MINISTERIET FOR FODEVARER, LANDBRUG OG FISKERI

Their core work

The Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries is the national authority responsible for agricultural policy, food safety, and rural development in Denmark. Within H2020, it acts as a policy-level participant in ERA-NET Cofund actions, co-funding transnational research calls on sustainable agriculture, crop production, animal health, and agri-food digitalization. Its real-world contribution is bridging national agricultural policy with European research coordination — it brings regulatory perspective, national funding commitments, and policy implementation expertise to research consortia. The Ministry also contributed to modernizing the EU's Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) for Common Agricultural Policy payments.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The Ministry's early H2020 participation (2016-2017) centered on broad sustainable agriculture themes — organic farming, animal welfare, biodiversity, and soil health through ERA-NET cofunding. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted sharply toward digitalization of agricultural administration (IACS modernization, earth observation, GIS) and infectious animal disease coordination (vaccinology, antimicrobial resistance). This reflects a wider Danish and EU policy pivot from general sustainability research toward precision administration and biosecurity preparedness.

The Ministry is moving toward digital agriculture governance and disease preparedness, making it a relevant partner for projects combining policy implementation with precision farming or veterinary innovation.

How they like to work

The Ministry participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with its role as a national funding body in ERA-NET schemes rather than a research performer. With 98 unique partners across 28 countries, it operates in large, pan-European consortia typical of ERA-NET Cofund actions. This makes it a reliable institutional partner that brings national co-funding commitments and policy legitimacy, but project leadership and scientific work will come from other consortium members.

Extensive European network spanning 98 unique partners across 28 countries, built primarily through ERA-NET Cofund participation where national ministries from many EU member states co-fund research calls together.

What sets them apart

As a national ministry rather than a research institute, it brings something most consortium partners cannot: direct policy authority and national co-funding capacity for agricultural research. Its dual involvement in both ERA-NET research coordination and CAP administrative modernization (NIVA) means it sits at the intersection of research funding and policy implementation. For consortium builders, having the Danish agricultural ministry on board adds institutional credibility and guarantees national-level policy relevance.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NIVA
  Largest single project (EUR 474K) and the only non-ERA-NET action — an Innovation Action to modernize the EU's land parcel and CAP payment control system using earth observation and GIS.
• ICRAD
  International coordination of infectious animal disease research including African swine fever and avian influenza — directly relevant to ongoing European biosecurity concerns.
• ICT-AGRI-FOOD
  Most forward-looking project, connecting smart farming, big data, and farm-to-fork systems — signals the Ministry's interest in digital transformation of agriculture.