UDRUZENJE ZA PREDUZETNISTVO I INOVACIJE FOODSCALE HUB

Their core work

FoodScale Hub is a Serbian innovation association based in Novi Sad that bridges agri-food businesses — especially SMEs and startups — with EU-funded technology and market opportunities. They specialize in building sustainable business models for the food sector, supporting bioeconomy ventures, and facilitating the adoption of digital technologies (robotics, AI, digital twins) in agriculture and food production. Their work spans ecosystem building, venture support, and deploying advanced automation solutions across European rural and agricultural value chains.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FoodScale Hub entered H2020 in 2020 focused on business support, capacity building, and sustainable innovation frameworks — essentially helping SMEs and clusters access markets and funding. By 2021, their portfolio shifted decisively toward technology-driven projects: agricultural robotics (ROBS4CROPS, CoRoSect), rural digital platforms (dRural), and bioeconomy ventures. This evolution suggests a deliberate move from pure ecosystem facilitation toward becoming an intermediary that connects deep-tech solutions with agri-food market needs.

FoodScale Hub is transitioning from business support services into technology deployment for agriculture, making them increasingly relevant for projects that need to bridge robotics, AI, or digital platforms with real farm and food sector adoption.

How they like to work

FoodScale Hub operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, across all six projects — indicating they contribute specific expertise (business development, dissemination, market validation) rather than leading technical work. With 121 unique partners across 21 countries from just 6 projects, they work in large Innovation Action consortia and maintain a remarkably wide network relative to their project count. This makes them a well-connected node for anyone needing access to diverse European agri-food and digital partners.

With 121 unique consortium partners spread across 21 countries from only 6 projects, FoodScale Hub has built an unusually broad European network. Their collaborations span Western, Central, and Southern Europe, reflecting their role as a bridge between Serbian/Balkan agri-food ecosystems and EU-wide innovation initiatives.

What sets them apart

FoodScale Hub occupies a distinctive niche as a Serbian association that combines agri-food sector knowledge with digital technology deployment across large European consortia. Unlike pure tech providers or pure business support organizations, they sit at the intersection — understanding both what farmers and food companies need and what robotics, AI, and digital platforms can deliver. For consortium builders, they offer a rare combination: Western Balkan geographic coverage, strong SME and startup networks, and experience in translating complex technologies into market-ready applications for rural and agricultural end users.

Highlights from their portfolio

• dRural
  By far their largest project (EUR 2.5M of their EUR 3.7M total), building an AI-powered service marketplace for rural Europe — signals deep trust from the consortium.
• CoRoSect
  Unusual topic combining cognitive robotics with insect farming automation — positions FoodScale Hub at the frontier of alternative protein production infrastructure.
• Ploutos
  Data-driven sustainable agri-food value chains project that connects their business model expertise with real agricultural data innovation.