Consortium

CIRCE Foundation (Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumption) was established in 1993 as an independent Research Centre to create and develop innovative solutions and scientific/technical knowledge and to transfer them to the business sector in the field of energy.

Over 190 professionals with a broad variety of profiles compose the team of people working at CIRCE. Since 1993, CIRCE has conducted more than 2.500 R&D&I projects at national and international level and has trained more than 1.850 professionals from 47 countries within the postgraduate courses CIRCE promotes. The main research topics in CIRCE are: energy efficiency, wind and solar power, natural resources, biomass, electrical substations, smart-grids and storage, thermal power systems and emissions reduction, sustainable mobility and energy socioeconomics.

CIRCE carries out R&D activities with the ultimate aim of ensuring the energy efficiency of products, processes and services that contribute to reducing energy demand without compromising supply comfort and safety. The concept of energy efficiency ranges from the search for better technology on thermal and electric systems in a broad scope of sectors (biomass heaters, process ovens, industries with intensive energy usage, cogeneration and desalting systems, etc.), to changes in behavior regarding energy usage, encouraging a wiser more sustainable consumption.

CIRCE is the Coordinator of INDUCE and contributes to both the design of the strategies for the change of the users’ behaviour on energy and the development of the methodology and measures for the energy efficiency improvement of companies in the food and beverage sector. Specifically, CIRCE is leading WP3 focused on the design of the INDUCE methodology and teaching materials that will be used in the development of ad-hoc training according to the company’s needs and opportunities to increase their energy efficiency.

TNO (Dutch: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek; English: Netherlands Organisation for applied scientific research) is one of the major applied research and technology organisations in Europe. With a staff of approximately 3000 and an annual turnover of close to a billion Euros, TNO is carrying out applied R&D on, among others, healthy living, industrial innovation, traffic & transport, buildings & infrastructure, circular economy, energy technology, and safety & security. TNO is involved in many international programmes, especially including EU-funded collaborative projects.

The former ECN (Stichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland) has become part of TNO since 1 April 2018. The new “ECN part of TNO” department is a symbiosis of all energy R&D activities of ECN and TNO, and is thereby the leading institute for energy research in the Netherlands with about 600 researchers. The R&D of ECN part of TNO contributes to transforming the current energy system into one without CO2 emissions by 2050. ECN part of TNO consists of several main innovation programmes: solar energy, wind energy, built environment, CO2-neutral industry, fuels & feedstock, system integration, and societally embedded energy transition. The Geological Survey of the Netherlands is part of ECN part of TNO.

The Energy Transition Studies group of ECN part of TNO employs about 60 researchers who cover a wide variety of academic disciplines. Energy Transition Studies focuses on the political, economic, and social aspects of energy technology implementation. It possesses a broad range of different modelling tools, mostly developed in-house. These include e.g. simulation, optimization, and management models. Its EU models cover electricity markets, renewables, power generation, and fossil fuels, and enable investigating a broad range of scenarios and policy instruments, among which GHG emissions trading.

The Energy Transition Studies group of ECN-TNO plays an important role in performing R&D projects and multidisciplinary policy studies aimed at Dutch policy makers at the local, regional and national level, as well as companies and stakeholders in the energy transition. At the international level, and notably in Europe, ECN part of TNO participates actively in a large variety of projects, programmes, networks, and other institutions in the field of energy R&D, policy research and advice. Over the past decade, ECN part of TNO has participated in many international projects on energy technology and policy research financed by European programmes such as FP6, FP7, and HORIZON 2020. ECN part of TNO has conducted a large variety of energy and climate policy studies in service contracts for several DGs of the European Commission, both as project leader and as team member.

Adding new perspectives for decision-making processes, Fraunhofer ISI in Karlsruhe analyses the scientific, economic, social and political origins and market potentials of innovative technological developments and their impacts on the economy, state and society.

