VELAS I/S

Their core work

VELAS I/S is a Danish private company working at the practical boundary between agricultural business development and sustainable farming systems. Their work spans two distinct but complementary areas: developing circular business models that extract value from grass biomass in rural agri-food chains, and supporting farmers in adopting cost-effective integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that reduce pesticide dependency. They participate in large European multi-actor networks as an industry voice, bringing real-sector perspective to consortia that otherwise lean heavily on research institutions. Based in Hinnerup near Aarhus — Denmark's agricultural heartland — they appear to function as an agricultural advisory or consultancy firm with strong ties to the farming community and rural economy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

VELAS entered H2020 through the circular bioeconomy door — their first project was entirely about turning grass into a commercial resource and building new rural business models around bioproducts. By their second project, the focus had shifted decisively toward farm-level practice: pesticide reduction, IPM, agroecology, and structured knowledge exchange among farmers and advisors across multiple crop types. The shift is from product and value chain thinking toward practice change and advisory networks at farm level. This suggests the organization is deepening its advisory and facilitation role rather than staying focused on any single commodity or technology.

VELAS appears to be moving toward becoming a specialist in farmer-facing advisory networks and sustainable pest management systems, which positions them well for the EU Farm to Fork agenda and future calls on pesticide reduction and agroecological transition.

How they like to work

VELAS participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never led an H2020 project — which suggests they are content to contribute specific industry expertise within larger research-led initiatives rather than drive project management. Despite only two projects, they have engaged with 54 unique partners across 19 countries, indicating they join large pan-European multi-actor networks rather than tight bilateral collaborations. This profile is typical of an industry advisory firm that adds practical credibility to research consortia without seeking the administrative overhead of coordination.

With 54 unique partners across 19 countries from just two projects, VELAS operates within unusually broad European networks for its size — both GO-GRASS and IPMWORKS are large multi-actor initiatives. Their geographic exposure spans at least a third of EU member states, despite being a relatively small Danish firm.

What sets them apart

VELAS brings a private-sector, industry perspective to research consortia that are typically dominated by universities and public institutes — this practical grounding is exactly what multi-actor projects need to demonstrate real-world applicability. Their dual focus on circular bioeconomy and IPM is uncommon: most organizations specialize in one or the other, while VELAS bridges commodity valorization and farm practice change. For consortium builders working on sustainable agriculture in northern Europe, they offer Danish agricultural sector access combined with existing connections to EU-wide farmer networks.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IPMWORKS
  The largest of their two projects by EC funding (EUR 113,500) and an Innovation Action — the highest-effort H2020 scheme — covering an EU-wide network across horticulture, viticulture, field crops, and vegetables, making it exceptionally broad in scope.
• GO-GRASS
  An early-stage circular economy project focused on grass biomass — a genuinely underexplored feedstock — that combined rural development, bioproducts, and new business model design in a single initiative.