This year’s Synergy Days 2025 in Rotterdam brought together Europe’s leading innovators, policymakers, clusters, and digital transformation experts in the agri-food and bioeconomy sectors. For the Agrifood Lithuania DIH team, it was an energising two-day journey filled with meaningful conversations, knowledge sharing, and reconnection with partners from six European projects we proudly contribute to: HIGHFIVE, SIXFOLD, 4Growth, ARGONAUT, VALERECO, and Farmtopia.

Across workshops, pitches, demonstrations, and informal exchanges, one message resonated deeply: Europe’s digital and green transformation happens when collaboration turns into action.

HIGHFIVE: Putting Real SME Needs First

Our time with the HIGHFIVE community reminded us why this project stands out—its deeply human approach to digital transformation. HIGHFIVE encourages innovators to start from the problem, not the tool, ensuring that food SMEs gain solutions tailored to real, everyday challenges. Stories of reduced energy use, improved quality monitoring, and meaningful tech adoption showcased how collaboration across clusters and technology providers can accelerate impact. For us, meeting the HIGHFIVE team was both a reunion and a reaffirmation of our shared mission to empower food SMEs with smarter, more sustainable innovations.

SIXFOLD: Turning Pilots into Long-Term Impact

During a session led by coordinator Markus Ojala, SIXFOLD presented its vision for data-driven, resilient, and low-impact food processing. In a joint workshop with HIGHFIVE and SS4AF, one important question took center stage: How do we transform digital trials into everyday practice? Discussions on photonics, data use, and quality monitoring highlighted the power of cross-sectoral collaboration. Our engagement with the SIXFOLD team once again reinforced our commitment to helping food companies adopt innovations that make production more efficient, transparent, and future-ready.

4Growth: Scaling Digital Ecosystems Through Interoperability

The 4Growth partnership demonstrated how shared data spaces, interoperability, and collaborative digital tools can shape the future of agri-food and forestry. From demonstrating our Visualisation Platform to participating in workshops on robotics, AI, and data spaces, we highlighted tangible paths to overcome the “valley of death” between research and real-world adoption. Being part of 4Growth means standing at the forefront of Europe’s data-driven transformation—championing innovation that is scalable, secure, and trusted.

ARGONAUT: Accelerating Europe’s Digital Circular Transition

The ARGONAUT project brought circularity to the forefront with powerful discussions on AI, blockchain, and the emerging role of digital product passports. During sessions with EFRA and bi0space, we tackled two essential questions: How can we build viable business models for AI-powered platforms? And how do we lower barriers to adopting digital product passports in bio-based value chains? These conversations underscored the importance of trust, interoperability, and collaborative governance—key ingredients for scaling digital circular solutions across Europe.

VALERECO: Strengthening Legume-Based Systems Through Living Labs

The VALERECO project highlighted how Living Labs can drive agroecological innovation and build legume-based systems rooted in biodiversity. Through workshops co-organised with initiatives like Hungry Ecocities and BIOFIN-EU, the project showcased the power of hands-on experimentation and cross-sector partnerships. For Agrifood Lithuania, contributing to VALERECO means helping farmers adopt sustainable practices while reinforcing biodiversity and strengthening Europe’s food system resilience.

Farmtopia: Ethical, Open, and Farmer-Centric Digital Farming

At the Farmtopia booth and during workshops, the project team showcased how open-source tools, reusable software components, and real-world pilots are shaping a more inclusive digital farming landscape. Farmtopia’s focus on ethical innovation, human rights considerations, and openly shared technologies resonated strongly with visitors. As partners, we’re committed to advancing digital inclusion so that every farmer—especially smallholders—can benefit from accessible, trustworthy, and future-proof technologies.

Stronger Together: Our Takeaways from Synergy Days 2025

Across all six projects, one theme was clear: innovation thrives where collaboration flourishes. Whether discussing AI for circularity, data spaces for forestry, photonics in food production, or open tools for farmers, the message was the same—Europe’s digital and green transitions will succeed only if we build solutions with stakeholders, not just for them.

For Agrifood Lithuania, Synergy Days 2025 was more than an event. It was a celebration of shared values, aligned missions, and the vibrant ecosystem that continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in agriculture, food production, and bio-based industries. We returned home inspired, motivated, and proud to be part of these six forward-looking European initiatives—working together toward a smarter, greener, more sustainable future.