In today’s rapidly evolving agri-food landscape, innovation is no longer a purely local endeavour. Rather, the transformative potential of new technologies, sustainable production methods and value-chain redesign increasingly depends on the ability to cross borders—geographically, institutionally and thematically. Cross-border collaborations are emerging as vital enablers of agri-food innovation, and the European context provides a particularly rich example of how multi-country networks, shared infrastructures and coordinated strategies can accelerate change. In this article we explore why and how cross-border collaborations matter for agri-food innovation, what challenges they face, and how they link directly with the aims of the CROSSPATHS project.

1. The Imperative for Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector

The agri-food sector finds itself at a pivotal juncture. On one hand, pressures such as climate change, resource scarcity, shifting consumer preferences, and supply-chain vulnerabilities demand new approaches. On the other hand, digitalisation, biotechnology, circular economy models and consumer empowerment open unprecedented opportunities. For instance, European research notes key trends such as digital agriculture (IoT, AI, big data), bio-based economies, sustainable land use, and supply-chain transparency. These shifts are not simply incremental; they imply systemic transformation of how food is produced, processed, distributed and consumed.

However, innovation in this sector carries unique friction: the agri-food system is deeply complex, involving ecological, biological, technological, regulatory and consumer dimensions. It is also highly regionalised: local soils, climates, farming practices, consumer habits and regulation vary greatly. This complexity makes the case for collaborations that span geographies and disciplines. When a project can bring together expertise from different countries, matched infrastructures, and market contexts, it can stretch the innovation envelope further.

2. Why Cross-Border Collaborations Bring Added Value

Cross-border collaborations in agri-food innovation deliver added value on several fronts.

a) Pooling complementary strengths. Different countries and institutions may hold different pieces of the puzzle—one may excel in food-processing technology, another in valorising side streams, another in in vivo health validation. By collaborating across borders, these specialised competencies can be combined to create more comprehensive innovation pathways. For example the CROSSPATHS consortium brings together research institutions from Poland, Portugal and Estonia, each with distinct expertise: food-processing and side-stream valorisation (Estonia), green extraction of bioactive plant compounds (Portugal), and in vivo validation of health-promoting foodstuff (Poland).

b) Access to broader infrastructures and networks. Cross-border partnerships allow participating institutions to leverage not just their local assets, but those of their partners as well, and to access wider European-level networks (e.g., Horizon Europe, EIT Food) which in turn boosts credibility and scalability. CROSSPATHS explicitly aims to build a network that aligns regionally-funded (ERDF) R&I infrastructures with Horizon Europe opportunities, thereby raising international visibility. (Wageningen University & Research)

c) Sharing risk and accelerating learning. Innovations in the agri-food domain tend to be resource-intensive and risky: new processing lines, new bioactive compound extraction, new regulatory pathways, new consumer acceptance patterns. International collaboration allows sharing of risk and cost, faster learning by exposure to diverse contexts, and avoidance of duplication of effort.

d) Addressing scale and market diversity. Food systems are inherently local but markets are increasingly international. To innovate at scale, products and processes need to be tested across diverse regional settings—soil types, climates, consumer tastes, regulatory regimes. Cross-border collaborations enable such multi-context testing, enhancing robustness and market-readiness.

e) Aligning policy, funding and institutional support. In Europe especially, many funding and policy instruments (such as Horizon Europe, or regional structural funds) now emphasise cross-border and cross-regional collaboration to enhance cohesion and widen excellence. Projects that transcend national boundaries are favourably viewed and able to tap into synergies between regional infrastructures and European networks (as CROSSPATHS aims to do). (cbqf.esb.ucp.pt)

Together, these factors explain why cross-border collaborations are fast becoming a hallmark of successful agri-food innovation.

3. How Cross-Border Collaborations Drive Innovation Pathways

Let’s explore concrete innovation pathways where cross-border collaboration plays a catalytic role, and then link back to how these relate to CROSSPATHS.

