Catalysing scientific innovation into food safety action

Project Information

CATALYSE

Grant agreement ID: 101136754

DOI

10.3030/101136754

EC signature date 20 November 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 1 886 655,67

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CATALYSE (Catalysing scientific innovation into food safety action)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Food safety is a critical concern across the food chain, unsafe food cause negative impact for public health, economy, productivity, and sustainability. Food system actors have a pivotal role translating knowledge into action through effective policies, practices, and overcoming challenges. Although research has driven immense advances, barriers still hinder knowledge sharing and innovation. Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach involving industry, regulators, innovators, and researchers.
The aim of CATALYSE project is to bridge the gap between new solutions and their practical application by end-users, facilitating collaboration between all the food sectors. Our proposal includes the development of a Community of Practice (CoP), where all food chain actors—innovators, regulators, academia, industries, and non-governmental organizations—converge. Such collaboration is essential to facilitate discussions, identify food safety priorities, and explore ways to implement innovative solutions.

CATALYSE CSA-project in this 3-years has outlined the following specific objectives:
- Create a network of relevant stakeholders across the European food system
- Engage stakeholders from the food system to identify priorities and needs of innovation in food safety
- Develop a database of knowledge: an efficient system to collect, select and make available information about innovation in food safety
- Implement a Europe-wide CoP with thematic Chapters to promote knowledge transfer and uptake of food safety innovation
- Develop and share training materials and organize educational programs for all the players in the food supply chain
- Provide support to new businesses and small and middle-sized enterprises to facilitate food safety innovation applications
- Develop a digital portal for the network and provide its users open access to the most up-to-date knowledge and innovations in food safety.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

CATALYSE consortium made important progress and achievements during this period of the project:
- Stakeholder Engagement Strategy: aimed to identify barriers and priorities among food business operators, food authorities, academia and innovators. The engagement activities took place using online surveys and one-on-one interviews, interactive in-person workshops and webinars. These discussions helped select key focus areas to ensure a more effective and resource-efficient approach while establishing a sustainable network of participants for CATALYSE Community of Practice (CoP).

- Database Development: will include practice-oriented knowledge and innovative solutions from existing databases (journal articles, patents, protocols, guidelines, grey literature, etc.) considering the main needs identified. This includes a comprehensive methodology for selecting data, and the use of large language models for the collection workflow combined with the evaluation of experts. The preliminary pilot is about “novel microbiological detection methods”.

- Repository of Educational Resources: a curated link library of educational and training resources to promote knowledge exchange and strengthen capacity in food safety, offering access to relevant, high-quality materials, including webinars, e-books, fact sheets, online courses, and tutorials about food safety topics.

- CATALYSE CoP: the creation of our community of practice lays first, on a preliminary study of existing models of communities operating and positive case studies applied in the cheese and dairy industry. CATALYSE CoP operates through an online platform that has been launched and is under continuous expansion, easily accessible and open for the entire food ecosystem.

- Mapping Innovations: a targeted compilation of innovative technologies has been established to bridge the gap between end-user needs and innovative solutions. Matchmaking activities between solution providers and food companies represent the best tool to foster collaboration and accelerate the adoption of innovation across the food system.

- Numerous events to increase CATALYSE networking has been done (online and in person workshops, webinars, special sessions in congress and conferences). In these events stakeholders discussed about their main concerns regarding food safety and increased visibility to the CATALYSE CoP.

The project progress has been in complete alignment with the objectives and work plan, including deliverables and milestones proposed in the Grant Agreement.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The CATALYSE CSA-project is progressing according to plan and remains aligned with its principal objectives. Considerable advancements have been made concerning the specific goals:
- Created a consolidated network of stakeholders across Europe made of food producers, researchers, food associations, policymakers, and civil society.
- Evaluation of stakeholders’ needs for innovative solutions and continuous monitoring of priorities through specific engagement.
- Definition of five thematic chapters (Detection methods, Digitalization and AI, Control measures, Hygiene by design, and Packaging innovations) to tackle specific challenges and needs in food safety innovation to generate scalable solutions and promote better targeted research.
- Bringing together scientific experts in face-to-face events and online webinars and involving multi-actor engagement methodologies to co-develop solutions.
- Setting a CoP through an open collaborative platform developing a knowledge database, an education and training information system and a shared space where stakeholders can find reference data and metadata on innovation in food safety organized in one single place.
- Promotion of the solutions through our under-development free platform to support stakeholders by matching their knowledge and innovation demands, combining a social network for its members with a repository of literature and educational material. Access our platform: https://catalyse-cop.eu/wp-login.php.

It is expected that the results obtained could be of impact for the food production community fostering networking and dissemination activities, increasing the stakeholder engagement, and contributing to the acceleration and uptake of knowledge, creating new research and leading innovation through validation and further commercialization.

CATALYSE Project logo and partner institutions

Consortium team during the Mid-term Meeting 2025 at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal.

Consortium members of CATALYSE project