidence obtained will feed into the co-design of more than 10 effective solutions adjusted to different contexts and end-users, corresponding to PLAN’EAT Project Results (PR).
LIKE-A-PRO
LIKE-A-PRO aims to facilitate sustainable and healthy diets by shifting promising alternative proteins and products from niche to mainstream - making them more available, accessible, and acceptable to all population groups (young people, adults, elderly, vulnerable groups - of low socio-economic status, ethnic minorities, living in rural locations) and everywhere (urban, peri-urban, and rural areas). This will be done via development of 16 products with ingredients from 7 protein sources (sustainable, EU-based, of improved taste & texture) and via FE solutions for alternative protein promotion, co-designed & explored with ≈ 24,430 citizens & community actors across Europe.
To reach this objective, the LIKE-A-PRO consortium involves 42 entities - representatives along the entire alternative protein value chain (protein producers, ingredient & product developers, culinary centres, food clusters), scientists and market & communication experts. Furthermore, the scope will be beyond the consortium via direct engagement of citizens, industry, processors, retailers, food services, cooks, and caterers.
The project is inclusive of 7 promising alternative proteins (2 plant-based, 1 microbe-based, 1 ocean-based, 2 fungus-based, 1 insect-based) with different development status, grouped into 3 development categories:
- Market available products - These market available alternative protein products, which are still a niche, need better understanding of their place in the FEs and determinants of related consumer choices.
- Ongoing developments – Their regulatory pathway has been cleared (e.g., no need for authorization by the European Food and Safety Authority - EFSA), yet they need R&I support to become industry + market ready.
- Future trends - These future trends, which are at early stages of development, need support to evaluate their technical, economic, market and regulatory feasibility, including consumer testing.
NOVAFOODIES
Demonstration of innovative functional food production systems based on a more sustainable value chain of marine and freshwater raw materials for conscientious European consumers.
Overfishing and the associated effects on the ecosystem have been a constant topic in the scientific discourse on environmental protection for many years. In many areas, extreme interventions into the natural balance, the so-called trophic levels, take place. These levels represent the natural system of producers (algae, plants, microorganisms, etc.), primary consumers (consume producers, e.g. surgeonfish, parrotfish, etc.) and secondary/tertiary consumers (consume consumers, e.g. sharks) into one food pyramid. If a certain species from one of these stages is overfished (e.g. a consumer species), severe overgrowth of the producers (e.g. algae proliferation) and death of secondary or tertiary consumers can be the consequence.
The interdisciplinary HORIZON-IA project "NOVAFOODIES" deals with this topic: through innovative breeding of aquatic organisms, the so-called "Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture" (IMTA), the cultivation of different organisms is to be promoted in the same habitat. With this new type of fish production, which has been discussed for a long time, the "natural" balance is artificially set. As part of NOVAFOODIES, IMTA is being tested in seven different case studies in Europe, Israel and China.
Furthermore, research is done on innovative food and packaging production methods, (i) new products made from seaweed and fish will subsequently be ready to successfully enter the market and (ii) products previously regarded as waste are recycled and valorized, e.g. as nutrient-rich fish feed.
As part of the project, great importance is laid on food safety in the field of fish farming/aquaculture and on enabling complete traceability. This ensures that only high quality products are produced and placed on the market, while sustainably promoting the survival of all aquatic organisms.
NOVAFOODIES is coordinated by the Spanish research institution IDENER and consists of 28 consortium partners from Europe, China and Israel. In the project, the food research institute (LVA) will primarily be involved in the development of training materials, seminars, workshops and (online) courses, in order to familiarize cooks and food producers with the newly developed foods.
Microplexfood
The CORNET project "Microplexfood" was launched to determine the presence of microplastics in complex foods. Austrian (ACR Institutes ofi and LVA) and German partners are working on an innovative way to analyze plastics in foods without changing their shape or other properties. This should make it possible to assign the polymer particles to their specific type of plastic and a give information about their shape. With the help of these characteristics, detailed statements can be made about the possible origin of the particles, the route of entry and the possible effects on the environment and humans.
Microplexfood is a successor to the Microplastic@food project, which investigated the microplastic content of simple foods such as drinking water, salt, sugar, clear juices and the surfaces of foods.
The follow-up project will now tackle more complex structures, such as fish, meat and meat products, cloudy juices, milk and dairy products, baked goods, etc. These foods are considered "complex" because they have one or more of the following characteristics: poorly soluble/not soluble in water, made up of several components, or a stable network of compounds.
