CYBELE generates innovation and create value in the domain of agri-food, and its verticals in the sub-domains of PA and PLF in specific, as demonstrated by the real-life industrial cases to be supported, empowering capacity building within the industrial and research community. Since agriculture is a high volume business with low operational efficiency, CYBELE aspires at demonstrating how the convergence of HPC, Big Data, Cloud Computing and the IoT can revolutionize farming, reduce scarcity and increase food supply, bringing social, economic, and environmental benefits. CYBELE intends to safeguard that stakeholders have integrated, unmediated access to a vast amount of large scale datasets of diverse types from a variety of sources, and they are capable of generating value and extracting insights, by providing secure and unmediated access to large-scale HPC infrastructures supporting data discovery, processing, combination and visualization services, solving challenges modelled as mathematical algorithms requiring high computing power. CYBELE develops large scale HPC-enabled test beds and delivers a distributed big data management architecture and a data management strategy providing 1) integrated, unmediated access to large scale datasets of diverse types from a multitude of distributed data sources, 2) a data and service driven virtual HPC-enabled environment supporting the execution of multi-parametric agri-food related impact model experiments, optimizing the features of processing large scale datasets and 3) a bouquet of domain specific and generic services on top of the virtual research environment facilitating the elicitation of knowledge from big agri-food related data, addressing the issue of increasing responsiveness and empowering automation-assisted decision making, empowering the stakeholders to use resources in a more environmentally responsible manner, improve sourcing decisions, and implement circular-economy solutions in the food chain.

Animal-based proteins constitute a significant ingredient in European food systems. Dependence on animal-based proteins comes with substantial environmental and health impacts. Hence, the transition toward plant protein-based food systems is now more critical than ever. MICROBIOMES4SOY is an interdisciplinary and intersectoral project that employs a Multi-Actor Approach to ensure that food system actors' needs and key components relevant to the FOOD 2030 priorities are addressed. MICROBIOMES4SOY aims to enable transition pathways by delivering a comprehensive understanding of the microbiomes along the food and feed chains. Exploiting the microbiomes' full potential is essential to ensure sustainable and nutritious food and feed as they are important players throughout the food system, ranging from primary production, where microbes improve plant growth and health, to food production based on microbial processes and ultimately linking to the interactions between animal/human microbiomes and host health. MICROBIOMES4SOY focuses on the soya bean model system, an important protein-rich crop. The project will develop second-generation microbiome applications that sustain crop productivity and improve soya bean seeds' nutritional value and safety under different environmental conditions. MICROBIOMES4SOY will test the effect of dietary intervention based on soya bean-derived protein on the human gut microbiome and health and elaborate microbiome-informed dietary recommendations. The project will also employ microbiome-based solutions to develop novel aquafeeds and establish their effects on the fish gut microbiome and health. MICROBIOMES4SOY consortium comprises 19 partners from 11 countries contributing complementary expertise on soil, plant, human and animal microbiomes, bioinformatics, modelling, crop production, aquaculture, food/feed production, food systems mapping and scientific communication.

The Legume Generation consortium will invest in innovation that boosts the breeding of legumes in Europe by combining the entrepreneurial focus of breeders with the broad inventiveness of the supporting research base. Six species-oriented breeder-led innovation communities will link practical breeding with the research-base in a transdisciplinary framework. They lead the innovation work and each is focused on the breeding of a single species or species type: soya bean (Glycine max); lupins (Lupinus spp); pea (Pisum sativum); lentil (Lens culinaris); phaseolus bean (Phaseolus spp. e.g., ‘common’ bean); and white and red clover (Trifolium repens and T. pratense). These are supported by the cross-project collection of intelligence on ideotype concepts, beneficial traits, a catalogue of legume species and cultivars, and breeding methods assembled in the Legume Generation Knowledge Centre; the production and validation of novel resources (genotypes, methods, and tools); screening, demonstration and testing of germplasm and new cultivars in different regions; training to support breeding gains in our innovation communities; governance and financial models, and business plans for inclusive plant breeding. All this will be supported by consortium internal and external dissemination and communications, including the extension of the European Legume Hub as a platform for sharing of knowledge. We currently run 43 breeding and pre-breeding programmes. We will give these a decisive boost through access to resources that accelerates the production of novel germplasm, innovating up to the point where newly bred germplasm and cultivars are proven on farm. Breeders will use the results to support expansion of legume production. Our innovation communities will be open to all relevant actors and provide a direct route for the dissemination of results to other users and interested stakeholders. Their sustainability beyond the life of the project will be supported by business plans.

Legumes Translated supports innovation in grain legume-supported cropping systems and value-chains by linking sources and users of quality-assured knowledge using rigorous knowledge synthesis and compilation. Knowledge is compiled at two levels: at the level of Actor Groups’ specific farming system and value chain activities, and in seven technical areas of agricultural sector and value-chain transition (Transition Networks). The project addresses an urgent need and cross-sector challenges by building on technical opportunities. The urgent need is due to the imbalance in cropping systems now dominated by cereal crops with adverse agronomic and environmental effects. The cross-sector challenge arises from the growing demand for alternative sources of plant protein, growing consumer interest in the environmental impact and resource efficiency of value chains, growing demand for GMO-free value chains and grain legume-based foods. The technical opportunity arises from the range of innovation groups in Europe that are now translating relevant knowledge at a local and regional level. Our consortium comprises an existing innovation community represented by 15 Actor Groups with research-based knowledge, value-chain actors’ knowledge and insights from the pre-farm side of the value chain right through to retailing, including the supporting and regulating functions such as policy development. The project uses a co-learning framework to validate the knowledge compiled within Actor Groups and between Actor Groups within the seven Transition Networks. In addition to direct interaction between partners, an extensive range of primary communications provided in an internet-based knowledge platform (The Legume Hub) will have a lasting character documenting the work. Secondary communications will target specific groups along value chains using a wide range of media. The project includes work for impact beyond the project time-frame.

The IoF2020 project is dedicated to accelerate adoption of IoT for securing sufficient, safe and healthy food and to strengthen competitiveness of farming and food chains in Europe. It will consolidate Europe’s leading position in the global IoT industry by fostering a symbiotic ecosystem of farmers, food industry, technology providers and research institutes. The IoF2020 consortium of 73 partners, led by Wageningen UR and other core partners of previous key projects such as FIWARE and IoT-A, will leverage the ecosystem and architecture that was established in those projects. The heart of the project is formed by 19 use cases grouped in 5 trials with end users from the Arable, Dairy, Fruits, Vegetables and Meat verticals and IoT integrators that will demonstrate the business case of innovative IoT solutions for a large number of application areas. A lean multi-actor approach focusing on user acceptability, stakeholder engagement and sustainable business models will boost technology and market readiness levels and bring end user adoption to the next stage. This development will be enhanced by an open IoT architecture and infrastructure of reusable components based on existing standards and a security and privacy framework. Anticipating vast technological developments and emerging challenges for farming and food, the 4-year project stays agile through dynamic budgeting and adaptive decision-making by an implementation board of representatives from key user organizations. A 6 M€ mid-term open call will allow for testing intermediate results and extending the project with technical solutions and test sites. A coherent dissemination strategy for use case products and project learnings supported by leading user organizations will ensure a high market visibility and an increased learning curve. Thus IoF2020 will pave the way for data-driven farming, autonomous operations, virtual food chains and personalized nutrition for European citizens.