Synergy Days 2025

By Sjaak Wolfert, SmartAgriHubs Community

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

This session focuses on building sustainable digital innovation ecosystems in the agri-food sector by reducing fragmentation and improving coordination among EU and national projects, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), farmers, and other key stakeholders. It highlights how these ecosystems can drive the scaling of innovation for both farmers and enterprises across the agriculture and food industry. The discussion explores how policy, academia, clusters, SMEs, farmer representatives, and innovation hubs can align efforts to support effective resource use and ecosystem development. Through a single, integrated panel discussion — bringing together policy and academic perspectives alongside practical insights from clusters, EDIHs, and farming and food business representatives — the session will explore how these different viewpoints can reinforce each other. By connecting strategic and hands-on experiences, the discussion aims to identify shared strategies and successful practices that foster collaboration, empower both farmers and food SMEs, and ensure long-term, system-wide impact in agri-food digitalisation.

Moderators:

Adrien Guichaoua, Reframe.Food
Hazel Peavoy, Walton Institute

Speakers:

Doris Marquardt, Programme Officer EU Policies, European Commission - DG CNECT

Peter Paree, ZLTO

Lea-Marie Berger, BDI (Bretagne Next)

Anu Manickam, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen

Veerle De Graef, Flanders' FOOD

📍 Synergy Plenary, floor 3

The following workshops will take place in parallel:

• Multidisciplinary living labs for agro-food innovation by Hungry EcoCities & Valereco

• Data spaces as fuel for agri-food AI development: Ethical, legal, and social aspects by CEADS, Data4Food2030, AgriFoodTEF & AgData Partnership

• Value proposition of data sharing by NXTGEN HIGHTECH & Agrifood TEF

• Trust & trace – data governance for transparent food chains by FoodDataQuest, DIGIAGRIFOOD & OptiFish

• EDIH Thematic Working Group (TWG) - Closing the digital gaps by ENTIRE, Andalucía Agrotech DIH & DigiAgriFood EDIH

• Scaling innovation in agriculture through data, AI and federated learning by GEORGIA, ScaleAgData & AGRARIAN

• Impact workshop – food processing projects: Now and tomorrow by HIGHFIVE & SIXFOLD

Find out more details about them here.

We will be taking a group photo on floor 3 in front of the main entrance of the Plenary.

Lunch will be served in the market area where you can engage with the projects and other participants to create synergies.

📍 Synergy market, floors 0-1

This session explores how professionalisation in European agriculture can accelerate digitalisation by enhancing skills, organisational capacity, and trust in data governance. It highlights the role of stakeholders - policy-makers, advisors, tech providers, and farmers - in supporting continuous learning, ethical data use, and collaboration. Set within the context of EU policies like the CAP and Green Deal, the discussion aims to identify gaps and share best practices to ensure inclusive, human-centred digital transformation in the agri-food sector.

Moderator: 

Jürgen Vangeyte, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture Fisheries and Food (ILVO)

Speakers:

• Koen Mondelaers, European Commission - DG AGRI
• Ivo Hostens, European Agricultural Machinery Association (CEMA)
• Griet Van de Steene, Agricultural service provider (LOOWA) & member of Belgian Farmer's Union (ABS)
• Griet Lemaire, Flemish Information Centre for Agriculture and Horticulture (VILT)

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

You will be hearing from: PoliRuralPlus, SIXFOLD, NXTGEN HIGHTECH, ScaleAgData, E-SPFdigit, ALIANCE, FoodDataQuest & Bi0space. 

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

The following workshops will take place in parallel:

• 2.1: How to cross the valley of death in agrifood AI and robotics by AgrifoodTEF & 4Growth. Schadee Zaal, floor 3

• 1.2: Data spaces in practice: Perspectives for scaled and inclusive innovation by Data4food2030, CEADS, 4Growth & ScaleAgData. Van Rijckevorsel Zaal, floor 4

• 2.4: From Farm2Fork to Sea2Fork – empowering consumers through data by FoodDataQuest, OptiFish & DIGIAGRIFOOD. Van Beuningen Zaal, floor 3

• 5.2: Collaborative pathways for resilient & sustainable agri-food systems across regions by GEORGIA & AfroGrow. Plate Zaal, floor 4

• 1.6: Human rights and ethics considerations for tech tools in agriculture by E-SPF Digit & Farmtopia. Hudig Zaal, floor 3

• 4.1: EDIH 2.0: Sustaining digital innovation ecosystems through strategic action and collaboration by ENTIRE & EDIH DataLife. Van der Vorm Zaal, floor 4

• 2.3: Business models for AI-powered platforms in bioeconomy and food chains by EFRA & ARGONAUT. Ruys Zaal, floor 4

• 1.7: AgData workshop by AgData partnership. Plenary room, floor 3

Find out more details about them here.

