The Call for Solutions Sustainable Food Systems is now open

The Municipality of Milan, lead partner of the European project Food Trails, and the Italian innovation hub Cariplo Factory, launched the call for startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with the aim of identifying innovative solutions to improve the sustainability of food systems in 11 European cities.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to develop pilot projects within the 11 ‘Living Labs’ of Food Trails, establishing strategic alliances with one or more cities, collaborating with key stakeholders in the European food system and innovation landscape, and meeting potential investors.

The four-year (2020-2024) Food Trails project, funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme, brings together a consortium of 19 European partners, including 11 cities, 3 universities and 5 organisations, led by the Municipality of Milan.

The project aims to support cities in designing, developing and implementing innovative, sustainable and inclusive food policies. These actions include the “Sustainable Food Systems – Call for Solutions”, through which startups and SMEs will be identified in the cities participating in the project such as Bergamo, Birmingham, Bordeaux Metropole, Copenhagen, Funchal, Grenoble-Alpes Metropole, Groningen, Thessaloniki, Tirana, and Warsaw.

There are seven thematic areas for which startups and SMEs can apply to develop innovative solutions and services:

1. Education and Training
2. Communication and Involvement
3. Reducing Food Waste
4. Data Collection and Monitoring
5. Access to healthy Food and production Processes
6. Urban agriculture and vegetable gardens
7. Food Packaging

The application deadline is 16 February 2023. Afterward, a technical committee – composed of Cariplo Factory, the Municipality of Milan, the foundation Stichting Wageningen Research and representatives of the 11 Food Trails partner cities – will evaluate and select the best applications.

Those selected at this stage will have the opportunity to participate in the Matchmaking Day to be held in spring 2023. Finally, a second phase will identify the finalists who will have the opportunity to develop a pilot project within Food Trails.