Belgium

Belgium has a longstanding expertise in the short history of plant phenotyping. It pioneered the field of digital phenotyping and is an early adopter of many plant phenotyping technologies. Moreover, Belgium is an early supporter of EMPHASIS, both on the political and scientific level, by its involvement in multiple phases of the European research infrastructure establishment. It is selected as the statutory seat country for EMPHASIS-ERIC, with the central coordination office being hosted by the VIB. 

EMPHASIS-Belgium serves as the national node within the EMPHASIS-ERIC and is dedicated to advancing plant phenotyping across scientific, technological, and agricultural domains. As part of the broader EMPHASIS initiative, EMPHASIS-Belgium plays a pivotal role in coordinating and integrating national efforts to support cutting-edge phenotyping research, ensuring Belgium’s active contribution to a pan-European strategy for sustainable agriculture and food security.

The ambition of EMPHASIS-Belgium is to foster innovation in multiscale plant phenotyping —from lab to field, and from cellular to satellite levels—by integrating complementary infrastructures and a strong consortium of national partners: VIB, ILVO and VITO. VIB is a leading institute in controlled environment phenotyping, ILVO focuses on intensive field phenotyping activities, and VITO supports lean drone and satellite-based phenotyping in production fields. Together, EMPHASIS-Belgium provides access multi-disciplinary expertise, state-of-the-art phenotyping facilities, such as the Phenovision, IPSA, and HYDRAS platforms, and digital services and information systems, like PIPPA, MAPEO, and Terrascope.

The node acts as a bridge between the national actors and the European infrastructure, facilitating knowledge exchange, joint research, and harmonized standards. The EMPHASIS-Belgium community is vibrant and multidisciplinary, encompassing plant scientists, breeders, technologists, and data analysts. Active engagements with stakeholders through workshops, training events, and open-access initiatives, ensures that the infrastructure remains responsive to the evolving needs of users. By promoting FAIR data principles and interoperability, EMPHASIS-Belgium contributes to a more transparent and collaborative research environment. It aims to strengthen Belgium’s position in the global plant research landscape by promoting collaboration between academia, industry, and policy stakeholders.