Plant2Food: Precompetitive Challenges - Case examples & Advice for future project applicants

The Plant2Food platform supports collaborative precompetitive research projects between academia and industry stakeholders within the plant-based value chain (only not-for profit organizations can apply or funding). All outcomes and results from the research projects must be shared openly and without the protection by intellectual property rights, e.g. patens. Based on discussions between the main applicants and university business developers that took place during the first Plant2Food call round, the Plant2Food business developers have prepared five case examples that highlight precompetitive aspects to be considered when defining precompetitive research ideas. Generally, precompetitive research projects focus on: Generic problems that are relevant to many companies or an entire industry at the same time The results of the open projects are not new products/services – but rather a generic knowledge foundation that can easily be used by companies for downstream innovation. Data and results can be shared with the public without compromising the companies’ ability to adapt the open results for specific, commercial (and protectable) applications. The business developers are from the four partner universities in Plant2Food: Aarhus University, The University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark and Wageningen University & Research. The Plant2Food platform is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and ends 2027.