Skip to main content
European Commission logo
polski polski
CORDIS - Wyniki badań wspieranych przez UE
CORDIS
CORDIS Web 30th anniversary CORDIS Web 30th anniversary

FOod and nutritiOn Data-driven innovation respectful of citizen's Data SovereIgnTY

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FOODITY (FOod and nutritiOn Data-driven innovation respectful of citizen's Data SovereIgnTY)

Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2024-06-30

The main objective of FOODITY is to be at the forefront of a European ecosystem of digital solutions for food and nutrition that respect citizens' right to personal data sovereignty. To deliver this, FOODITY will run a 2M€ pilot programme and fund 12 projects to develop and pilot solutions that demonstrate the potential of data-driven innovations in food and nutrition. To achieve this main objective, FOODITY has defined the following specific objectives (SO):
> SO1: Run a pilot programme for the creation of 12 innovative data-driven solutions for food and nutrition, respectful of user's personal data sovereignty, powered by services for pilot development including mentoring, innovation strategy, citizen engagement capacitation and technology access and technical support.
> SO2: Provide state-of-the-art tools/software components as building blocks and other technical resources respectful of personal data sovereignty.
> SO3: Encourage the development of data-sharing practices, including data commons and open science in the food and nutrition domain to encourage innovation.
> SO4: Establish a sound communication strategy aimed at 1) attracting top talent innovators for the development of the pilots; 2) involve stakeholders of food systems e.g. producers, processors and retailers, in expressing their data needs to be more competitive and to achieve a fairer distribution of wealth; 3) engaging citizens in the development of the pilots, allowing them to express their needs and raise their concerns with respect of their data rights when using data-driven solutions for food and nutrition.
> SO5: Raise citizen's awareness in exercising their "data rights", and how they can use them to create an effect in nature-positive food systems.

By achieving these objectives, the FOODITY project aims to deliver the following impacts (I):
> I1: Ensure an increased uptake of data-driven solutions for food and nutrition. This is delivered by (1) running the FOODITY pilot programme and supporting the development of 12 solutions; (2) involving citizens and other stakeholders in defining and deciding on potential challenges to which applicants will submit their solutions; (3) having the solutions use technologies for personal data management; and (4) having the FOODITY beneficiaries participate in an ecosystem with possibilities of scaling and having external recognition.
> I2: Contribute to a higher availability of shared data for increased competitiveness and sustainability of food system actors thanks to data-driven innovation. This impact is delivered by having the projects develop their solutions and have them contribute with at least three data sets.
> I3: Engage citizens in environment-friendly food systems targeting healthy food diets. This impact is delivered by (1) defining and launching communication actions targeted at the public; and (2) having all sub-granted projects deliver actions to inform their prospective users about how their solutions lead to healthier and more environmentally friendly diets.
> I4: Have citizens in charge of their own data related to health and nutrition. This impact is delivered by having (1) FOODITY developing and making available tools and technologies that will allow users to have full control over their data; and (2) having the sub-granted projects evaluating the impact of their solutions, particularly how end-users perceive control over their data.
The following activities and results were achieved during the first reporting period:
> Review of the state-of-the-art of data-driven solutions, datasets and standards, and research challenges in the fields of food and nutrition and food retail.
> Review of citizens’ and consumers' awareness on their data rights and sovereignty and discuss findings with different food systems actors.
> Development of five food and nutrition-related components that have been made available to the six projects funded under the first open call.
> Development of the FOODITY infrastructure to support the management and sharing of personal data, namely the dataU and FOODITY Data Lake.
> Organisation and delivery of two open calls. The first open call received 104 applications.
> Definition and (ongoing) delivery of the first FOODITY programme to support the selected sub-granted projects. The programme provides technical and business support through specialised training, group coachings, general webinars, and access to relevant resources.
> Organisation of citizen engagement activities in three FOODITY hubs - Austria, Bulgaria, and Portugal - namely Photovoice workshops and citizen dialogues to engage citizens and increase their awareness of their data rights.
FOODITY is contributing to advancing the state of the art by demonstrating there is an opportunity and willingness to develop solutions in the domain of food and nutrition that respect citizens’ right to personal data sovereignty. This is being achieved by the organisation and delivery of a €2M funding programme that is already funding six projects. These projects are developing solutions that demonstrate the potential of data-driven innovation and will integrate mechanisms that respect citizens’ rights to personal data sovereignty.

All projects are required to use dataU. It is believed that the dataU could in the short to medium-term be a widely adopted data-sharing and management platform across the EU as it increases trust and ensures control and transparency for those that provide and manage data.

With regard to the sub-granted projects, it can be mentioned that these are developing solutions that are aligned with topics that have been defined based on challenges and topics stemming from literature and discussions with relevant stakeholders.

Also, the sub-granted projects are required to mobilise and engage with citizens in the development and piloting of their solutions. This is itself also a step forward as engaging citizens in solution development is a recommended and important practice but not yet widespread.

Lastly, it can be highlighted the use of the Photovoice methodology - which uses photographs - to promote the discussion on the value of personal data in the domains of the project.