Green Horizons: Capacity Building for Green Transformation in the Agri-Food Industry/GHT

Tackling environmental challenges and enhancing competitiveness of SMEs through innovations rank high in the agenda of European countries. The Green Horizons project responds to these priorities by focusing on capacity building for greening SME business operations, with the dual aim of fostering green business opportunities and accelerating the adoption of environmental technologies. The project seeks to: • Strengthen the permanent scanning and monitoring of green technologies, • Build SME capacity in green innovation, • Positively influence SME behavior towards sustainability, and • Promote the tangible benefits of adopting greener practices across Europe. A comprehensive package of activities will be implemented, with a particular emphasis on designing and delivering a training scheme for SMEs. This scheme will raise awareness of energy transition, climate-friendly practices, and environmentally responsible business operations, enabling SMEs to align their practices with Europe’s sustainability goals. Project Objectives: The overarching goal of the project is to raise awareness of greening business operations across all VET sectors. To achieve this, the project integrates a coherent framework of specific objectives (SO), each linked to targeted work packages (WP) designed to deliver measurable results: • SO1: Enhance the effectiveness of project management processes. • SO2: Assess the skills and competencies related to green transition, energy efficiency, and sustainable business operations. • SO3: Improve the quality of learning and teaching by introducing innovative teaching systems. • SO4: Increase awareness among SME representatives regarding the green transition, energy efficiency, and sustainable operations. • SO5: Ensure the wide dissemination and long-term impact of project outcomes. By meeting these objectives, the project will generate practical solutions to support the green digital transformation of SMEs. Project Approach The Green Horizons project is designed to upskill and reskill VET trainees and professionals, equipping them to implement sustainable business practices in the Agri-Food sector. It addresses existing skill gaps in digitalization and sustainability, providing SMEs with training in areas such as energy efficiency, circular economy, and intelligent processing. Through the development of innovative digital tools and open educational resources (OER), the project promotes green transformation, ensuring SMEs become more competitive, resilient, and environmentally responsible. A central output will be an interactive digital educational platform that enables SMEs to adopt digital solutions for managing sustainable ventures more effectively. To foster widespread adoption, the project will also create engaging educational resources—including videos, fact sheets, infographics, case studies, and video presentations—tailored to the needs of diverse VET sectors. Project Results The expected results of the project include: • A curriculum and methodology for sustainable Agri-Food training, aligned with sectoral demands. • An interactive digital platform, emphasizing sustainable energy practices to enhance the adaptability of Agri-Food SMEs. • Open Educational Resources (OER) and dedicated training content adapted to the learning preferences of the Agri-Food community. • The establishment of a stable multi-actor open network to consolidate and extend the project’s results. All project outputs will remain accessible online for a minimum of five years following the project’s completion, ensuring long-term impact and sustainability.