Food4Sustainability CoLAB

Food4Sustainability CoLAB (F4S) is a non-profit collaborative laboratory based in Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal, dedicated to innovation in sustainable food production and consumption. Recognised by FCT (the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) as an official CoLAB, F4S emerged from a collaborative process led by Building Global Innovators (BGI) together with the Idanha-a-Nova municipality, involving partners from the EIT Digital, Climate KIC and EIT Food networks. It brings together 15 founding members, including research and higher education institutions, industrial companies, tech-based SMEs and producer-focused organizations. The organisation's mission is to transform food production by respecting nature and protecting soil, water and life, combining science, tradition and innovation so producers can grow food in healthy, regenerative and sustainable ways. F4S works across five strategic pillars: Circular Economy, Sustainable Agriculture, Natural Capital, Food, Nutrition and Wellbeing, and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Concretely, F4S develops and tests emerging approaches and technologies for sustainable intensification of food production, builds farmers' capacity to adopt state-of-the-art sustainable agriculture techniques, and provides education and experimentation opportunities for wider communities. Its goals include CO2 mitigation, eliminating the use of synthetic chemicals, optimising land use, preserving water resources, and improving efficiency across the food value chain. The organisation runs an Academy for training, a recruitment channel, and a related initiative called RegeneraLab, reflecting a multidisciplinary team spanning science, agriculture, business, and technology aimed at supporting the agricultural sector's transition to carbon-neutral, regenerative food systems.