Accelerate the digital and sustainable transition of the European agri-food industry.
HIGHFIVE is a European project aimed at boosting the competitiveness of agri-food companies by facilitating the adoption of digital and sustainable solutions. The project supports SMEs through interregional investments, financing mechanisms, and guidance to remove barriers to the implementation of digital technologies and accelerate the Twin Transition (digitalization and sustainability) of the agri-food sector.
The HIGHFIVE consortium covers 39 NUTS2 regions from 9 EU countries, ranging from more developed, over transition to developing regions, that will benefit from the project’s actions and outcomes. The HIGHFIVE actions aim to strengthen these regions via collaboration and sharing of success stories and guidelines. In doing so, HIGHFIVE will contribute to strengthening the European agri-food value chain and contributing to a more digital, sustainable and resilient agri-food sector in Europe.
The project will run for 3 years with a budget of €11 605 782,81 of which € 9.398.801 (82% of the total project budget) is dedicated to tangible and non-tangible company support.
Objectives
More concretely, HIGHFIVE will :
1) deploy a portfolio of three industry driven implementation projects that will serve as demo-cases and provide valuable lessons learnt for both the cluster partners as for other SMEs,
2) implement a voucher scheme to fund SME innovation investment projects across Europe,
3) provide customized individual and collective support actions to enable SMEs to overcome the hurdles connected to implementing innovative digital technologies,
4) extract the results and lessons learnt throughout the project activities and to valorise them within the SS4AF network and transfer them to additional European stakeholders.
Tools developed and support
- Financial support for interregional innovation projects (voucher scheme)
- Assistance for businesses in transitioning toward the Twin Transition (digitalization and sustainability);
- Awareness-raising initiatives, demonstration projects, and the dissemination of best practices.
Project outcome
As part of the HIGHFIVE project, Wagralim has helped to boost digitalization and competitiveness among Walloon agri-food companies. In total, 32 R&D projects involving Walloon companies were supported, engaging 63 companies in initiatives that incorporated digitalization efforts.
Beyond direct project support, several awareness-raising and outreach activities were carried out. In particular, a session dedicated to digitalization was organized during Wagralim’s Spring School 2025, bringing together 32 companies. Additionally, 41 other companies were made aware of the challenges of digital transformation.
Communication activities also helped disseminate best practices and opportunities related to digitalization through nine Wagralim newsletters and 12 blog posts highlighting innovative projects and initiatives.
Finally, Wagralim and Walloon companies gained international visibility through their participation in six international trade shows and events. A member trip organized at Cosucra focused on artificial intelligence in the agri-food sector also brought together 30 participants, fostering the sharing of experiences and inspiration around new technologies.
More info: HERE
Linkedin: HERE
This project is linked to Grant Agreement No. 101083989 and is part of the European program.
