Agrifood

The Agrifood Thematic Working Group (TWG) brings together over 45 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) working across agriculture, food production, and AgriTech innovation. It acts as a collaborative platform to accelerate digital transformation across the European agrifood sector, supporting SMEs and Public Service Organisations (PSOs) through coordinated action, knowledge exchange, and joint initiatives. 

Following its 2025 action plan, which established a strong knowledge-sharing foundation, the TWG is now evolving (2026–2027) into a delivery-oriented coordination platform, supporting EU priorities in AI, data spaces, and sustainable agriculture.

Objectives

The Agrifood TWG aims to:

• Strengthen collaboration across EDIHs and the wider agrifood ecosystem
• Accelerate SME adoption of digital and AI-driven solutions
• Improve alignment between EDIHs, Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs) and AI Factories
• Facilitate knowledge exchange between SMEs, farmers, researchers, and technology providers
• Develop practical tools, frameworks, and use cases to support regional innovation ecosystems

This builds on the existing mission of the TWG to promote collaboration and exchange best practices across the agrifood sector. 

Action Plan 2026–2027

The TWG will implement a 12-month structured delivery plan (May 2026 – May 2027) focused on delivering a coordinated programme of key activities:

• Monthly TWG meetings with expert inputs from EU projects and stakeholders
• Webinar series showcasing EDIH use cases, including both successful and failed implementations
• Workshops and training sessions on AI, digital maturity, and sector-specific applications
• Joint initiatives with TEFs and AI Factories, including applied AI actions
• Cross-border collaboration pilots for SMEs and PSOs
• Engagement with EU partnerships and policy initiatives

Expected Outcomes

By August 2027, the Agrifood TWG aims to:

• Re-establish a highly engaged and active TWG community
• Deliver a structured programme of webinars, workshops, and training
• Strengthen collaboration between EDIHs, TEFs, and AI initiatives
• Generate practical outputs supporting AI and digital adoption in agrifood
• Contribute to shaping EU-level research, innovation, and policy priorities. 

The TWG operates through a structured programme of monthly meetings and thematic sessions, complemented by participation in key European events.

A central milestone will be the TWG’s contribution to Synergy Days 2026, which serves as a flagship platform for collaboration, visibility, and stakeholder engagement across the agrifood innovation ecosystem. The event will take place in Ireland this year, on the 20th and 21st of October, 2026. 

If you wish to present your EU AgriTech Project, Regional or National Initiative at an update EDIH webinar, please complete this form HERE, with your name, contact email, select the date you wish to present and we will contact you a week before the webinar series to secure your presentation for the date you have selected.  

Previous meetings:

The Agrifood TWG meeting took place on the 3rd of September 2025 from 10:00-11:00 CEST. The group presented their webinar series dedicated to present success stories and European projects.

On the 21st and 22nd of October 2025, the members of this group will meet in the Netherlands for the “Synergy Days 2025”, one of the most important conferences in the AgriFood sector.

The last Agrifood TWG webinar dedicated to present success stories from across the Network took place on the 12th of June 2025. This session not only presented an EDIH success story, but it also introduced participants to projects such as Smart Droplets and CEADS.

On the 22nd of May the members of the Agrifood TWG participated in the 3rd webinar dedicated to success stories. This session provided detailed information on an EDIH success story and presented the Synergy Days initiative and platform. 

On the 30th of April the TWG organised the second success stories webinar dedicated to present best practices within the sector. This session was additionally an opportunity for participants to learn more about Europe’s Technology Standards and digital Platforms in the Agri Sector.

On the 2nd of April the members of this working group participated in a session dedicated to present success stories and best practices from across the network. During this session participants had the opportunity to not only hear from fellow EDIHs who shared their innovative practices within the Agrifood sector, but also to learn about the EU project 'IMPRESS'.

On March 13th of 2025 participants met to discuss the next steps of the working group, and the new action plan for 2025. EDIH members had the opportunity to hear about upcoming webinars and workshops in the agrifood sector and review the outcomes of the Agrifood thematic working groups workshop held in Brussels during the EDIH conference.

On the 26th of November of 2024 the working group meet in person prior to the EDIH Network Summit 2024 in Brussels. In this workshop the EDIH members took the opportunity to brainstorm and discuss a collaboration workplan for 2025. Participants had the chance to define their priorities, elaborate collaboration schemes and actions, design a common calendar and exchange ideas and innovative strategies. The leaders of the TWG took their contributions and developed a workplan for 2025 so participants can better leverage each other’s strengths to create impactful digital services, for not all the SMEs but also their regions as a whole.

On October 14/15 of 2024, the Agrifood TWG members participated in the Synergy Days event in Barcelona, the most important conference connecting the digital innovators of the European agri-food sector.

On the 16th of July of 2024, the Working Group participated in a thematic session to discuss “IoT: opportunities for the agri-food sector from a practical perspective”. This first thematic session was dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), recognizing that making efforts to capture information and data in the agri-food sector is a strategic and preliminary step in the process of digitisation of SMEs, a purpose for which IoT can play a decisive role. 

The Agrifood TWG kick-off meeting was held on the 23rd of April from 10:00 to 11:30 CEST. The objective of this meeting was to define the priorities of the working group for the year to come with the help of all the members of the group. 

Previous webinar: Digital Tools and AI in Aquaculture 

On April 27th, 2026 at 10:00 AM (CEST), EDIH Bretagne together with its partners agence Bretagne Next and Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique, EDIH DATAlife and Portugal Blue Digital Hub are hosting a webinar focusing on how regional and European ecosystems support the digitalisation of SMEs and research institutions in aquaculture production cycles. Join us for this insightful session showcasing real-world case studies and projects that are transforming aquaculture ecosystems across France, Spain, and Portugal. Learn more and register here!