Value-chain integration and side-stream valorisation. One major dimension of innovation is moving beyond the traditional farm-to-fork model toward circularity, waste reduction and side-stream valorisation (e.g., turning co-products of agriculture into value-added ingredients, bioactive compounds, or bio-based materials). Such endeavours require not only technical know-how in processing and extraction but also market insights, regulatory compliance, nutritional and health validation, and region-specific supply-chain infrastructure. A cross-border partnership allows one partner to provide extraction technology, another partner to validate health impacts, and yet another to pilot processing in a different supply-chain environment—thus creating a holistic system. In CROSSPATHS, for example, the partner institutions bring these complementary strengths (mentioned above) to jointly deliver such integrated solutions. (cbqf.esb.ucp.pt)

Digitalisation, data sharing and new business models. Digital agriculture, sensors, traceability systems and consumer-facing apps are another frontier. But deploying these across regions often involves different regulatory regimes, languages, farm sizes, and market expectations. Cross-border projects allow partners to pilot digital solutions in one country, scale to another, compare results, and adapt accordingly. Moreover, cross-border data pooling and analytics improve predictive models and system-wide insights.

Health-driven innovation and consumer demands. Consumer interest in health, nutrition, ethical sourcing and sustainability is rising. Developing novel food products with health-promoting bioactive compounds often demands research across different biological, regulatory and production ecosystems. A cross-border network can trial such products in different populations, manage regulatory approvals regionally, and access varied supply bases. The CROSSPATHS focus on “healthy, sustainable, affordable” food solutions is a good illustration of this.

Accessing new markets and scaling innovation. Once an innovative product or process is validated in one region, scaling to other markets often requires local adaptation (taste preferences, regulatory compliance, logistics). A cross‐border consortium can facilitate this adaptation by being present in multiple countries and combining insights. Hence, innovation goes from pilot to scale with greater speed.

Building human capital and institutional capacity. Innovation is as much about people as technology. Cross-border collaborations often involve staff exchanges, summer schools, joint training and mutual learning. This not only builds capacity but also fosters institutional maturity for larger projects (e.g., Horizon Europe). CROSSPATHS lists as a specific objective “Strengthened Human Resources and Skills” as well as “Joint R&I internationalisation strategy”. (Crosspaths)

Thus, cross-border collaborations weave together many threads—technology, markets, regulation, capacity, and infrastructure—into more potent innovation pathways than pure national efforts alone.

4. Challenges and How Cross-Border Collaborations Must Navigate Them

While the benefits are compelling, cross-border collaborations also face real challenges. Understanding these is essential for framing how projects like CROSSPATHS design their strategy.

Heterogeneity of regulatory, cultural and institutional contexts. Different countries have different regulatory frameworks for food safety, novel foods, extraction of bioactive compounds, data-protection rules, consumer expectations, and funding mechanisms. These differences can slow down joint innovation. For example, a novel ingredient validated in one country may require separate assessment elsewhere, or digital data-sharing may hit legal hurdles. To succeed, cross-border collaborations must build institutional awareness of these differences and design frameworks for mutual adaptation.

Infrastructure misalignment and capacity gaps. Even when partners have strong infrastructures, the disparity between them can hamper collaboration. Some regional research facilities may sit idle or be underutilised. Part of the mission of CROSSPATHS is to make better use of ERDF-funded research infrastructures by networking them internationally, thus overcoming isolation and underutilisation. (Wageningen University & Research)

Coordination complexity and transaction costs. Working across countries imposes extra coordination costs: managing schedules, language issues, travel, aligning priorities, setting common protocols and data-sharing agreements. Without careful governance and mutual trust, collaborations can slow rather than accelerate innovation.

Funding alignment and project lifecycle issues. National and regional programmes (e.g., ERDF) often have different priorities, timelines and rules compared to European-level programmes (e.g., Horizon Europe). Cross-border collaborations must align these different funding streams, business models and expectations. The very objective of CROSSPATHS—linking ERDF-funded regional infrastructures with Horizon Europe opportunities—is an example of tackling this alignment challenge.

Scaling from pilot to market across borders. Innovations validated in one country may face cold reception in another due to taste preferences, supply chain differences or regulatory obstacles. The viability of scaling requires early attention to diversity of markets and contexts. Cross-border collaborations must embed mechanisms for adaptation and localisation from the start.

