The CLARUS project aims to connect the sustainable paradigm in the food industry and AI-based applications, with the goal of developing a platform with high communication and processing capabilities, as well as the use of standardized open protocols and data models that allow resource consumption assessment and traceability for food industry processes. To achieve these objectives, CLARUS develops and integrates three main Tangible Expected Outcomes (TEOs):
1. CLARUS Green Deal Index. The Green Deal Index (GDI) translates complex environmental, operational, and digitalization data into a single, interpretable indicator aligned with EU sustainability priorities. Together with the GDI, a Green Deal Ontology (GDO), as novel sustainability ontology for food domain, has been developed in the project.
2. CLARUS Data Space. A key result has been the design and deployment of a secure and interoperable CLARUS Data Space, compliant with International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) principles. The Data Space has evolved from a minimum viable configuration into a reinforced ecosystem including metadata discovery and transaction logging services, ensuring data sovereignty, transparency, and auditability.
3. CLARUS AI Toolkit. In parallel, the CLARUS AI Toolkit has been developed and refined within an MLOps framework to address concrete industrial challenges across the food value chain. AI models have been designed, trained, and validated for predictive maintenance, energy and water consumption forecasting, anomaly detection, logistics optimization, and process optimization.
The CLARUS solution has been validated through two large-scale industrial pilots representing different stages of the food production ecosystem. Together, these pilots demonstrate the applicability and robustness of CLARUS solutions across diverse industrial contexts within the food sector.
