Follow-up of Projects funded under SUSFOOD in 2013 and 2014

Background and Aim

SUSFOOD2 is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2022. SUSFOOD2 ERA-Net was built on and accelerated the work of the SCAR Collaborative Working Group launched in Denmark in 2010. The first SUSFOOD network was initiated under 7th Framework program and ran from 2011 until 2014 followed by SUSFOOD2, the ERA-Net Cofund from 2017 until mid-2022.
Major achievements under FP7 were the development of the strategic research agenda (SRA) and a metaknowledge base which generated the SUSFOOD Country report as well as 2 research calls, in 2013 and in 2014, funding in total of 15 projects.
Using the occurrence of the 10 years anniversary, SUSFOOD2 reached out to all partners involved in the projects of the two first calls (2013 and 2014). The aim was to learn about the long-term effects/impacts that the projects had. For this reason, 9 Questions were asked.

Results

25 project partners from 13 different projects responded to the survey. In some projects multiple partners were motivated to answer the questions; up to 4 partners per project answered to the survey.

SUSFOOD CREATED LONG LASTING NETWORKS.
76% of SUSFOOD project partners still work together.

SUSFOOD PROJECTS LED TO REAL LIFE IMPACT.
SUSFOOD projects developed products, methods, services and techniques and also prototypes. 2 projects reported marketable products and 4 projects developed marketable services.

SUSFOOD PROJECTS LED TO SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS.
For example in the way of changed policies, changed behaviours, practices and various other solutions. Examples are guidelines for 3-D printing of food, reduced energy consumption in freezing processes and report to national government that contributed to rethinking of policies.

SUSFOOD PROJECTS RECEIVED ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR FOLLOW UP PROJECTS.
For 72% of the participants the SUSFOOD funded project led to additional funding and new projects after it was finished, up to 3 follow up projects per Partner were reported. In most cases the additional funding was of national sources. This explains why in the majority of follow up projects, no partners of the former projects were involved. The follow ups were mainly research projects, however, in two cases projects were concerned with implementation of research results.

For further information see full report.