Sustainability of collaboration after the project phase. Projects are often time-bound (e.g., 2024–2026 for CROSSPATHS) and rely on institutional commitments that may wane over time. Ensuring long-term impact requires embedding sustainable governance, continuing networks beyond project funding, and building value networks that persist. CROSSPATHS sets “Long-Term Impact and Sustainability” as an expected outcome.

By anticipating these challenges and designing mitigation strategies, cross-border collaborations become far more likely to deliver meaningful innovation outcomes.

5. How CROSSPATHS Illustrates the Power (and the Pathways) of Cross-Border Collaboration

The CROSSPATHS project offers a concrete illustration of how cross-border collaborations can propel agri-food innovation. Let’s unpack how it maps onto the themes discussed above.

Firstly, the project brings together three research institutions in European “widening” countries (Poland, Portugal, Estonia) which have already invested in regional research infrastructures via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). However, these institutions have been relatively isolated in international recognition and partnerships. The project objective is to implement a “highway to Horizon Europe” by leveraging these regional infrastructures through cross-border synergies and internationalisation. (Wageningen University & Research)

Secondly, the thematic focus of CROSSPATHS—“healthy, sustainable, affordable” food solutions—addresses exactly the kind of complex challenges that benefit from cross-border collaboration. It is not simply about developing a novel ingredient, but about integrating food-technology, health-effects, bioeconomy, across diverse contexts. The project’s partners cover complementary areas: in vivo health-promoting validation (Poland), food-processing and side-stream valorisation (Estonia), and green extraction for plant-based bioactive compounds (Portugal). This complementarity enables more holistic innovation pipelines.

Thirdly, the consortium is explicitly committed to building human resources, skills and institutional capacity—including staff exchanges, summer schools, brokerage events, and international conferences. These activities strengthen the network, transfer know-how and raise innovation maturity. (cbqf.esb.ucp.pt) Fourthly, the project aims for sustainability beyond the project lifetime: enhanced visibility, better access to R&I networks, stronger reputation, and ultimately successful participation in Horizon Europe and other international calls.

Finally, by aligning regional investments (ERDF) with European research opportunities (Horizon Europe), CROSSPATHS seeks to overcome the common barrier of funding misalignment and institutional isolation. This strategic alignment is exactly what cross-border collaborations must deliver to scale innovation effectively. (Wageningen University & Research)

In sum, CROSSPATHS embodies the value of cross-border collaboration in the agri-food domain: combining complementary expertise across countries, aligning regional to international funding, building capacity and institutional networks, and targeting complex system-challenges (health, sustainability, affordability) that transcend national borders.

6. Recommendations for Stakeholders Engaging in Cross-Border Agri-Food Innovation

Based on the discussion above, a number of practical recommendations emerge for researchers, businesses, policy-makers and intermediaries seeking to engage in or foster cross-border collaboration in agri-food innovation.

For research institutions and consortia:

• Map complementary strengths across countries early: identify which institutions bring unique capabilities (technology, extraction, health validation, processing) and ensure the partnership is truly complementary, not simply redundant.
• Invest in capacity-building activities (staff exchanges, joint training, summer schools) to build mutual understanding, trust and relational capital. CROSSPATHS shows how these institutional ties accelerate maturity.
• Align funding streams: deliberate planning is needed to connect regional infrastructure investments with international funding programmes (e.g., ERDF → Horizon Europe). Projects like CROSSPATHS demonstrate this alignment in practice.
• Incorporate market-diversity and scaling from the outset: plan for deployment across multiple regulatory, cultural and consumer contexts rather than just pilot in one region.
• Build sustainability into the collaboration: design governance that persists beyond the immediate project, create dissemination and exploitation pathways that maintain network momentum.

For businesses and industry partners:

• Seek cross-border R&D collaborations that provide access to diverse research infrastructures and networks, not just local ones.
• Ensure that innovations are tested across different regional settings and consumer bases—this reduces market risk and enhances robustness.
• Engage with research partners who have international networks and visibility, thereby increasing the prospect of scaling and market entry beyond local boundaries.

