Partners

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Thessaly (UTH) is a well-known institute for higher education in Greece. ​The Networks and Telecommunications laboratory focuses its activities in the areas of wireless networks, mobile communications, security of telecommunications and applications and services. ​The lab members’ research profiles show a complementary background expertise in different areas in networking, including wireless networks and protocols, signal processing, distributed computing, sensors, video and media transmission, network security and energy-efficient networking. ​

Netcompany-Intrasoft (INTRA) is a leading European IT Solutions and Services Group with strong international presence and expertise, offering innovative and added-value solutions of the highest quality to a wide range of international and national public and private organizations. As of November 2021, INTRA became a member of the Netcompany Group, a Denmark located IT company founded in 2000. Netcompany is the fastest growing and most successful IT services company in the Nordics, owning vast technology experience and deep industry-specific knowledge, creating innovative solutions tailored to meet business goals.

BioCoS Ike (BIOC) is a B2B Biotechnology and Bioinformatics company based in Greece. BIOC provides end-to-end DNA-based authentication and traceability solutions in the food, cosmetics and supplements industry, with emphasis given on the olive oil.

The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal asbl (LC) is a Brussels-based think tank and policy network.

Established in 2003 in Belgium as a non-profit, non-partisan association, the group is dedicated to making a positive contribution through cutting-edge research and by engaging political leaders and the public at large in a constructive exchange about the economic and social challenges of the 21st century.

Migros Ticaret A.Ş. (MIGROS) is one of the supermarket chains in Turkey. The foundations of MIGROS were laid in 1954, with the decision taken by the Istanbul Municipality, with the establishment in Turkey of the MIGROS organization. Celebrating its 66th operational year in Turkey’s food retailing industry and with a presence in all 81 of the country’s provinces, together via MIGROS supermarkets, Macrocenter Stores, international Ramstore shopping centers, online and mobile shopping, wholesale stores, and mobile sales units, MIGROS serves an estimated 160 million customers. Moving forward at the leading edge of change in the country’s organized food retailing sector, MIGROS continues to come forth with “the firsts” that radically transform retailing attitudes and approaches.

The Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb (FAZ) is the leading higher education and science institution in the field of agriculture and related sciences in the Republic of Croatia. The FAZ organization is based on 28 departments with different research interests. In ALLIANCE FAZ will be involve researchers from the Department of Marketing in Agriculture (DAM).

The CIHEAM Montpellier is one of four institutes of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1962.

Thanks to their training, research and development activities, and through the human and social sciences, CIHEAM explains the major transformations and inform public decision-making on three essential themes:

-The sustainability and resilience of Mediterranean agro-ecosystems
-The integration of local agri-food chains into global value chains
-The governance of rural territories conceived as a concerted and reasoned development of the rural space.

The University of Bologna (UNIBO) is the oldest university in the Western world, founded in 1088. UNIBO is today the second largest university in Italy with 11 Schools, 33 Departments and about 87.000 students and is also one of the most important institutions of higher education across Europe, making it the most internationalised of all Italian Universities. Among its missions, UNIBO invests in a multidisciplinary cross-cultural approach and in the inseparable connection between research and teaching.  

The mission of FederBio Servizi (FBS) is to contribute to cultural, social, technical and economic growth of all operators along the organic and biodynamic supply chain, providing a 360 degree consultancy for: basic and advanced training courses, organic start-ups, business management, communication and promotion, business intelligence approaches, internationalisation strategies and research, experimentation and innovation projects.

Consejo Regulador Igp Faba Asturiana (IGPFA) is the body in charge of defending the product protected by the PGI, the application of its regulations and the promotion and control of protected dry beans. Its origins go back to 1989 and it was officially launched in 1990. It is formed by representatives from producers (farmers), packers and the public administration. Currently 147 producers and 24 packaging firms take part in the PGI. 
 

