GRaiNNOVATE

Innovation in Grain Measurement: GRaiNNOVATE Project Officially Launched

Grain quality plays a crucial role in the food industry, but determining it is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. To address these challenges, the GRaiNNOVATE project officially launched at the end of 2024. This cross-border initiative, funded by Interreg Detuschland-Nederland, focuses on developing innovative technology to assess grain quality faster and more efficiently.

Image 1: Projectimage GRaiNNOVATE

A Faster and More Sustainable Way to Measure Grain Quality

Traditional methods for determining grain quality often require significant time, specialized equipment, and skilled personnel, leading to inefficiencies in production. GRaiNNOVATE aims to develop a sustainable and accurate analysis method that not only shortens the turnaround time for quality checks but also helps reduce resource waste and costs within the grain and flour supply chain.

Within the project, various partners from the Netherlands and Germany are collaborating to develop SMS4Grain (Smart Multi-sensor System for Grain). This advanced device uses spectroscopic methods, biophotonics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to measure key quality parameters within minutes, such as falling number, protein and gluten content, moisture levels, and germination capacity (previously taking 4 to 8 days).

Thanks to this innovative technology, companies in the grain and flour supply chain can make faster and more efficient decisions. The goal of the GRaiNNOVATE project is to advance the SMS4Grain from prototype to a market-ready product within two and a half years.

Imageg 2: SMS4Grain prototype accompanied by Eduard van Wijk (left) en Yu Yan (right) from Meluna Research.

Cross-border Collaboration

The GRaiNNOVATE project brings together experts from various sectors to realize this technology. The collaboration includes leading companies and research institutions from the Netherlands and Germany:

Lead Partner (NL):

• Meluna Research B.V. (Gelderland)

Project Partners (DE):

• Aspectus GmbH (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Plange GmbH (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Rheinland Technologie GmbH (North Rhine-Westphalia)

Research Institution:

• Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS) (Formally represented by Eindhoven University of Technology) (North Brabant, NL)

Additionally, the project is supported by nine associated partners contributing to further development and implementation.Interreg Funding and Project Duration

The GRaiNNOVATE project runs from November 2024 to April 2027, with a total budget of €1,914,453.10. The funding is provided by Interreg VI Deutschland-Nederland, in collaboration with:

• The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs
• The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (DE)
• The Provinces of Gelderland and North Brabant (NL)

Project GRaiNNOVATE is carried out within the framework of the Interreg VI Deutschland-Nederland program and is co-financed by the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Provinces of Gelderland and North Brabant.

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Website: https://www.grainnovate.eu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grainnovate/