On 20–21 October, Europe’s agri-food community gathered in Kilkenny, Ireland, for Synergy Days 2026. Organised by SmartAgriHubs, the event brought together researchers, technology developers, policymakers, and agricultural stakeholders. F6S took part in the exhibition area alongside 30 other stands to represent our Agrotech & Circular Economy projects, connecting innovative startups and SMEs with our open calls and funding opportunities.
In the plenary sessions and workshops, discussions focused on moving beyond theoretical pilots toward real-world deployment across farms and food supply chains. More than a networking event, these two days provided actionable insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping European agriculture.
Closing the gap between tech pilots and on-farm adoption
A central topic across panels and workshops was overcoming adoption barriers. For European farmers and agribusinesses, isolated project results and dashboards are not sufficient as solutions must be durable, interoperable, and integrated into existing workflows and business models. Projects within our portfolio tackle these operational challenges directly:
- Circular bioeconomy, soil health, and land stewardship: SNUG, PaluWise, and EcoScape demonstrate practical approaches to soil restoration, peatland rewetting, and sustainable land management that support economic viability while unlocking the potential of cross-sector industrial symbiosis.
- Operational precision and input efficiency: AGRIMATE, HARWASTING, and ECOPESIA address on-farm labour bottlenecks, harvest efficiency, targeted crop protection, and ecosystem payment schemes.
- Practical decision support: Nostradamus and AYUMI focus on translating complex data streams and regional indicators into clear guidance for agricultural advisors and producers.
Financing the transition: navigating funding pathways and scaling innovation
Deploying these technologies on actual farms requires more than research – it demands resources for testing, validation, and real-world adaptation. For early-stage companies and agri-food SMEs, conducting trials in operational environments without depleting working capital remains a persistent hurdle. Our portfolio addresses this by offering a mix of strategic funding and scale-up pathways.
Through select open calls, startups can access direct cascade funding (Financial Support to Third Parties / FSTP) to test solutions alongside farmers and integrate into established European consortia. Currently, AGRIMATE, Ecopesia, HARWASTING and Nostradamus offer FSTP funding that enable startups and SMEs to validate performance in the field and build ties with broader European networks.
System-scale initiatives like the AYUMI project take a targeted capacity-building approach to replication. Alongside providing direct cascade funding, AYUMI’s Horizon Europe resources cover design, mentoring, and procured services. It supports external replication by directly mentoring stakeholders and co-developing proposals to help them secure regional investments, such as ERDF, EAFRD/PSR, and EDIH funding schemes.
Meanwhile, SNUG, PaluWise, and EcoScape focus on scaling results beyond their pilot sites. Through structured replication and exploitation strategies, they transfer outcomes to the wider European ecosystem via best practices, knowledge products, and key lessons learned.
Throughout the event, connecting teams with both our active open calls and our structured mentoring pipelines was a primary focus of discussions at the F6S booth.
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