Asociacion De Investigacion De Industrias Carnicas Del Principado De Asturias (ASINCAR) is an Agrifood Technology Centre as well as a Business Cluster (Gold label of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative) formed by more than 95 companies (>95% SMEs) coming from the whole value chain. Their main mission is to contribute to the competitiveness and sustainability of the Agrifood companies, and their adaptation to future market scenarios, through innovation, cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer as well as training. The main ASINCAR activity areas cover: Research, Development and Innovation projects; Technical and technological consulting; Laboratory for full Food Analysis; Vocational training

Alce Nero S.p.A. (ALCE) are organic farmers and processors who have been working since 1978 to produce delicious food, the result of farming practices that respect the land and its fertility.
 They bring together more than 1,000 farmers in Italy and over 10,000 small family-run farms in Central and South America.

For more than 40 years ALCE have been choosing organic farming, nurturing the delicate balance between our Plant and its Inhabitants: this is why they have decided to produce foods which are good for both. Products made from ingredients grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, thanks to state-of-the-art agronomic capacities, with utmost respect for the land and the people who cultivate it. Products processed with techniques which protect and exalt the characteristics of their ingredients, also thanks to ingredient lists which are always short and simple, free from preservatives and additives.

ALCE propose simple, everyday foods, which have not forgotten about flavour, the pleasure of gathering around the table and sharing. Today ALCE has about 400 products: pasta, rice, tomato purée and pulp, vegetables, legumes and puréed soups, biscuits and fruit juices, preserves and honey, plant-based beverages and a range of baby foods for infants. Additionally there is the range of fresh produce, including, fruit, vegetables, and soups, along with the frozen range, which includes pizza, crepes, vegetables and others. When possible, ALCE products contain Fairtrade ingredients, sourced from Latin America: coffee, chocolate, cocoa, brown sugar, Basmati rice and tea.

In 1976 the founder, Mr. Diamantis Masoutis, opened the first store in the chain at K. Krystalli Street in the heart of Thessaloniki. Today, Diamantis Masoutis S.A. (MASOU) possesses the largest network of stores in Northern Greece and is a leader in the retail sector, while at a Greece-wide level the company is amongst the four largest chains. With over 9.000 employees, 369 stores, 330 supermarkets, 22 wholesale Cash & Carry outlets, a Logistics Centre, at Kavalari, MASOU covers all the prefectures of Makedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Epirus, Fthiotida, Thesprotia, Aitoloakarnania, Attiki as well as the islands of Limnos, Lesvos, Chios and Andros. 

Everything started in the ‘50s, when the Sarantis family gradually turned a small village dairy unit into the Leading Feta Cheese producer in Greece. Throughout the years, Larisa's Dairy Industry S.a. Olympos (OLYMPOS) managed to have presence in 47 countries;, 11 commercial subsidiaries in Europe and 8 production plants. OLYMPOS is the first company to be awarded the Hellenic Trademark, an initiative of the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Maritime & Tourism, which is awarded to businesses that produce products in Greece, only from Greek raw materials. OLYMPOS is dedicated to offering top quality products that contribute to the modern man’s healthy and balanced diet.
 

Wisefour Innovation And Development Organisation (WISE4) is a research, innovation and technology boutique company based in Nicosia, Cyprus. WISE4 has 13 years of experience in providing top-notch services and solutions to international Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), industrial leaders, universities, SMEs and start-ups all over Europe.  Technology applications in conjunction with business modeling, innovation management, ethics, legal and compliance as well as intellectual property rights management are sectors in which WISE4 have extensive expertise. 

Italian Confederation of Farmers of Umbria (CIAUM), established in 1977, is an organization independent of political parties engaged in developing agriculture and rights of farmers in the society. It is a part of the national organization based in Rome, with more than 880,000 members at national level, a representative office in Brussels, in Toronto, in Tirana and in Paraguay. CIAUM has a membership of about 14,000 members, 18 offices in the main towns and a central regional office in Perugia. 