The particles are analyzed using state-of-the-art equipment that combines microscopy and FTIR measurements.
The aim of the project is to successfully develop a solid analysis method for microplastics. This will make a decisive contribution to determining the level of microplastic exposure in food in the future.
SecureFood
SecureFood adopts an integrated, systems-thinking approach that acknowledges and embraces the complexity of food systems, addressing them as an interconnected network of actors, elements, activities, processes, infrastructures, and essential services related to the production and delivery of food. Based on this approach, it brings together, as consortium partners, multiple actors of the food supply chain itself, such as producers, food and beverages industries retailers and consumers, but also actors supporting the functioning of the supply chain, such as bulk carriers and road transport carriers. The actors network also includes Ministries and entities operating under their auspices responsible for coordinating national resilience-building efforts. The ultimate goal is to address the food security challenges, by creating an ecosystem of scientific knowledge, collaborative processes, and digital tools.
MICROBIOMES4SOY
The transition to food systems based on plant proteins is required. The MICROBIOMES4SOY project aims to make food and feed systems more sustainable and healthier for animals, humans and the environment through the use of microbiomes in soy production. The aim of the project is to support the transition to plant-based protein sources in line with the “Transition Pathways” defined by the EU by taking a comprehensive look at microbiomes along the food and feed chains. With the help of all actors in the food system, a significant contribution will be made to achieving the priorities of FOOD 2030 and the UN sustainable development goals.
Microbiomes play a key role along the entire food chain: from primary production, where microbes improve plant growth and health, food production based on microbial processes, to interactions between animal/human microbiomes and host health.
MICROBIOMES4SOY focuses on the model system soybean as an important protein-rich crop. The project will develop second generation microbiome applications that improve plant productivity, nutritional value, and safety of soybean seeds. This will be tested under different environmental conditions. In addition, the effect of a dietary intervention based on soybean protein will be tested, the effects on the human gut microbiome will be investigated and microbiome-based dietary recommendations will be developed. The project will also develop microbiome-based solutions to develop novel feeds for aquatic use and determine their effects on the fish gut microbiome.
The MICROBIOMES4SOY consortium consists of 18 partners from ten countries contributing complementary expertise in soil, plant, human and animal microbiomes, bioinformatics, modelling, crop production, aquaculture, food/feed production, food systems mapping and scientific communication.
Current ACR-Projects
MicroPic
The focus of the strategic ACR project "MicroPIC" (short for Microscopy For Plastics In Cereals) is the development of correlative, imaging and spectroscopic methods and corresponding workflows for the detection of micro- and nanoplastics in cereal plants using (electron) microscopic techniques.
This is intended to create the opportunity for existing and future customers and research partners, among others, from the economic fields of
- Agribusiness
- Food production
- Plastic production
- Pulp processing
to give access to the developed methods and to provide new characterization methods that can efficiently and accurately detect and show the presence of problematic particles in a spatially resolved manner. At the end of the project, the developed investigation techniques should be transferred to the method portfolio of the ZFE.
The intended project cooperation with the Research Institute for Grain Processing (ÖMV-vg) and the Food Research Institute (LVA) also enables information on the influence of micro- and nanoplastics on changes in the consistency of grain products, such as flour and dough, to be generated.
The experimental design envisages adapting and optimizing the methodology with regard to the sensitivity and detectability of plastic particles in a biological matrix by deliberately introducing labeled micro- and nanoplastics into the nutrient cycle (soil or nutrient solution) while growing the cereal plants to be able to follow the uptake of the particles in the plant during growth from the roots to possibly the grain.
Micro- and nanoplastic pollution is irreversible and causes significant environmental damage, with serious consequences for living beings. Although comprehensive restrictions are being issued or are at least planned across Europe and worldwide, the scientific work on the subject is by no means complete. The reasons for this sometimes lie in the lack of suitability of existing characterization techniques for micro and nanoplastic particles and in the low level of networking between various thematically involved sectors. The MicroPIC project, through its cooperation partners, tries to take this fact into account and to develop contributions to this extremely socially relevant topic.
PEX-Net
The market for plant extracts is developing dynamically. For this market, required RDI services are developed, including the production of extracts and their optimisation (experimental procedure and analysis). A laboratory plant for extraction with
n-butane as a solvent is purchased. Quality parameters are determined for the obtained extracts and the result
s will be provided by means of a database.
