AGROBOOST
HORIZON European Project
Kick-Off Meeting: Setting the Foundations for Responsible Innovation in Agriculture!
On 10–11 December 2025, WISEFOUR participated in the official Kick-Off Meeting of AGROBOOST, a five-year Horizon Europe project hosted by University College Dublin (UCD) in Dublin, Ireland. The meeting marked the formal launch of a highly ambitious and multidisciplinary initiative aiming to transform agricultural work through robotics, artificial intelligence, automation and augmented reality, while placing people, safety and social sustainability at the centre of technological innovation.
The two-day meeting brought together a diverse consortium of universities, research centres, SMEs, innovation organisations, farmer associations and technology providers from across Europe, creating a strong foundation for collaboration, alignment and shared responsibility from the very beginning.
A Strong Start: Aligning Vision, Structure and Responsibilities
The kick-off meeting followed a structured agenda designed to ensure both strategic alignment and technical clarity. Day one focused on partner introductions and in-depth discussions of the project’s core Work Packages, covering socio-economic methodologies, robotic and AR solutions, AI and automation, pilot demonstrations and ecosystem building. Day two marked the official public launch of AGROBOOST, alongside dedicated sessions on project management and European Commission expectations.
This structure allowed partners not only to present their expertise, but also to openly discuss interdependencies, pilot requirements and governance mechanisms—elements that are critical for a project of AGROBOOST’s scale and societal ambition.
WISEFOUR’s Role in AGROBOOST: Ethics, Law and Responsible Innovation by Design
Within AGROBOOST, WISEFOUR Innovation and Development Organisation holds a central role in ensuring that all technological advancements are developed and deployed ethically, lawfully and responsibly. During the kick-off meeting, WISEFOUR presented its contributions across Task 1.4 (Legal, Ethics & Data Management) and Task 2.4 (Social, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Technology Innovations for Enhanced Working Conditions).
AGROBOOST introduces advanced technologies—robotics, AI systems, AR tools, wearables and sensor-based platforms—directly into real agricultural environments. This inevitably involves human participation, worker safety considerations, personal data processing and AI-driven decision-making. Ethical governance is therefore not an add-on, but a foundational requirement for long-term sustainability, trust and adoption.
WISEFOUR ensures that:
All data collection and processing activities comply with GDPR and relevant EU legal frameworks.
AI systems align with Trustworthy AI principles, ALTAI guidelines and the emerging EU AI Act.
Human involvement respects fundamental rights, dignity, autonomy and fairness.
Pilot deployments are ethically validated before any real-world testing begins.
Legal, Ethics & Data Management
Task 1.4 establishes the ethical and legal backbone of AGROBOOST. WISEFOUR is responsible for developing and coordinating all mandatory procedures, templates and governance tools required for compliant data handling and human involvement across the project lifecycle.
Key elements include:
Development and continuous update of the Data Management Plan (DMP).
GDPR-compliant processes for data collection, storage, access and sharing.
Mandatory tools such as consent forms, information sheets, research agreements and data questionnaires.
A shared ethical and legal workflow that all partners must follow prior to pilot deployment.
Continuous monitoring through a central compliance dashboard.
No pilot activity may proceed without formal ethical and legal validation—a principle clearly communicated and endorsed during the kick-off meeting.
Addressing Social, Ethical and Legal Impacts of Agricultural Technologies
Building on the governance structures of Task 1.4, Task 2.4 focuses on the broader societal implications of AGROBOOST technologies. WISEFOUR leads the evaluation of how robotics, AI and AR systems may affect workers’ safety, autonomy, fairness, inclusion and working conditions.
Central to this task is the application of:
Fundamental Rights Impact Assessments (FRIA),
AI trustworthiness evaluations,
Bias and discrimination risk analysis,
Transparency and human-oversight mechanisms,
Societal readiness and acceptance assessments.
To further strengthen independent oversight, AGROBOOST establishes an External Ethics Advisory Board (EAB) composed of external experts. WISEFOUR acts as the EAB Secretariat, ensuring that recommendations are integrated into technical development and pilot execution.
Enabling Responsible Innovation Across Six European Pilots
AGROBOOST will validate its technologies through six large-scale pilot campaigns across Portugal, Ireland, Greece, England, Belgium and Switzerland, covering diverse agricultural practices—from pruning and harvesting to livestock management and steep-slope viticulture.
WISEFOUR’s governance framework ensures that each pilot:
Anticipates ethical and social risks early,
Implements mitigation measures before deployment,
Protects workers and participants,
Builds trust among farmers, stakeholders and end users.
This approach supports AGROBOOST’s overarching goal: not only to innovate technologically, but to reshape agricultural work in a way that is safe, inclusive and socially sustainable.
Looking Ahead
The AGROBOOST Kick-off meeting confirmed the consortium’s strong commitment to collaboration, transparency and responsible innovation. For WISEFOUR, it marked the beginning of a continuous process of ethical stewardship—working closely with technical partners, pilots and stakeholders to ensure that innovation delivers real value without compromising human rights, safety or societal trust.
As AGROBOOST moves from design to deployment, WISEFOUR will remain a key enabler of compliance, accountability and ethical excellence—helping to ensure that the future of agriculture is not only smarter, but fairer and more human-centred.
Wisefour's
Kick-off meeting
Project's implementation
Τhe consortium
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN – NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF Ireland Coordinator
- ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNION – Greece Partner
- NETCOMPANY-INTRASOFT SA – Luxembourg Partner
- WISEFOUR INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENTORGANISAT – Cyprus Partner
- KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN – Belgium Partner
- HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY – United Kingdom Partner
- GEOPONIKO PANEPISTIMION ATHINON – Greece Partner
- INESC TEC – INSTITUTO DE ENGENHARIADE SISTEMAS E CO – Portugal Partner
- UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN – United Kingdom Partner
- DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET – Denmark Partner
- INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGAÇAO AGRARIA E VETE – Portugal Partner
- SINOPSIS SOCIALLY INTEGRATED INNOVATION S.R.L. -Romania Partner
- GREEN & DIGITAL IDIOTIKI KEFALAIOUCHIKI ETAIREIA – Greece Partner
- ASSOCIACAO DOS JOVENS AGRICULTORES DE PORTUGAL – Portugal Partner
- Federación de Asociaciones de Mujeres Rurales- FADEMU – Spain Partner
- MARTEL GMBH – CH Switzerland Associated
- FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR BIOLOGISCHEN LANDBAU STI – Switzerland Associated
- ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE – Switzerland Associated
Start date 01-11-2025 – End date 31-10-2030
The project is co-funded by the European Commission, and by Horizon Europe.
Project Number: 101182954— AGROBOOST — HORIZON-CL6-2024-GOVERNANCE-01
The AGROBOOST project has received funding from the Horizon Europe’s project call HORIZON-CL6-2024-GOVERNANCE-01 under Grant Agreement n. 101182954
