FOODBIOMES is a research infrastructure in Greece implemented by four universities, with Democritus University of Thrace serving as the coordinating institution. Its vision is to serve as a major pillar for national, European, and global research, education, and innovation. FOODBIOMES aims to provide services and products to users from various communities and economic sectors, strengthening innovation in the agri-food realm. Seeking to act as the bridge between research, innovation, and education, FOODBIOMES’ business model is built around supplying the necessary tools (knowledge, data, advanced services, technologies, innovations, labs, methods, patents) to researchers and professionals from both academia and industry, helping them design, develop, and manufacture new products and services that boost the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of the agri-food sector.

FOODBIOMES concluded its preparatory phase having achieved the following main objectives:

• Developing high added-value products and utilizing byproducts from the primary sector
• Enhancing the competitiveness of production systems in the partner regions
• Improving regional added value by upgrading human resources and leveraging established technologies
• Upgrading local traditional Mediterranean diet products using new findings to promote them in the global marketplace
• Fostering partnerships with businesses for effectively leveraging technologies and strengthening relevant sectors regionally
• Developing new Greek primary-sector food ingredients that reduce imports and create new products aligned with local biodiversity, providing a competitive edge to partner regions
• Incorporating elements of innovation and technology into food processing

The next step for FOODBIOMES is to secure funding for its Maturation / Consolidation Phase and subsequently for its Operational Phase. The sustainability study for the Research Infrastructure covered the two-year Maturation Phase plus three years of Operation. Within the study, stakeholders, competition, and the political-economic-technological environment were assessed, including any barriers expected during operation (PESTLE analysis). Then, a SWOT analysis identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, spotting potential opportunities and setting out the infrastructure’s objectives and strategy for a sustainable market launch. All required resources for both the Maturation and Operational Phases were identified, and, based on five-year forecasts, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted under three scenarios (optimistic, realistic, pessimistic). Lastly, the Net Present Value, Return on Investment, and Payback Time were determined to gauge the infrastructure’s success potential and sustainability.