FONDAZIONE ECOSISTEMI

Their core work

Fondazione Ecosistemi is a Rome-based NGO working at the intersection of environmental sustainability and social equity — two threads that run through both of their EU research engagements. In Urban_Wins they contributed to rethinking how cities manage waste as a resource, applying urban metabolism frameworks to real city contexts. In SchoolFood4Change they shifted focus to food systems, working on how schools can become drivers of healthier, more sustainable diets — particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their practical value lies in bridging research with on-the-ground implementation: translating systemic ideas into replicable pilots, business cases, and procurement models that work for SMEs and public institutions alike.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first project (2016–2019) was rooted in urban environmental systems — waste flows, city-level resource cycles, and infrastructure networks — with no recorded keywords pointing to social or health dimensions. By their second project (2022–2026), the focus had moved decisively toward people: food access, children's health, diet quality, and inclusion of disadvantaged groups. The environmental thread persists — SchoolFood4Change is still about sustainable food systems — but the lens has shifted from city infrastructure to human outcomes and social equity.

They are moving from environmental systems toward the social-environmental nexus, with growing emphasis on food, health, and inclusion — positioning them well for future projects under missions on food systems, healthy societies, or just transition.

How they like to work

Fondazione Ecosistemi has participated in both projects as a consortium member, never as coordinator — suggesting they prefer a specialist contributor role rather than project leadership. Despite this, they have accumulated 69 unique partners across 15 countries from just two projects, indicating they operate inside large, diverse international consortia rather than small closed partnerships. This breadth of exposure means they bring wide network access and cross-country policy context, but prospective partners should not expect them to carry administrative or coordination burdens.

With 69 unique consortium partners across 15 countries from only two projects, Fondazione Ecosistemi has a surprisingly wide European reach relative to their portfolio size. Their network spans both the urban sustainability and agri-food communities, giving them cross-domain connectivity that is rare for an organisation of this scale.

What sets them apart

Fondazione Ecosistemi occupies an unusual space: a small Italian NGO with genuine thematic range across urban environment and food-health-equity — two areas that rarely overlap in the same organisation. Their combination of urban systems expertise and deep focus on socially vulnerable populations (children, disadvantaged communities) makes them a credible partner for projects that need both environmental and social impact framing. For consortium builders, they offer Italian civil society legitimacy, strong networks in both food and urban sustainability communities, and practical experience translating research into replicable local pilots.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SchoolFood4Change
  Their largest and most recent project (€353K, running to 2026) tackles school meal reform as a systemic lever for public health and food sustainability — with explicit focus on disadvantaged children and SME-scale replication, making it directly relevant to health, food, and social equity consortium builders.
• Urban_Wins
  Their entry into H2020 was through urban metabolism and waste innovation — a technically demanding environmental domain — demonstrating that their NGO profile belies substantive engagement with circular economy and city-level resource governance.