📍 Synergy workshops, floors 3-4

By Simon Maas, Agrifood Capital

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

This session will explore how Europe can pool its digital resources to enhance competitiveness in the global agri-food landscape. How can we align regional innovation with the EU’s strategic vision? What role can institutions like WUR and FAO play in scaling impact beyond borders? And how can Europe position itself as a global leader in sustainable, digitally-enabled agriculture? What will be the role of the AgData partnership?

Moderator:

• Joost de Laat, Director, Social Sciences Group, Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands

Speakers:

• Roald Lapperre, Secretary General, Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN)
  Sjoukje Heimovaara, President, Wageningen University & Research
• Jesper Stendal Sørensen, AgData Partnership
• Henry van Burgsteden, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

You will be hearing from: EDIH DATAlife, LiveNet, AGRARIAN, W3DS-Agro, OptiFish, BIOFIN-EU, FCI4Africa, GEORGIA & Phorwards21.

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

The following workshops will take place in parallel:

• 1.4: Data in agriculture: a treasure for a sustainable food value chain by AgrifoodTEF, EDIH TWG Agrifood & EDIH DATAlife. Ruys Zaal, floor 4

• 4.5: Photonics 4 quality monitoring: Smart solutions driving the food industry forward by Phorward21, HIGHFIVE & SIXFOLD. Van Beuningen Zaal, floor 3

• 5.1: Co-creating climate-neutral food systems with living labs & food convergence innovation by FCI4Africa & AfroGrow. Plate Zaal, floor 4

• 5.3: Enhance biodiversity through financing agroecological innovation by BIOFIN-EU & VALERECO. Van Rijckevorsel, floor 4.

• 3.2: Lowering adoption barriers for Digital Product Passports by ARGONAUT & BIOSPACE. Van der Vorm Zaal, floor 4

• 3.3: GeoAI and GenAI in agriculture and rural development: Chatting with maps by ALIANCE & PoliRuralPlus. Schadee Zaal, floor 3

• 3.1: Open source services to support the green and digital transition of smallholders by OpenAgri & Farmtopia. Hudig Zaal, floor 3

• 3.4: The new generation of Data Space – W3DS: No Data Silos by W3DS-Agro and NXTGEN. Plenary, floor 3

Find out more details about them here.

📍 Synergy workshops, floors 3-4

Lunch will be served in the exhibition area where you can engage with the projects and other participants to create synergies.

📍 Synergy market, floors 0-1

This session explores how digital technologies - Data Spaces, Digital Twins, and Artificial Intelligence - are transforming agriculture. It emphasises the importance of cross-domain collaboration and integrating insights from diverse fields to create innovative, effective solutions. Beyond technology, the session highlights the vital role of people, farmers, researchers, and communities, in driving meaningful digital change. By adopting a holistic approach, the discussion aims to demonstrate how these advancements can boost productivity, support sustainability, and build a resilient agricultural ecosystem. The objective is to provide practical insights that align technological innovation with real-world agricultural needs and stakeholder engagement.

Moderator:

·      Harald Sundmaeker, Institute for Applied System Technologies (ATB Bremen)

Speakers:

• ·      Jürgen Vangeyte, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture Fisheries and Food (ILVO)
• ·      Doris Marquardt, Programme Officer EU Policies, European Commission, DG-CNECT
  Francesco Iadecola, Research Programme Officer, European Commission, DG-AGRI
• ·      Dolores Ordóñez, Director, AnySolution
• ·      Slawi Stesny, Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF)
•    
• 📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

This interactive session will explore how digital innovations are shaping the future of agri-food through the lenses of generational renewal and women’s entrepreneurship. Structured around three key questions, the session invites the audience to actively participate by using a “catch box” microphone, encouraging open dialogue and shared reflections between participants of this interactive plenary.  

Moderator:

• Lorena van de Kolk, Gender Alliance for Innovation in Agriculture (GAIA)

Speakers:

•   ·     

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

You will be hearing from: VALERECO, ARGONAUT, EFRA, AFROGROW, 4Growth, CEADS & EDIH BOOST.

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3

Sjaak Wolfert

📍 Synergy plenary, floor 3