Smart Sensors 4 Agri Food

Welcome to
Smart Sensors 4 Agri-food

The European agri-food industry is a key driver in the economic and societal transitions that we are currently undergoing. In order to remain the engine of prosperity, industry must lead the digital and green transitions.

Industry 5.0 provides a vison of industry that aims beyond efficiency and productivity as the sole goals, and reinforces the role and the contribution of industry to society. It places the wellbeing ofthe worker at the centre of the production processand uses new technologies to provide prosperity beyond jobs and growth while respecting the production limits of the planet. It complements the existing ‘Industry 4.0’approach by specifically putting research and innovation at the service of the transition to a sustainable, human-centric and resilient European industry.

Facilitating development of and the access to applicable technologies and digital solutions for the agri-food industry and supporting the digital transformation of this sector – this describes best the mission of the Partnership ‘Smart Sensors 4 Agri-food’ (SS4AF). Given the sector´s structure, the creation of an IoT environment and introducing 'smart solutions' is a huge challenge for agri-food companies. Given the sector´s structure, the creation of an IoT environment and introducing 'smart solutions' is a huge challenge for agri-food companies. Making the leap towards Industry 5.0 is the final step of a larger strategy and trajectory involving all aspects linked to the digitalization of the agri-food industry,both technological and related to skills and training of the employees. As SS4AF Partnership we believe that a down to earth, stepwise approach, starting from the challenges and needs of the agri-food companies is the step forward.

The aim of our SS4AF Partnership is to contribute to the development and roll-out of the Smart Specialisation Strategies of the involved regions. Our overall objectives are:

  • to set-up of a platform between agri-food clusters and cluster organisations representing the technology- or digital solution providers, relevant RTOs and other related stakeholders, lowering the barriers for agri-food companies to access and implement the newest technologies linked to digitalization;
  • to establish a network of shared, open access Living Labs, where technologies and skills linked to Industry 5.0 can be demonstrated, tested and where relevant training sessions, workshops and demonstrations can be organized;
  • to create a trust zone between the involved sectors via the collaboration between the clusters and RTOs. The aim is to facilitate the exchange of know-how and to accelerate the introduction and integration of Industry 5.0 technologies in the agri-food industry in a broad sense.

Competition and duplication within EU regions limits the development of critical scale. It is clear that collaboration between complementary EU regions is more effective and sustainable than competition.

Vision

Support all the agri-food companies to ensure they make the leap towards Industry 5.0 and that the agri-food sector evolves into an interconnected, human centric, resilient and smart agri-food system in Europe.

Who we are

The Thematic Smart Specialisation Partnership 'Smart Sensors 4 Agri-food' builds on the expertise of 42 partners (clusters and research centres) from 17 regions dedicated to support the digital transformation of the agri-food industry. All partners have established industry and research networks and vast experience with Industry 5.0 related topics and projects. By connecting competences across European regions, the partners as well as their members and stakeholders will benefit from shared knowledge with the aim to accelerate the adoption and transformation towards a digital agri-food system. SS4AF was initiated by Flanders FOOD, imec, and DSP Valley from Flanders and Wagralim from Wallonia.