Business Science projects successfully acquired funding from Horizon Europe

All five chair groups of section Business Science have been successful in obtaining funding from the European Union for projects that they participate in. It is an unique occasion, with all our chair groups receiving funding simultaneously. The funding, a total sum of over 2 million, has been provided by Horizon Europe. Business Economics, Business Management & Organisation, Information Technology, Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, and Operations Research and Logistics each bring their unique strength to each project. The projects reflect the diversity of the chair groups, something that we are proud of at section Business Science. Our five chair groups focus on different parts of the agrifood value chain, where they help stakeholders to be sustainable and profitable. The projects in which the chair groups participate are:

The Business Economics group (BEC) is involved in project FoodSafeR. FoodSafeR will contribute to prevent food safety incidents occurring from biological and chemical hazards in the European food system as well as relevant socio-economic impacts. By bringing this approach to a success, FoodSafeR contributes to sustainable and healthy food systems. The BEC group has received €420.775 in funding. For a full article on BEC’s participation in project FoodSafeR, please go here.

The Business Management & Operations group (BMO) is involved in project ‘Co-Creating Behavioral Change Toward Climate Smart Agriculture’, or BEATLES. The project investigates how entire agrifood value chains can shift towards sustainable agriculture by looking at which factors affect behaviour. The BMO group has received €309.000 in funding for their research. For a full article on BMO’s participation in project BEATLES, please go here.

The Information Technology group (INF) is involved in project ICAERUS. The ICAERUS vision is to explore opportunities and provide a more complete and interconnected account of the potential and impact of drones as multi-purpose vehicles in EU agriculture, forestry and rural areas. The INF group has received a sum of €521.000 for their research. For a full article on INF’s participation in project ICAERUS, please go here.

The Marketing and Consumer Behaviour group (MCB) is involved in project ‘Towards a new zero food waste mindset based on holistic assessment’, or ToNoWaste. The project aims to contribute to the reduction of food waste. It does so with a multi-actor and interdisciplinary approach. The project not only considers the agronomic, economic, environmental and business model challenges but also other cross-cutting aspects such as psychology, law and social innovation. The MCB group has received a €368.000 grant for their research. For a full article on MCB’s participation in project ToNoWaste, please go here.

The Operations Research and Logistics group (ORL) is involved in project New VALue landscapes for plant PROtein Pathway, or VALPRO Path. The societal awareness of the environmental impact of consuming animal-based protein is driving a fundamental change in public attitudes towards sustainable, alternative sources of dietary protein. Project VALPRO Path aims to demonstrate novel value with innovative uses for plant protein crops that underpin new models of circularity and value chain resilience. The ORL group has received €499.000 in funding. For a full article on ORL’s participation in project VALPRO Path, please go here.

Looking at the broad scope of the projects we see what Hans van Trijp, chair of the Marketing and Consumer Behaviour group, said about the section Business Science’s participation in the agrifood value chain. “That is what we have in common. All of our chair groups are involved in a part of this chain. We cover it ‘from seed to shopping cart and even beyond to food waste and reverse logistics’.” Through the successful acquisition of funding, the chair groups of Business Science will contribute to a sustainable and profitable agrifood business chain – from seed to shopping cart and back.