Cascade Funding Call for Collaborative Projects: Spoke 01 Global Sustainability, University of Parma

OnFoods promotes a scheme based on cascade funding to support research projects initiated by external businesses and public and private research organizations that are not part of the Partnership but are interested in the topics addressed by the HUB and the Spokes, through the provision of appropriate funding. 

The aim is to engage entities interested in implementing fundamental and applied research projects and technology transfer in the field of food and nutrition that are original and innovative and of medium to large scale.

The call is open to project proposals submitted by research partnerships consisting of a minimum of 3 entities and a maximum of 6, comprising both public and private entities such as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, large enterprises, state universities, and research organizations overseen by the Ministry of Education, Universities, and Research (MUR).

The food system, particularly in its transformation and distribution components, is characterized by high fragmentation, significant information asymmetry, and consumption behaviors not always oriented towards sustainability. 

In this condition, traditional procurement methods lose their efficiency, while more innovative approaches tied to specific regions and higher quality struggle to achieve adequate levels of efficiency.

Simultaneously, technical, managerial, and social innovations could strengthen these approaches, contributing to meeting the demand for food characterized by a high level of global sustainability. This can be achieved through the development and adoption of circular economy processes that involve the reuse and valorization of waste and by-products from agri-food supply chains. In this context, the research activities of Spoke 1 are developed.

The project aims of Spoke 1 concern the development of reference methodologies and procedures to promote the overall sustainability of food supply chains, considering their structural and organizational characteristics, with particular reference to alternatives to large-scale organized distribution such as wholesale markets, short supply chains, "alternative networks," or the reduction, recovery, and valorization of agri-food waste.

 The project's ambition is to increase the efficiency and sustainability of food supply chains through the use of technological and social innovations that allow for benefits to be generated for companies in the supply chain, the environment, and consumers. This contributes to combating climate change and also promotes a transparent information system and access to safe and quality food for vulnerable segments of society.

The research topics are detailed as follows: