KATHOLIEKE HOGESCHOOL VIVES ZUID

Their core work

VIVES University of Applied Sciences is a Belgian applied sciences institution based in Kortrijk that bridges academic food research with practical community and industry applications. Their H2020 work spans two distinct but connected food themes: nutrition and health outcomes in elderly populations, and the design of sustainable urban food systems. They bring a practice-oriented, applied research perspective — translating complex food system science into actionable frameworks for cities, supply chain actors, and health practitioners. As a university of applied sciences, their strength lies in grounding research outputs in real-world contexts rather than purely theoretical contribution.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 engagement (PROMISS, 2016–2021), VIVES focused on individual-level food and health outcomes — specifically nutritional vulnerability in older adults, a health-system facing application. Their more recent project (CITIES2030, 2020–2024) marks a clear shift toward systemic and urban dimensions of food: city-region food systems, supply chain design, and digital tools like blockchain. The trajectory moves from person-level nutrition science toward city-scale food governance and sustainability — a broadening of scope from health to environment and urban planning.

VIVES is moving toward food system design at the city and regional scale, making them a relevant partner for projects combining urban planning, food security, and sustainable supply chain innovation.

How they like to work

VIVES exclusively participates as a consortium partner and has never led an H2020 project — a clear signal that they contribute specialist applied-research capacity rather than driving project consortia. Their 67 unique partners across just 2 projects indicates they have joined large, multi-actor European consortia typical of IA and RIA instruments. This breadth of network relative to project count suggests they are comfortable operating in complex, multi-partner environments and bring focused thematic contributions rather than cross-cutting coordination.

Despite only two H2020 projects, VIVES has built a network of 67 unique partners spanning 24 countries — an unusually broad reach for this project count, reflecting participation in large international consortia. Their network is genuinely pan-European with no visible geographic concentration beyond their Belgian base.

What sets them apart

VIVES occupies a rare position as a Belgian university of applied sciences with dual food expertise: individual nutrition (health system side) and urban food system design (policy and supply chain side). Unlike research universities focused on fundamental science, VIVES produces practice-ready outputs suited to municipal authorities, food businesses, and health services. For consortia needing a partner who can connect food research to real operational and community contexts in Northwest Europe, VIVES offers credible applied grounding without the overhead of a large research institution.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CITIES2030
  The larger and more recent of their two projects, it tackles city-region food resilience across the full FOOD2030 agenda — combining urban planning, short supply chains, ecosystem services, and blockchain — making it their most strategically forward-looking engagement.
• PROMISS
  A pan-European health-nutrition study on malnutrition prevention in older adults, demonstrating VIVES's capacity to operate in health-adjacent food research and contribute to sensitive population-focused EU programs.