On April 2, an online meeting of consortium partners was held as part of the preparation of the MountainPROTEIN project application for the HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-03 competition. The main topic of discussion was the coordination of budget planning between all participants, which is a critically important stage for the timely submission of an application.
The MountainPROTEIN project is aimed at overcoming the shortage of implemented, locally adapted systems for growing protein crops in mountain and foothill regions of Europe. It provides for the creation of a holistic model of the transition to sustainable production of plant protein – from scientific developments to practical implementation in farms. Geographically, the project covers the Carpathian mountain region in Ukraine and the Baltic continental zone (Lithuania/Latvia), combining research, field validation, assessment of ecosystem services, seed development and integration into value chains.
The main partner and coordinator of the project is the Institute of Agriculture of the Carpathian Region, which was represented at the meeting by Halyna Panakhid – scientific secretary of the institute, doctor of agricultural sciences, senior researcher. From the Lviv Agrarian Chamber, the chairman of the chamber Ihor Vuytsyk, experts Hanna Kushchak and David Kravchenko took part in the event.
During the preparation of the project application, the Department of Agro-Industrial Development, represented by director Lyudmila Goncharenko, officially joined the consortium. The participants once again agreed on the roles and tasks of the partners, and also agreed to quickly form an agreed budget necessary for the successful submission of the project application by April 14.
At the same time, changes in the composition of the consortium were noted: partners from Switzerland will not be able to participate in the project. Instead, the National Nature Park “Skolivski Beskydy” and several more Ukrainian farms have joined the initiative, which will strengthen the practical component of the project and ensure effective testing of solutions directly in mountain conditions. Other scientific and educational institutions of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Great Britain are also partners of the project.
Source. Lviv Agrarian Chamber