The world food supply needs to increase by 70 % to feed the 9 billion global population by 2050, increasing pressure on
agriculture and necessitating further intensification. Currently, EU is heavily import dependent for more than 90% of
nonrenewable phosphorus and synthetic nitrogen fertilisers, at large economic cost (€15 billion/y) and with negative
environmental impacts from fertiliser production and use. Furthermore, phosphate has been identified as a critical raw
material for the EU. We therefore need a new European effort to address ‘The Nutrient Nexus’, where reduced nutrient
losses and improved nutrient use efficiency across all sectors simultaneously provide the foundation for a greener and more
circular economy to produce more food and energy while reducing environmental pollution. European farmers and fertiliser
industry thus urgently need techniques for increasing substitution of synthetic with waste-derived nutrients formulated into
high-quality, bio-based fertilisers. However, this requires research into new processing, application and assessment and
more innovative and entrepreneurial scientists capable of meeting these future needs - FertiCycle aims to to fill this gap. The
objective of FertiCycle is to train 15 early stage researchers (ESR) to develop new processes for production of bio-based
fertilisers, recycling wasted resources and to estimate the market potential and sustainability challenges of their production
and use. The training program aims to enable the ESR to generate, integrate and apply inter-disciplinary knowledge for
developing new technical solutions for bio-based fertiliser production, management and marketing, and will give them
competences for inter-sectoral work and international collaboration in industry and academia. FertiCycle outcomes will be 15
trained scientists; required technologies, knowhow and market concepts from which innovative new bio-based fertiliser
products can develop to proof-of-concept level with industry.