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Horizon 2020 CO-FRESH project

Co-creating sustainable and competitive value chains for fruit and vegetable production in Europe.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the innovative CO-FRESH project, funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, which aims to promote more sustainable and efficient agri-food value chains through concrete actions and approaches. This 42-month project (from 1 October 2020) and with a total budget of EUR 7.5 million brings together key actors from pilot agri-food value chains: associations of actors (farmers, food producers, cooperatives, consumers), experts in technological (including digital) and non-technological (including social, organizational and institutional) solutions, as well as experts in environmental and social sciences, sustainable economic development and consumer acceptance.

Based on the current state of the art in technological and non-technological approaches, as well as current best practices and key success factors analyzed in innovative value chains, CO-FRESH proposes to develop techniques, tools and insights for the re-design of agri-food value chains. Through a common and systemic approach, the tools and formats developed will be applied to 7 pilot cases representing different value chains in the agri-food sector across Europe (including the protein crops sector for food and feed). CO-FRESH will use the intervention research approach, a research method that examines the effect of an intervention on the outcome of interest, to explore models of collective innovation activities within and between organizations.

The main goal of CO-FRESH is to design and pilot innovative systemic approaches to value chains in the agri-food sector in order to scale up this innovation at European level. These innovative approaches will improve the economic, social and environmental performance as well as the efficiency of these value chains through the intelligent integration of technological, social, organizational, managerial and institutional innovations. All these elements will contribute to a more sustainable development of the described value chains.

The CO-FRESH consortium, led by CNTA – Centro Nacional de Tecnología y Seguridad Alimentaria (Spain), consists of a total of 26 official partners from 10 European countries: University of Hohenheim (Germany), Tecnoalimenti SCPA (Italy), University of Ghent (Belgium) , University of Wageningen (Netherlands), University of Bologna (Italy), University of Life Sciences in Warsaw (Poland), Actalia Association (France), Center de Recerca en Economia and Desenvolupament Agroalimentari-UPC-IRTA (Spain), Le Terre di Zoe (Italy ), Florette Iberica SLU (Spain), Stichting Food Valley (Netherlands), Chambre Regionale D’Agriculture des Pays de la Loire (France), Ekoowoc (Poland), Pilze-Nagy Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato KFT (Hungary), Asociacion de Organizaciones de Productores de Frutas y Hortalizas de Almería (Spain), Confederazione Generale dell Agricoltura Italiana (Italy), FruitVegetablesEUROPE (Belgium). Kislepteku Termekeloallitok Es Szolgaltatok Orszagos Erdekkepviseletenek Egyesulete (Hungary), Communaute Europeenne des Cooperatives de Consommateurs (Belgium), Cooperatives Europe asbl (Belgium), Bieconomy Cluster (Slovakia), Okologiai Mezogazdasagi Kutatointezet (SRL), Encoa Kutatointezet Future Intelligence Erevna Tilepkinoniakon ke Pliroforiakon Systimaton EPE (Greece) and Innogestiona Ambiental (Spain).

Design data:
 Project no: 101000852
Start: 01/10/2020
Project duration: 42 months

For more information, please contact:

  • Inés Echeverría Goñi (CO-FRESH Coordinator, CNTA), e-mail: iecheverria@cnta.es , phone: + 34 948 670 159
  • Ewa Rembiałkowska (project coordinator at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences – Warsaw University of Life Sciences), e-mail: maria_rembialkowska@sggw.edu.pl , tel: +48 22 59 37 0 38