The inter-disciplinary research teams focus on emerging technologies, industrial and service innovations, energy policy and energy systems, sustainability and infrastructure systems, innovation and technology management and foresight, policy and regions as well as regulation. Scientists of the institute process around 280 research and consultancy projects per year, some in close cooperation with other research institutions inside and outside the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. The budget of Fraunhofer ISI amounts at present to €16 million per annum. ISI’s most important client is the public sector, for instance several German federal ministries and ministries of the federal states with a contract volume of ca. 50 per cent, as well as the European Union with a share of about 23 per cent. Further important clients are industrial enterprises and industrial associations with a share of ca. 24 per cent. Approx. three per cent of the budget comes from research promotion funds (DFG and other sources).

The Competence Centre ‘Energy Systems and Energy Technologies’ which is to be involved in this project has a long-standing expertise in studying and developing energy policies and their impact from a psychological, a social, an economic as well as a technological point of view. Its main activities include designing and evaluating instruments for a more rapid development and diffusion of sustainable, innovative energy technologies as well as strategies for research and development. Our analytical work on the impacts of an increased utilization of energy-efficient and renewable technologies on employment, income, the economic structure and the environment help decision makers in the practical design of effective policy instruments. In addition, we advise our national and international clients from the public and private sector on the introduction of future-oriented technological, economic and institutional innovations.

The Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB) was created in 1977 to represent –through one organization with a single voice– the Spanish food and drinks industry, the foremost industrial sector of the country and even international. At present, it encompasses 47 associations. Its main activity is informing the sector of developments that might affect their performance and representing their interests before different administrations and decision-making bodies at national, European and international level. FIAB Innovation and Technology Department is an interface between the companies and research bodies. It helps in the management of R+D+I projects submitted by companies in the sector to the administration and management of grants or other types of assistance related to these issues. It helps in the implementation of European Projects seeking national and community partners needed get a consortium. The aim in these projects has been transfer technology, dissemination and capitalization of the projects.

Research, Development and Innovation of FIAB has the expertise of leading and organizing workshops at National and European level in order to disseminate all the progress and results of the project, calling and gathering Food Industry (companies as well as research centers, universities, etc.). FIAB attends and participates in the most important International Food Exhibitions as Alimentaria, Sial, Anuga or Cibus. FIAB leads the Food For Life – Spain Platform with the following groups: Training and Technology Transfer, Food and Health, Quality, Production and Sustainability, Food and Consumer, Food Security and Food Chain Management; in which the project and products resulting are launched and presented as well as in FoodForLife Europe meetings. FIAB attends Science and Research & Development Groups in FoodDrinkEurope in Brussels where to present the project results. FIAB organizes capitalization projects meetings in order to share results with other projects partners in which it is involved. FIAB Communication Department disseminates the project by publishing press releases in the website and blog and by different accounts in social networking guaranteeing impacts in key media.

In the INDUCE Project FIAB is leading the engagement of companies, trainers and stakeholders in WP6. In addition, FIAB will carry out networking activities at national level as well as dissemination activities at both national and international level.

The federation of Dtuch Food and Grocery Industry (FNLI) is the umbrella organization for companies and trade associations active in the Dutch grocery Industry (both food and drink and non-food). FNLI maintains contacts with and works in partnership with supply chain partners, the government, politicians NGOs and the media. FNLI is a member of Food Drink Europe and the European Brands Association (AIM).

The FNLI promotes a long term healthy and sustainable development of the Dutch food and grocery industry. Core functions of FNLI are to defend the common interests of its member companies and trade associations active in the food and grocery sector and thus help maximize the industry’s competitiveness.

In 2000 the Food-Processing Initiative membership association was founded and developed since then towards and acknowledged innovation network in the food sector. The Food Processing Initiative is competent and trusted intermediate between industry, science and politics. The Food Processing Initiative network, comprise companies (food and drink producers, food technology, ingredients, cleaning technologies, IT solutions, etc.), research (Universities and knowledge institutes in the region), organisations (branch associations, chambers of commerce, etc.) as well as local and regional public bodies.

“Access to knowledge, partners, solutions and markets and thus strengthening the competitiveness of small and medium sized food companies” – this summarises best the FPI´s mission.

Main objectives of the cluster organization are:

• The facilitation of innovations and new technologies in the food sector,
• the creation of strategic alliances and co-operations
• and the establishment of international networks.

