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SCALE-it holds its first Annual General Meeting in Granada

The SCALE-it consortium met in Granada from 4 – 6 November 2025 for its first Annual General Meeting. The Estación Experimental del Zaidín, a research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), hosted the event. Participants from partner organisations across Europe gathered to review progress and plan the next steps.

SCALE-it (upSCALing Efficient alternatives for contentious InpuTs in organic farming) is a four-year Horizon Europe Innovation Action officially launched on 1 May 2025. The project aims to reduce reliance on contentious inputs in organic farming – such as copper, mineral oil, fertilisers from conventional sources, antibiotics, antiparasitic drugs, Spinosad, and GMO-based or synthetic vitamins – by developing, demonstrating, and promoting costeffective, scalable alternatives.

The meeting opened with a welcome from the Deputy Director of the Estación Experimental del Zaidín. An introduction to the SCALE-it project followed, before leaders of Work Packages 1 to 4 presented the latest results and outlined priorities for the coming year. In the afternoon, partners moved into parallel working sessions to prepare joint activities and discuss links between scientific tasks and demonstration trials.

The second day focused on collaboration between Work Packages 5, 6 and 7. The programme included an overview of the consumer survey and discussions on data collection in demonstration trials. Partners also reflected on communication and dissemination activities led by Work Package 8, which ensures that project results reach farmers, advisors, policy-makers and the wider public. 

In the afternoon, participants visited the CSIC livestock experimental station, a local organic olive farm and the Conde de Benalúa olive oil mill. These visits highlighted the practical relevance of the project’s research.

On the last day, participants reviewed the outcomes of the previous sessions and identified concrete next steps. A dedicated session on Work Package 7 addressed the exploitation of project results and included an update on the exchange with the sister project BIO2.


The meeting closed with a short General Assembly and, for those who stayed longer, a guided visit through the historic centre of Granada.

About the project

SCALE-it runs for 48 months and is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme (2021-2027), with co-funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The project is coordinated by FiBL Europe, with scientific leadership from FiBL Switzerland.

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