This document explores Agroscope’s integrated model for advancing food safety, highlighting its alignment with the European Catalyse project. As a Swiss center of excellence in agricultural research, Agroscope offers a well-established framework that closely mirrors the core structure of the Catalyse model, which is built around four main pillars: Collect, Translate, Facilitate, and Educate. Through systematic knowledge gathering, including its unique collection of microbial strains and data from artisanal cheese production, Agroscope supports food safety, innovation and sustainability in the dairy sector. Its collaborative approach bridges scientific research and real-world application, ensuring that innovations are both scientifically robust and practically relevant. Agroscope’s role as a facilitator promotes strong stakeholder networks and co-creation, while its emphasis on education builds long-term capacity across the food system.
Although implemented locally in Switzerland for many years, Agroscope’s model shares key features with the Catalyse framework. For this reason, it was selected as a pilot example within the project. Catalyse builds upon and expands this approach, creating a broader and more agile model that applies across the EU. It demonstrates and scales the structure—now extended to all areas of food safety, and innovation—aiming to improve food systems by connecting research with SME and industry needs and fostering sustainable, stakeholder-driven solutions.