FPI fosters communication, provides information, facilitates contacts across the food chains and stakeholders, initiates and supports all forms of co-operation and innovation projects, both national and international.

Our aims are:

• Identifying fields of innovation together with food industry and research setting-up,
• moderating expert networks,
• facilitating the technology transfer (b2b and b2s),
• and moderating best-practice co-operations.

In Induce project the Food-Processing Initiative will be in charge of networking activities, gathering common needs and past experiences from the German industry. They represent and supporting the dissemination at national level but also at international level through partnerships and specific dissemination activities. To this end, FPI main participation is in WP2 and WP6, but they will also play a role by supporting companies and validating the results in other work packages.

KWA Business Consultants is a consultancy firm for the industry in the fields of sustainability, energy and process technology. KWA’s mission is to turn her competences into added value for her industrial customers mainly in the agro-food industry. KWA helps more than 400 industrial companies annually to further enhance their production processes.

The energy transition is an important challenge for the industrial customers of KWA to transform into a carbon-neutral business. The twenty consultants of the Energy and process technology team will respond to this challenge daily by working on energy awareness, energy savings, process optimization and renewable energy generation.

Since its foundation in 1999, ÖKOTEC Energy Management GmbH stands for the successful development of intelligent solutions for reducing energy costs. With projects in over 800 industrial and commercial sites it is the leading specialist for energy efficiency and energy saving in the industry. We highlight for our customers their potential energy savings, develop the necessary measures to increase energy efficiency and assist in their realization.

We do this on behalf of Energy Efficiency Consultancies, trainings on and implementation of Energy Management Systems, Energy Efficiency Controlling (EneffCo Software) and moderation of Energy Efficiency Networks. Furthermore we carry out R&D projects and promotional schemes on Energy Efficiency for the federal government.

SYNYO is a global-acting enterprise focusing on research, innovation and technology located in 3 offices in Vienna, Austria. SYNYO explores, develops and implements novel methods, approaches, technologies and solutions in various domains tackling societal, political, ecological and economical challenges. SYNYO analyses the impact of emerging technologies from different angles and from an interdisciplinary perspectives. The team at SYNYO consists of high-skilled employees specialized in various scientific and technical fields like Social Sciences, Safety & Security, Energy & Sustainability, Urban Future, Smart Health, or Digital Systems, Smart Technologies. The team of SYNYO consists of 28 employees working on national and international projects.

SYNYO is well connected within the scientific community and will provide own research and innovation network platforms in near future. 2015 and 2016 SYNYO was among the Top 3 most successful research-oriented SMEs in Austria (H2020 Performance Monitor by FFG).

ACTIA is a non-profit organization, created upon the joint initiative of the French Ministry of Agriculture and the French Ministry of Research in 1983, and grouping today 30 technical private and non-profit centers providing services to French industrial companies in food and drink sector. With over 1000 skilled food technologists, and a total budget of 80 Millions of Euros, the 30 technical centers, members of ACTIA, have developed an international knowledge and expertise in all sectors of food industry and all technologies providing services to more than 75% of French food and drink companies. ACTIA centers activities consist mainly in research and technology transfer for the companies they are supporting to better solve their problems and stimulate innovation. Due to the large covering of ACTIA network regarding French food and drinks companies, ACTIA is a good experienced partner, ensuring technology and knowledge transfer to companies, especially SMEs.

CRITT AGRO-ALIMENTAIRE PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D’AZUR (CRITT PACA) , member of ACTIA is the main member of ACTIA involved in INDUCE due to its expertise in energy efficiency. CRITT PACA is a French Innovation and technology Transfer Center dedicated to food processing industry, CRITT PACA is the dedicated tool for technical support of food SME’s in South-East of France. It works with more than 300 SME’s each year and provides them a daily technical support. All activity sectors are concerned from meat industry to fruit and vegetable processing. CRITT PACA team combines different technical skills: food processing, industrial performance, Food Safety and traceability, Nutrition and health, Environment (evaluation and reduction of energy, water, waste or effluent production). This wide range of skills, with long experience in Energy efficiency diagnostics and solutions will enable to be aware of all aspect of the project.