For policy-makers and funders:

• Encourage funding instruments that incentivise cross-border collaborations, especially linking regional infrastructure investments with European-level programmes.
• Provide frameworks to reduce regulatory friction (e.g., harmonisation of food-safety rules, data-sharing standards) that often hamper international projects.
• Foster human-capital development across borders (training, mobility) to build innovation capacity in traditionally less-connected regions.
• Use cross-border collaborative projects to strengthen regional ecosystem connectivity and avoid regional R&I infrastructures remaining isolated.

For intermediaries and networks:

• Act as brokers for cross-border matchmaking between institutions, regions and countries.
• Provide platforms for sharing best practices, governance models and lessons from cross-border collaboration.
• Facilitate dissemination of cross-border successes (e.g., case-studies) to create a learning-ecosystem for other actors to replicate.

By aligning these stakeholder roles and embedding well-designed cross-border collaboration, the agri-food innovation agenda can be powered significantly more strongly than with purely national efforts.

7. Looking Ahead: The Future of Agri-Food Innovation through Cross-Border Lenses

As the agri-food sector evolves, the importance of cross-border collaboration will only grow. Several trends point in this direction.

Firstly, the push towards sustainability, circular bio-economy and net-zero agricultural systems will demand system-wide innovations that require cross-discipline and cross-region partnerships. As research suggests, agroecology, supply-chain transparency, consumer-centric innovations and digital agriculture are major emerging trends. Cross-border collaboration helps to mobilise the range of expertise needed.

Secondly, digital technologies (AI, IoT, big data) do not stop at national borders. Data flows, platforms, analytics, and digital business models are inherently transnational. Collaborations that span countries can better pool data, test across diverse settings and build larger use-cases.

Thirdly, as consumer preferences converge globally (health, sustainability, traceability), innovations developed in one country will often need adaptation and scaling to others. Cross-border networks provide the geographic reach, market diversity and institutional support to deliver at scale.

Fourthly, international funding programmes (such as Horizon Europe) and structural funds increasingly emphasise widening participation and cross-border synergies. Projects such as CROSSPATHS show how widening countries can leverage regional infrastructures and integrate into European networks. This trend means cross-border collaboration is not optional—it is becoming essential for competitive innovation funding.

In this context, institutions and networks that cultivate cross-border collaborations early will be better placed to shape the future of agri-food innovation, deliver solutions that are not just novel but scalable, sustainable and connective.

8. Conclusion

In short, cross-border collaborations are a powerful engine for agri-food innovation. They bring together complementary strengths, broaden infrastructure and network access, enable risk-sharing and learning, and support scaling across diverse market and regulatory contexts. Yet they are not without challenges: regulatory heterogeneity, coordination overhead, funding alignment and sustainability are real hurdles. The good news is that projects like CROSSPATHS illustrate how these challenges can be addressed strategically—by aligning regional to European funding, building human capacity, combining diverse research strengths and embedding institutional networks for the long term.

As the world confronts the dual pressures of feeding a growing population and transforming food systems to be healthier, more sustainable and equitable, the agri-food sector must innovate not just locally, but collaboratively across borders. For stakeholders in research, industry, policy and networks, engagement in cross-border collaborations is no longer a nice-to-have—but a strategic imperative. The CROSSPATHS project serves as an instructive model of how such collaborations can be designed and leveraged to propel innovation in the agri-food domain.

References

1. “CROSSPATHS: Highway to Horizon Europe by pulling ERDF investments out of isolation through a tailored sequence of synergies.” (Wageningen Research). (Wageningen University & Research)
2. “CROSSPATHS: A cross-border pathway to leverage regional investments towards Horizon Europe goals.” (Universidade Católica Portuguesa news). (cbqf.esb.ucp.pt)
3. “Agriculture & food | Research and Innovation.” European Commission. (Research and innovation)
4. “EU unveils bold strategy to revive European agriculture through youth empowerment.” (Innovation News Network, 2025). (Innovation News Network)