Agritech: National Research Centre for Agricultural Technologies

Funder: Project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4 - Call for tender No. 3138 of 16/12/2021 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU 

Award Number: Project code CN00000022, Concession Decree No. 1032 of 17/06/2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP D73C22000820007, “National Research Centre for Agricultural Technologies” (Agritech)

Start date: 01/09/2022

End date: 31/08/2025

Total NRRP funding for the whole project: € 320.070.095

Total NRRP funding for Unifg: € 3.900.395

Producing sufficient and safe food for a growing population without over-exploiting natural resources is one of the major problems that our society must face, finding solutions which are sustainable in the long term. This is a global challenge, placed in a difficult context of unstable climate, increasing competition for land, water and energy, in an increasingly urbanized and globalized world. The importance and the breadth of this challenge requires a significant research effort that is far beyond the capacity of any single institution. To adequately address this issue, it is mandatory to develop an integrated, large-scale, multi-disciplinary research programme.

This is the ambition of Agritech partners, which, by building upon pre-existing collaborative research, higher education initiatives, networking of infrastructures and large equipment sharing, have defined a programme motivated by the need to:

1. Combine the top research expertise required to adequately address in a truly multidisciplinary context the multifaceted problems associated with sustainable agriculture.
2. Integrate the research infrastructures and equipment available at each site.
3. Exploit and apply the most suitable Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that can allow a profitable advance in productivity, sustainability, ecological and digital transition in the agricultural sector.
4. Work with companies and farmers to co-design research efforts and exploit at the best the results to increase the resilience and economic competitiveness of agri-food supply chains.
5. Develop and disseminate new models and organizational capabilities to create and implement large- scale, strategic research programmes that cross discipline boundaries and industrial sectors.
6. Train the next generation of Agritech scientists and managers to generate the necessary human capital and skills required.
7. Support policy makers and influence public opinion to promote a social context favoring the development of stable and equitable agri-food supply chains.

The main characteristic of Agritech research programme is its structural organization, which reflects the high level of integration among a broad diversity of participating research institutions and companies. 

Objectives

• Combine the top research expertise required to adequately address in a truly multidisciplinary context the multifaceted problems associated with sustainable agriculture.
• Integrate the research infrastructures and equipment available at each site.
• Exploit and apply the most suitable Key Enabling Technologies (KET) that can allow a profitable advance in productivity, sustainability, ecological and digital transition in the agricultural sector.
• Work with companies and farmers to co-design research efforts and exploit at the best results to increase the resilience and economic competitiveness of agri-food supply chains.
• Train the next generation of Agritech scientists and managers to generate the necessary human capital and skills required.

Unifg is involved in the following Spokes as affiliated entity:

• Spoke 6 – Management models to promote sustainability and resilience of agricultural systems
• Spoke 7 – Integrated models for the development of marginal areas to promote multifunctional production systems enhancing agroecological and socio-economic sustainability

• Department of Agricultural Sciences, Food, Natural Resources and Engineering

Prof. Maria Rosaria Corbo
Tel. +39 0881 338132
Email: [email protected]
Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimenti, Risorse Naturali e Ingegneria (DAFNE)