European agrifood and smart electronic systems platform to enable the Internet of Things (IoT) transition of the agrifood industry – Measure, interpret, translate, know and share

Flanders’ FOOD, imec and DSP Valley are in the progress of setting up a European agrifood and smart electronics platform between agrifood- and electronic/IT cluster organizations and relevant research and technology organizations (RTO’s), that lowers the barriers for agrifood companies to access the newest smart electronic systems. By this we are contributing to the Flemish and European RIS3 priorities on KET’s and Food Safety.

The aim of this platform is to accelerate the introduction and integration of smart electronic systems and embedded technology solutions in the agrifood industry. The collaboration between the clusters and RTO’s will create a trust zone between the involved sectors. In an initial phase, the focus of the platform will be on smart inline, atline and online food sensors that enable agrifood companies to quickly and accurately measure and share specific parameters and take charge of their own quality and safety monitoring within the new IoT based value chain.

The agrifood industry needs specific requirements for smart food sensors and the according IT challenges (cloud- and big data management). These challenges will be addressed, building on an established 4-step methodology applied in Flanders (cfr. Sensors for Food project and iFAST project):

  1. Awareness
  2. Platform creation
  3. Validation
  4. Implementation

Via this methodology we will bridge the gap between agrifood companies and smart electronic suppliers, provide a demonstration platform/living lab for applications of the sensors in food processing lines because ‘seeing is believing’, and train the employees in operating the smart electronic devises/ IoT applications as well as in big data management, including actionable interpretation. Thus going from awareness to validation to final implementation of the IoT-based smart electronic technologies.

Lead Partners - from Flanders/Belgium

  • Flanders’ FOOD is the strategic innovation cluster of the Flemish agrifood industry
  • Imec is the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies with a headquarter 
  • DSP Valley is the independent cluster in smart electronic systems and embedded technology solutions
  • Pack4Food is a collaboration platform between industrial stakeholders in food packaging and research institutes with a broad expertise in food packaging
  • Smart Digital Farming is an innovative business network hosted by ILVO
  • ILVO is an internationally recognized scientific institute, part of the Government of Flanders  
  • Food Pilot is the application and analyses center that helps the agri-food industry to optimize their products and processes, a joint initiative of Flanders’ FOOD and ILVO
  • VLAIO is the Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship governmental agency that wants to encourage Flanders to innovate
  • Departement EWI is the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation, part of the Flemish Government

Other already associated partners

         - see section below -

Cluster/Project Profile
Flanders' FOOD
Deadline
Other associated partners
Cluster Organisation
Fondazione Distretto Green & High Tech Monza Brianza si-Cluster Minalogic INNOSKART Digital Cluster Wagralim, the agri-food innovation cluster of Wallonia, Belgium CIMES, Creating Integrated MEchanical Systems
Other Organisations
Centre de Recherche Agronomique Wallon (Wallonia/Belgium),
Food Processing Initiative (Germany),
Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik (Germany),
Stichting Food Tech Brainport (The Netherlands),
AIN Industrial transformation cluster (Spain),
Céréales Vallée (France),
TERRALIA (France)
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