INAGRO, PROVINCIAAL EXTERN VERZELFSTANDIGD AGENTSCHAP IN PRIVAATRECHTELIJKE VORM VZW

Their core work

INAGRO is a Belgian provincial applied research centre focused on agriculture and horticulture, translating scientific knowledge into practical tools and methods for farmers. They specialise in precision agriculture, sustainable crop protection, soil health, and nutrient management — working directly with farming communities in Flanders and across Europe. Their strength lies in on-farm demonstration and farmer advisory networks, bridging the gap between EU research outputs and day-to-day agricultural practice. They also contribute to emerging areas like insect protein value chains and circular bio-economy approaches in food production.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2019), INAGRO focused heavily on IoT-driven smart farming, large-scale digital agriculture pilots, and building farmer knowledge networks — projects like IoF2020 and NEFERTITI reflect a push toward data-driven and demonstration-based agriculture. From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward soil biodiversity, circular economy principles, alternative proteins (insect value chains), and sustainable crop protection, with SMARTPROTECT as their first coordinated project. This evolution shows a clear move from digitalisation of farming toward ecological sustainability and circular food systems.

INAGRO is moving from farm digitalisation toward ecological intensification — expect future work in regenerative agriculture, alternative proteins, and pesticide reduction strategies.

How they like to work

INAGRO operates almost exclusively as a consortium partner (15 of 17 projects), with just one coordination role (SMARTPROTECT), suggesting they are a trusted delivery partner rather than a project initiator. With 392 unique partners across 36 countries, they maintain an exceptionally broad European network — typical of organisations embedded in large thematic networks and multi-actor demonstration projects. Their participation in 8 CSA-type projects confirms their strength in coordination support activities, knowledge brokering, and farmer engagement rather than fundamental research.

INAGRO has collaborated with 392 unique partners across 36 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected agricultural research centres in Belgium. Their network spans nearly all EU member states, with particularly strong ties to Western European agricultural research institutions and farmer advisory services.

What sets them apart

INAGRO's distinctive value is their position as an applied, farmer-facing research centre that excels at translating EU project results into practical on-farm tools and demonstrations. Unlike universities that focus on publications or companies that focus on products, INAGRO sits at the interface — they run demonstration farms, organise farmer networks, and test innovations under real field conditions in Flanders. Their combination of precision agriculture expertise with hands-on farmer advisory capacity makes them an ideal partner for any consortium that needs to prove real-world impact with agricultural end-users.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SMARTPROTECT
  INAGRO's only coordinated project — focused on precision agriculture for vegetable crop protection, signalling their core institutional priority.
• BIOSCHAMP
  Their largest single EU funding (EUR 454,611) — developing bio-based alternatives for mushroom cultivation, an unusual niche combining circular economy with horticulture.
• IoF2020
  One of H2020's flagship Internet of Things pilots for agriculture — positioned INAGRO within Europe's largest smart farming demonstration initiative.