Press release ILVO and VITO solidify collaboration into MoU

VITO and ILVO have cast their collaboration in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). They thereby commit to working even closer together and strengthening each other in research in order to generate more impact on agro-food and the environment.

ILVO and VITO have common ground in their research that is further strengthened by this MoU. Together with the VIB, they want to explore the potential for creating a so-called 'agtech flywheel'. In doing so, they want to focus on the adaptation of agriculture to climate change, development of new plant varieties and crop protection, acceleration of product development and ecosystem improvement by linking relevant phenotyping platforms. The jointly offered platform that is now being explored should provide a unique offering for the agro (food) research community and industry. The ambition is both to stimulate R&D and to increase the socioeconomic impact of research.

The MoU also stipulated that ILVO and VITO will look into the system transition in agriculture in order to gain more insight into the dynamics of open space in Flanders. The focus here will be on the balance between nature and agriculture. They will also explore opportunities to develop or optimize technologies to convert agricultural and food by-products and waste into chemicals and materials for the bioeconomy.

Much attention will also be paid to water. Both VITO and ILVO conduct research on water management, quality and sustainability. If this information is shared, then both organizations can strengthen each other in this.

The final pillar of this MoU is the experience both have with data, robotics and AI technologies for digital agri-food applications. Bringing together the relevant expertise, models and tools is high on the agenda.

The MoU ends in September 2026 and was signed by Joris Relaes, administrator general of ILVO, and Inge Neven, CEO of VITO.