EIGEN VERMOGEN VAN HET INSTITUUT VOOR LANDBOUW- EN VISSERIJONDERZOEK

Their core work

EV ILVO is the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food — Belgium's primary public research center for applied agricultural and food systems science. They develop practical solutions for sustainable farming, precision agriculture, crop protection, livestock welfare, and food chain optimization. Their work bridges the gap between agricultural policy (notably the EU Common Agricultural Policy) and on-farm practice, with strong emphasis on farmer networks, demonstration activities, and digital agriculture tools. They also maintain significant expertise in marine/fisheries research and agri-food safety.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2016–2018), ILVO focused heavily on agricultural knowledge networks, smart farming pilots, and food policy coordination — keywords like "business innovation," "smart farming," "JPI," and "interoperability" dominated, reflecting their role in building EU-wide farmer innovation infrastructure. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted noticeably toward climate change adaptation, biodiversity and soil health (carbon cycling, rhizobiome, microbiome, functional diversity), and resilience-oriented agriculture, signaling a move from digitization toward ecological sustainability. The transition from "how to modernize farms" to "how to make farms climate-resilient" is clear and consistent.

ILVO is pivoting from digital agriculture infrastructure toward climate adaptation, soil health, and biodiversity — expect future projects at the intersection of precision agriculture and ecological resilience.

How they like to work

ILVO operates almost exclusively as a participant (61 of 66 projects), joining large multi-country consortia rather than leading them — they coordinated only 3 projects (AgriDemo-F2F, DISARM, and one other). With 1,126 unique consortium partners across 60 countries, they function as a highly connected network node in European agricultural research. This makes them an accessible, experienced partner who knows how to contribute without needing to drive — ideal for consortia that need a strong applied-research institution with deep farmer engagement capabilities.

ILVO has collaborated with 1,126 unique partners across 60 countries, making them one of the most broadly networked agricultural research institutes in Europe. Their partnerships span Western and Southern Europe heavily, with strong connections to ERA-NET and JPI coordination structures.

What sets them apart

ILVO combines three capabilities that rarely exist in one institution: applied agricultural research, direct farmer engagement through demonstration networks, and digital agriculture expertise. Unlike purely academic partners, they run real field trials and farmer-facing innovation programs, meaning their project contributions come with built-in pathways to on-farm adoption. Their position in Flanders — one of Europe's most intensive agricultural regions — gives them access to a living laboratory for testing sustainable intensification approaches at scale.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IoF2020
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 1.17M) — a flagship large-scale IoT pilot for agriculture and food, positioning ILVO at the center of Europe's smart farming infrastructure.
• DISARM
  One of only 3 projects ILVO coordinated — focused on antibiotic resistance management in livestock, demonstrating their leadership capacity in animal health.
• SmartAgriHubs
  EUR 505K contribution to Europe's network of Digital Innovation Hubs for agriculture, connecting ILVO to the continent's digital farming transformation ecosystem.