Biotechnicon poduzetnički centar d.o.o. (BIOT) is a Croatian product certification body in organic agriculture and geographical indications (PDO, PGI) schemes, authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture and accredited against the ISO 17065 standard. BIOT's inspection activities relate to the monitoring of the production, processing and preparation of organic food and PDO/PGI products. These activities involve field (on-site) inspections, documentation checks, and verification of laboratory reports for compliance with production and other parameters required by regulations, registered specifications, and other normative documents. The aim of these procedures is to establish conformity and issue a document (certificate) confirming the compliance of products with the the controlled quality and status.

Consejería de Medio Rural y Cohesión Territorial del Principado de Asturias (CMAST) as regional ministry assumes competences in the following fields: agrifood industry and rural development; agricultural, forestry and livestock resources; sea fishing; biodiversity and protection of natural spaces and wild spaces; road and port infrastructures, transport, connectivity and mobility, spatial planning and urban planning. CMAST as regional ministry develops the periodical public controls on foods that are in the market (shelves) and/or through the different stages of the value chain, belonging to PGI/PDO, BIO standards or not. In the case that something is wrong, this is the body responsible to start the corresponding penalty procedure. 

European Food Information Resource Aisbl (EUROFIR), an international, member-based, non-profit Association under Belgian law, was set up in 2009 to ensure sustained advocacy for food information in Europe. Its purpose is to develop, publish and exploit food composition information, and promote international cooperation and harmonisation of standards to improve data quality, storage and access. EUROFIR draws together the best available food information globally from 26 compiler organisations in Europe, USA and Canada (FoodEXplorer) as well as validated information about bioactive compounds (eBASIS).

Mena Group (MENA) is a consulting company working in the field of developing of specific products for demanding food markets, (e.g. GI products, short supply value chains development, participatory guarantee systems, etc.), supporting producer groups, organisations and communities throughout the process of specific product definition (GI products, label origin, regional marks, etc.), facilitating development verification/certification systems and reaching valorisation of the products within the groups and at the market. A highly participatory and multi-stakeholders approach is applied in all activities, with strong emphasis on equality, diversity and sustainability.

Institute of Food Technology in Novi Sad (FINS) is a leading institute in Serbia with extensive expertise and experience in applying the latest scientific achievements in research related to food and feed technology. In addition to an experienced team of ­researchers ­enhanced with young associates, Institute is equipped with ­modern instruments that guarantee high quality results and ­products.

Udruga Proizvodaca Lickog Krumpira (Lika potato producers association) (UPLK) registrated Lički krumpir as protected geographical indication 2015. UPLK producers association preserves the designation of geographical origin for Lika potatoes; prevents misuse of the name Lički krumpir; increases the number of farmers who participate in the system of quality and ecologically acceptable production of Lika potatoes; improves knowledge and skills of farmers related to agricultural production with an emphasis on the production of Lika potatoes; promotes the consumption and reputation of products from the system quality with an emphasis on Lika potatoes; promotes and protects common professional interests of members with an emphasis on the production of Lika potatoes; improves legislative, institutional, financial and strategic framework for the growth and development of agricultural production.

OriGInal Serbia Association (ORIG) was founded in 2015 with the goals to bring together individuals, cooperatives and associations of producers of geographical indication (GI) products of Serbia. Members of the ORIG are individuals and associations that have certified their products with a geographical indication or are in the process of certification. ORIG is an umbrella platform for cooperation, joint promotion of GI products, improvement of the position, working conditions of producers and thus preservation and revival of the Serbian village.

Using a data-based research approach, The World Bee Project Cic (WBP) links bee, biodiversity and ecosystem health with beekeeper and smallholder farmer livelihoods. WBP co-create strategies and programmes and design and adaptively co-implement projects in partnership with local communities. Harnessing the power of bee-derived intelligence for solutions to wider issues of biodiversity, climate change, food security and human well-being WBP focuses on the interconnections between bees and people in the context of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL) is Bavaria’s central authority for health, food safety, veterinary medicine, occupational safety and product safety. The LGL conducts application-oriented research and provides expert advice and support for the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care.