Thank you for joining us for Synergy Days 2025. Is this your first time participating? EFRA is a member of the Synergy Days community, where do you see the most added value for your work? 

 

EFRA has been involved in Synergy Days previously, and we look forward to being part of the community once more in 2025. The greatest benefit of our efforts stems from the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences across various innovation ecosystems. Synergy Days promotes teamwork, encourages partnerships across sectors, and helps align our digital and data-centric methods with the broader agri-food community's requirements. It's an environment where concepts evolve into practical plans. 

  

What inspired the creation of your project? 

 

EFRA was inspired by the urgent need to transform the vast, scattered, and complex food-related data into actionable insights that can prevent food safety risks before they harm consumers. Despite advances in data collection and AI, current tools fall short—EFRA aims to push beyond these limits by testing cutting-edge technologies in extreme data analytics to protect public health and reduce the societal and economic burden of unsafe food.

 

What are some of the biggest challenges your project is currently addressing in terms of scaling digital innovation within the agri-food sector? 

 

EFRA is tackling key challenges in increasing digital innovation within the agri-food sector via the creation of its Data & Analytics Marketplace. A significant obstacle is the disintegration and variability of food-related data, which exists in various formats, languages, and qualities. Maintaining interoperability among sources, while adhering to data privacy laws such as GDPR, is essential. Simultaneously, EFRA is creating eco-friendly, high-performance computing and AI technologies to efficiently manage the large volume, speed, and intricacy of this data.

A crucial obstacle involves fostering trust and interest in the marketplace. Motivating public and private stakeholders to exchange and utilize data and analytics tools necessitates transparency, explicit value exchange, and a focus on user-centered design. EFRA prioritizes generating tangible outcomes by evaluating solutions in actual use cases, confirming scalability, usability, and significance for regulators, industry players, and primary producers.

 

Can you share some key lessons you have learned so far? 

 

A key takeaway so far is that collaboration across disciplines and sectors is fundamental to progress. Bringing together technical, regulatory, and end-user perspectives early in the process enhances both the quality and applicability of solutions. Additionally, building in time for iterative development and testing has proven important, as it allows for adjustments based on real-world conditions and stakeholder input.

 

How do you see emerging trends like AI, IoT, and blockchain shaping the future of the agri-food sector, and how is your project exploring or implementing these technologies? 

 

Innovative technologies such as AI and IoT are transforming the agri-food industry by facilitating quicker, more intelligent, and proactive decision-making. AI forecasts food safety hazards by examining extensive and intricate datasets, while IoT supplies immediate data from sensors in the supply chain, providing essential insights into environmental factors, product integrity, and precursors to issues.

EFRA is applying these technologies via its Data & Analytics Marketplace. The initiative merges AI-powered models with information from various sources to facilitate prompt and focused interventions. By efficiently and securely processing vast amounts of data, EFRA is contributing to the development of a more resilient, transparent, and data-informed agri-food system.

 

What are the key factors that will drive or hinder the widespread adoption of digital technologies in the agri-food sector in the coming years? 

 

Crucial elements that will propel the acceptance of digital technologies in the agri-food industry encompass the rising access to real-time information via IoT devices, the escalating demand for predictive tools such as AI to handle risks, and the drive for enhanced transparency and traceability throughout supply chains. Policies that provide support, accessible tools, and transparent economic advantages for farmers and food enterprises will be vital as well.

Conversely, significant obstacles involve fragmented data, inadequate interoperability, worries regarding data privacy and ownership, and insufficient digital skills among users. In the absence of reliable frameworks for sharing data and accessible solutions focused on value, the adoption of digital innovations could stay restricted.

  

How do you ensure that the solutions you develop are adaptable to the diverse needs and capabilities of farmers, food producers, and other stakeholders across Europe? 

 

EFRA guarantees that its solutions are flexible by creating them with a significant emphasis on user requirements, diversity, and inclusivity throughout the European agri-food industry. The initiative involves a diverse array of stakeholders—such as farmers, food producers, regulators, and technology suppliers—by means of collaborative workshops, practical use cases, and ongoing feedback mechanisms.

Through the creation of modular and user-friendly instruments in the Data & Analytics Marketplace, EFRA enables stakeholders to access only the information pertinent to them, depending on their digital maturity and unique situation. This adaptable, customized strategy guarantees that users of both advanced and basic technology can gain from the platform, enhancing the accessibility and influence of digital innovation throughout Europe.

 

What opportunities do you foresee for further collaboration between research, policy and private sector actors to drive forward digital transformation in agri-food? 

 

Opportunities for enhanced collaboration between research, policy, and the private sector exist to expedite digital transformation in agri-food. Research offers sophisticated tools, models, and data-driven insights; policy can establish supportive structures and incentives for implementation; and the private sector can facilitate large-scale innovation and deliver solutions to consumers.

EFRA emphasizes the practical application of these synergies—merging advanced AI research, practical trials with food businesses, and coordination with EU food safety and digital regulations. Reinforcing these cross-sector connections can build trust, guarantee relevance, and speed up the adoption of data-driven technologies that enhance the safety, sustainability, and resilience of the agri-food system.

 

And lastly, what is for you the potential of communities such as Synergy Days to contribute to that? If so, would you encourage others to join it?

 

Events such as Synergy Days are crucial in promoting digital transformation by establishing an environment for open discussions, sharing knowledge, and collaboration across various sectors. They gather researchers, innovators, policymakers, and industry players to discuss challenges, present solutions, and form partnerships that extend beyond project limits.

For EFRA, Synergy Days serves as an important venue to engage with similar initiatives, coordinate efforts, and remain leaders in digital innovation within agri-food. We highly invite others to participate—it’s a distinctive chance to shape the future of food systems via teamwork and a common vision.

Want to meet them and learn more about the project? Join EFRA at Synergy Days 2025! Register here.