General EU delegation with Piotr Serafin and minister Ben Weyts visits ILVO: "Investing in agricultural research is not a luxury but a necessity"

On 13 June, ILVO welcomed a delegation from the European Commission and the Flemish government to its testing and research facilities in Merelbeke. The delegation was led by EU commissioner Piotr Serafin, chief of cabinet for Budget, and accompanied by Flemish vice-minister-president and minister for Budget and Finance, Vlaamse Rand, Immovable Heritage and Animal Welfare Ben Weyts. The message of the visit was clear: despite increasing budgetary pressure on the European multiannual budget, support for agricultural research and technological innovation should instead be strengthened.

European cooperation as a lever for innovation

During the visit, the delegation was given an extensive tour of the research institute, where technological innovations are developed and tested in collaboration with companies. Among other things, AgrifoodTEF, the European test and experimentation platform for AI, data and robotics in the agri-food sector, was highlighted.

Through AgrifoodTEF, SMEs and start-ups can test their innovative solutions in realistic conditions, with guidance around regulation, data access and technical validation. ILVO is coordinating Belgian partner within this network and supports numerous projects, including drones, autonomous implements and precision farming systems.

‘What we see today shows why the EU R&D budget should not shrink,’ Serafin said.

‘R&D projects like here at ILVO are essential to provide answers to climate challenges, profitability and food security.’

Concrete applications: drones and hoeing machines

Two companies supported through AgrifoodTEF demonstrated their technology during the visit.

Agriflight presented its advanced spray drone, which can carry up to 40 kg of liquid. At the ILVO test site, this technology can be safely tested, even though legislation does not yet allow commercial deployment.

VanHoucke Machine Engineering showed a mechanical hoeing machine, developed to make weed control more sustainable and efficient.

‘We help these companies bridge the gap between lab and practice,’ explains Marijke Hunninck (ILVO, AgrifoodTEF).

"Instead of demonstrating on paper that something works, we test technologies in realistic agricultural environments. That accelerates innovation and increases end-user confidence."

Flanders investing, Europe still needed

Flemish minister Weyts confirmed that at 3.5% of GDP, Flanders remains one of Europe's most research-intensive regions. At the same time, he stressed the importance of European co-financing: "Without European support, many projects cannot be realised. What we see here at ILVO is the Flemish research budget in action, but that only works if Europe joins in."

ILVO administrator general Joris Relaes also stressed the importance of European competitive project funding: "In 2024, we submitted 80 project proposals to Europe. 35 of these were approved, an exceptionally high success rate. But it also shows that we have to fight very hard for every euro of research support."

Budget talks are still ongoing

The European multiannual budget is still on the table, and Serafin confirmed that discussions are difficult. Higher defence spending and geopolitical instability are putting pressure on the available budget. Still, he left a clear message:

"We will need to invest more in R&D, despite or just because of budgetary constraints. It is smarter and more efficient to tackle innovative projects together at European level, rather than let 27 member states each seek their own solutions separately."