From 21 to 23 October 2026, the Italian city of Bari is hosting the final meeting of the European InnOBreed project, an initiative funded by the Horizon Europe programme that aims to promote innovation and the breeding of fruit varieties adapted to organic production. Innogestiona is participating in this meeting, where project partners are reviewing the main achievements and working on the assessment of the project’s results and long-term impact.
The meeting brings together the organisations involved in the InnOBreed (Innovative Organic Fruit Breeding and Uses) consortium, providing an opportunity to share the knowledge generated, analyse the results achieved and reflect on their practical application within the European fruit-growing sector.
Throughout the event, partners are discussing progress in fruit breeding, resource conservation, technological and social innovation, sustainability and knowledge transfer, as well as opportunities to ensure the continuity of the initiatives developed.
Innogestiona’s Role: Assessing Impact and Ensuring the Long-Term Sustainability of Results
Within InnOBreed, Innogestiona leads Work Package 8 (WP8), dedicated to impact assessment and risk management. This cross-cutting activity aims to evaluate how the different project activities contribute to its overall objectives.
Throughout the project, Innogestiona has developed methodologies and tools to monitor results, assess their sustainability and identify the conditions necessary to facilitate their uptake and exploitation within the organic fruit-growing sector.
This work has been structured around four main areas:
- Impact assessment: monitoring indicators, analysing results and assessing the environmental, social and economic sustainability of innovations. This includes a comparative assessment of four representative business cases.
- Context analysis: identifying needs, opportunities and barriers that may influence the adoption of project results by different stakeholders across the European fruit-growing sector.
- Exploitation and replicability: examining opportunities to apply the knowledge, methodologies and tools developed, as well as the factors that may facilitate their transfer to other organisations and territories.
- Risk management: identifying and monitoring potential technical and implementation challenges to anticipate difficulties and support the adoption of appropriate response measures.
This approach has made it possible to integrate information from the project’s different working groups and activities, providing a comprehensive overview of its progress, potential impact and the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability of its results.
Innovation and Sustainability for the Future of Organic Fruit Production
One of the main focuses of Innogestiona’s work has been to analyse how the innovations developed through InnOBreed can contribute to improving the sustainability and resilience of the organic fruit-growing sector.
The assessment carried out highlights the importance of combining scientific and technological advances with organisational solutions, collaborative models and funding mechanisms that facilitate their practical implementation.
Particular attention has been paid to the potential of European collaboration networks, shared genetic resources, fruit breeding and variety assessment methodologies, and social innovation initiatives.
Among the project’s achievements are the strengthening of the EURORGANIC FRUITBREEDNET network and the establishment of the European Organic Fruit Varieties and Rootstocks Testing Network. Both initiatives provide opportunities to continue promoting research and collaboration among European organisations.
The analysis has also identified challenges relating to the economic viability of certain initiatives, access to specialised technologies and resources, and the need to establish mechanisms to maintain project results beyond its duration.
These issues are particularly relevant in fruit breeding, where results may take several years to materialise and achieve widespread market adoption.
A Meeting to Share Results and Promote Their Practical Application
The final meeting in Bari represents an important opportunity to review the progress made by InnOBreed and define future prospects for the activities and collaborations developed throughout the project.
At this stage, Innogestiona is working to consolidate the final impact assessment, which will identify the project’s main achievements, its contribution to the sustainability of organic fruit breeding and recommendations to support the future uptake of its results.
The aim is to ensure that the knowledge and tools generated through InnOBreed remain useful to researchers, plant breeders, farmers, businesses and other organisations involved in the sector.
The meeting also includes opportunities for exchanges between partners and technical visits, reinforcing the project’s collaborative and practical approach.
Innogestiona’s Commitment to Innovation and European Cooperation
Innogestiona’s participation in InnOBreed reflects its commitment to developing European projects that combine research, sustainability and innovation to address the challenges facing the agri-food sector.
Through its work on impact assessment, sustainability analysis and the identification of replication opportunities, Innogestiona helps ensure that research results can be translated into practical tools and solutions that benefit local communities and stakeholders.
The meeting in Bari provides an opportunity to consolidate this collaborative work and continue moving towards more resilient, innovative and sustainable organic fruit production.
Further information about the project: https://innobreed.eu/
Programme: Horizon Europe
The InnOBreed project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101061028.
