Why research and innovation are key for sustainable food systems
Sustainable food systems are about making our food production system fairer, more sustainable and respectful of both people and the environment, while reconciling what we eat with the needs of the planet.
Our food systems are currently under threat due to population growth, urbanisation, migration, resource scarcity, climate change and environmental degradation. At the same time, they are essential for strengthening Europe’s resilience, competitiveness and strategic autonomy in a context of growing geopolitical uncertainty.
Business as usual is therefore no longer an option in the way we produce, distribute and consume our food.
Research and innovation are key to making our food systems more sustainable, resilient, inclusive and healthy. They also help strengthen Europe’s food security, strategic autonomy and capacity to innovate, while contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and to the objectives set out in the Vision for Agriculture and Food, the Strategy for European Life Sciences, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the EU Green Deal.
Research and innovation accelerate the transformation of food systems and strengthen their governance by providing a reliable evidence-base for policy and action. They also support the development, testing and uptake of solutions, help overcome barriers to implementation and open new market opportunities.
Regional Innovation Valleys for Bioeconomy and Food Systems
Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) are a key initiative under the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA), designed to strengthen and connect regional innovation ecosystems across Europe. They support cooperation between regions, help reduce the innovation gap, and accelerate the development and uptake of solutions addressing major EU priorities, including food security, circularity, sustainability, competitiveness and the green and digital transitions.
For bioeconomy and food systems, RIVs are particularly relevant because many solutions need to be developed, tested and scaled in real territories, involving farmers, businesses, researchers, public authorities and citizens. By linking regional strengths and supporting cooperation between more and less innovative regions, they can help accelerate the deployment of sustainable bioeconomy and food system innovations, reduce the innovation gap, and strengthen Europe’s resilience and competitiveness.
Funding opportunities
Calls for proposal on bioeconomy-related themes in Horizon Europe and information on the work programme.
Loans for projects in agriculture, forest-based, blue economy, waste management. Loans guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments for high-risk investment in food production and processing
Funding supporting the deployment of biobased solutions in carbon intensive sectors
The ECBF is part-funded by the Commission and invests in late-stage bioeconomy start-ups
The EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action
Projects and results
The Commission's primary portal for results of EU-funded research projects in food-related areas.
Stories of particularly successful EU-funded food research projects
Thematic collections of innovative EU-funded research results in food innovation
Latest news, interviews and features about thought-provoking science and innovative research projects funded by the EU.
Access to real-time programme data with the ability to filter by country, region, theme and more.
Platform where framework programme participants present their results for you to search, contact their owners, and form partnerships.
Success stories
With agriculture increasingly impacted by climate change, farmers need data-based tools to know when to irrigate, fertilise and harvest their crops.
- Project locations
- Greece, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland
EU-funded researchers are looking for alternative sources of protein to balance the environmental impact of meat production.
- Project locations
- Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand
Collaboration and jobs
Find partners for open EU calls for proposal
CBE JU connects key biobased sectors to ultimately create a sustainable and competitive biobased economy in Europe.
International cooperation in bioeconomy research and innovation helps tackle global challenges
Partnerships with EU countries on food system related issues
Innovation community of industry players, agrifood startups, research centres and universities from across Europe accelerating innovation to transform the food system
Initiative offering a shared strategic research and innovation framework for working towards sustainable bioeconomies in Central and Eastern European countries
Alliance of EU-funded projects dealing with bioeconomy promotion and communication
Strategic advice and orientation to support the EU Food 2030 policy
Researcher jobs in related fields
Scientific publications, tools and databases
Report by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisers on how to achieve a sustainable food system
Platform supporting policy making by bringing together knowledge on the bioeconomy from a wide range of scientific disciplines and sources
Platform bringing together experts and knowledge to help to tackle the root causes of food insecurity around the world.
The EU Food System Dashboard is a tool developed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) to monitor the sustainability of the EU food system from an environmental, economic and social perspective, based on a set of indicators.
Scientific food systems related research publications by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)
The Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) compiles databases and develops software and modelling tools. You can access bioeconomy, agriculture and food research related ones here
Online library of EU bioeconomy, agriculture and food research publications
Single point of access to open data produced by the EU institutions - all data free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes
All scientific publications from Horizon Europe and H2020 are accessible via OpenAIRE.
2024 marks 40 years since the launch of the EU’s first funding programme dedicated to science, research and innovation. This booklet presents a symbolic 40 stories to illustrate the breadth of R&I made possible through EU R&I funding and some of the results achieved over the last 40 years. It covers...