The gained expertise will be made available to Austrian SMEs with the help of a one-stop shop on www.pexnet.at.
In addition, scientific publications or reports will be published in order to gain international consideration.
To Webpage: www.pexnet.at
AAA-Plus
Advanced Additive Analytics plus - Innovative analytics for the detection of additives, contaminants and impurities in all stages of the recycling cycle
In this joint R&D project, the 3 ACR institutes LVA, OFI (Austrian Research Institute for Chemistry and Technology) and ÖIV (Austrian Institute for Packaging) plan to establish technical know-how for the determination and safety assessment of additives, NIAS (non-intentionally added substances), contaminants and impurities in all life stages of plastic, paper and cardboard packaging, as well as in food.
The project, with a planned total funding amount of approximately EUR 500.000, aims to establish the interdisciplinary network “Drinking water - food - contact materials - packaging” through the cooperation of the three ACR institutes by achieving the project objectives. The impetus for the project includes the European circular economy strategy and the draft of the new Packaging Regulation, which stipulates statutory recycling and recyclate quotas. However, the use of recyclates is limited by the high safety assessment requirements in the Recycling Regulation 2022/1616, which poses almost insurmountable challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular.
The common goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive analysis strategy based on the European legal requirements, which makes it possible to assess the safety of contaminants that cannot be clearly identified in addition to known and deliberately used plastic additives. Based on this, comprehensive future-oriented RDI services can be offered to companies, especially S
MEs in the plastic product, food and packaging sectors, which will enable the ACR network to expand its market position and competitiveness in the flourishing areas of material cycles, recyclability of plastics and microplastics analysis.
The research project AAA-Plus is funded by the research network ACR - Austrian Cooperative Research with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism.
Project start: 07.2024
Project duration: 30 months
CFS-Audit
CFS-Audit – Circular Food System Audit
Within the CFS-Audit project, the partners LVA, AEE (Institute for Sustainable Technologies) and IWI (Institute of Industrial Science) are developing an audit methodology that is specifically tailored to the requirements of the circular economy in the food industry. The new approach will strengthen raw material resilience and improve supply security in times of crisis through a more efficient use of biogenic residues.
The goal will be achieved by developing an efficient and standardized CFS audit methodology for biogenic residues. This will enable domestic SMEs to easily identify recycling potential for their biogenic residues, develop new resource-efficient cascading recycling concepts and evaluate them economically and ecologically.
In addition to the audit methodology, the project, which is funded with around EUR 350,000, includes the development of a systematized optimization method as well as tools and instruments for the quick and uncomplicated creation of the planned “CFS audit” consulting service. In addition, the creation of a data set with key characteristics and performance parameters as well as costs of recycling and extraction technologies for the selected recycling routes is planned. A new service for SMEs will also be developed, opening a new business area for ACR institutes and thus laying the foundation for future consulting services in this new field.
The project helps to identify recycling and reusable material potential in companies and to develop and offer solutions and new recycling routes for residual materials. This promotes the implementation of a circular economy in companies and not only improves the environmental footprint of companies but also reduces global resource consumption.
The research project CFS-Audit is funded by the research network ACR - Austrian Cooperative Research with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism.
Project start: 09.2024
Project duration: 24 months
Safe-NEM
For the first time in Austria, the RDI project ‘Safe-NEM’ is launching an interdisciplinary initiative supported by the most important stakeholders in order to strengthen the innovative power of serious and reliable retailers and manufacturers of nutritional supplements on the digital market. The first step is to analyse the digital market for food supplements, which is then used as the basis for developing the ‘Alertify’ tool set, which semi-automatically detects products advertised online with illegal ingredients, problematic product labelling and unserious or forbidden promises of salvation. ‘Alertify’ will be made available to companies and the AGES (Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit GmbH) as open source. On a long-term basis, an information service linked to ‘Alertify’ will be developed, comprising (1) measures for better risk communication in the retail sector, (2) information and trainings for manufacturers and (3) warnings for consumers.
The Safe-NEM research project, led by the ACR Institute ÖIAT (Austrian Institute for Telecommunications) with the participation of LVA and KMU-Forschung Austria, is funded by the ACR - Austrian Cooperative Research research network with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism.
Project start: 09.2024
Project duration: 24 months
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