Focus areas

EIT Food Innovation Focus Areas - more information can be found here: https://openinnovation.eitfood.eu/

1. Alternative Proteins

Protein diversification requires shifting away from an over-reliance on resource-intensive animal proteins and moving towards lower-impact protein ingredients and a greater variety of products.

Call 2022 Ambition: We seek projects which develop solutions to produce new raw materials and optimize production processes, create affordable alternative protein choices, and grow awareness and trust in alternative proteins. Priority challenges to be addressed are plant-based proteins, single cell fermentation and cell-based technologies.

2. Sustainable Agriculture

There is a need to increase the sustainability of farming practices and promote regenerative and circular farming approaches to reduce the impact of agriculture.

 Call 2022 Ambition: We invite proposals that contribute to the regeneration of biodiversity and ecosystem services, aid in coping with climate change and building-up agricultural resilience and drive digital transformation, technology adoption, citizen engagement, and capacity building.  

3. Targeted Nutrition

Transforming the food system to fight non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by improving diets and lifestyles is urgently needed to promote healthy eating habits and keeping people healthy, while enhancing consumer awareness about the relationship between food and health.

Call 2022 Ambition: We invite proposals that aim to halt and reverse the rise in obesity levels, promote healthy aging and reduce the number of dependent adults, double protein food sources available, and develop  personalized nutrition strategies.

4. Sustainable Aquaculture

Aquaculture is expected to provide an ever-increasing portion of global fish consumption in the coming decade. As seafood consumption increases, sustainable aquaculture must keep up with demand while providing many other economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Call 2022 Ambition: We seek new approaches to transform and expand current aquaculture practices into smarter, circular systems by developing innovative and sustainable solutions to create safe, healthy, and high-quality food.   

5. Digital Traceability

Digitalisation of traceability can improve the safety, efficiency and sustainability of food and increase consumer trust. Moreover, it is one of the steppingstones in the digital transformation of food systems.  

Call 2022 Ambition: Develop transparent and traceable food supply chains to make the food system (1) safe, (2) efficient, (3) sustainable and (4) transparent to consumers and food actors by increasing investments and use/adoption/development of digital tools / technologies and addressing the barriers to user acceptance and increased confidence.  

6. Circular Food Systems

We must shift from our current linear model (make, use, dispose) to a circular food system. This implies the reuse of resources, reduction and (re)-utilisation of side and waste streams to prevent food loss and waste and to allow nutrient recycling and reduction in GHG emissions as well as water and land use. Consumers and value chain stakeholders are key enablers of this shift.

Call 2022 Ambition: We invite proposals that are based on a food systems approach and include training/education of e.g., retailer and/or consumers. Solutions must deliver on at least one of the following impact indicators: GHG emissions, water use, food loss and/or food waste, waste management, recycling, and upcycling.