The initiative, organized by CITA’s Projects Office, aims to foster collaboration between researchers and companies, facilitate knowledge transfer and promote new agri-food innovation projects. The event will take place in the Assembly Hall of the Aragon Gastronomic Innovation Center (CIGA), where various specialists will present their research areas and show how their scientific advances can help address the sector’s challenges.
The event will begin with remarks from CITA Managing Director Pilar Errea and CIGA Director Anabel Costas. Next, CITA Research Director Jorge Hugo Calvo will outline the center’s scientific and technological capabilities, as well as its research infrastructure and contribution to the development of Aragon’s agri-food sector.
FROM CLIMATE CHANGE TO LIVESTOCK: THE CHALLENGES FACING THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR
The program will address issues such as adapting crops to climate change, reducing livestock emissions, efficient water management and applying new technologies to agriculture. In the field of animal production, researchers Isabel Casasús, Mireia Blanco and Belén Lahoz will present advances related to mountain livestock farming, methane emissions control and reproductive biotechnology applied to the conservation and genetic improvement of sheep.
Meanwhile, specialists from the Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Systems Department will explore some of the tools that can transform agricultural activity. Raquel Salvador will explain the potential of soil and plant sensors to optimize irrigation in fruit crops, while Samuel Franco will discuss how to improve production while reducing emissions through more efficient nitrogen fertilization. María Auxiliadora Casterad will analyze the opportunities offered by remote sensing to address the challenges facing agriculture.
Plant research will also feature prominently. Javier Rodrigo will present work aimed at selecting fruit varieties capable of adapting to increasingly warmer winters, while predoctoral researcher Iker Pérez will explain how to use agricultural by-products to produce fermented beverages, an alternative that opens up new opportunities for adding value to resources.
FUNDING AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN COMPANIES AND RESEARCHERS
Beyond presenting scientific advances, the event will allow companies to learn about funding opportunities for developing research, development and innovation (R&D&I) projects. Arturo Daudén, coordinator of CITA’s Projects Office, will detail the various calls for proposals and support mechanisms available at the regional, national and European levels.
Yolanda Vela, a knowledge transfer support officer, will also present the center’s services and technology offering, along with progress in updating its catalog of solutions and capabilities. The goal is to help companies identify scientific and technological resources applicable to their needs.
The event will also include specific examples of collaboration between CITA and the agri-food sector. Researchers Guillermo Ripoll and Raquel Salvador will present the Metovi and Almaverde projects, the former focused on adapting to and mitigating heat stress in Aragonese sheep, and the latter dedicated to sustainable nitrogen management in Almudévar.
Both initiatives will be discussed in a roundtable that will also feature representatives of Oviaragón and Covico, moderated by journalist Elisa Plumed. The event will conclude with bilateral meetings between researchers and companies, as well as a reception aimed at encouraging the exchange of experiences and identifying future collaboration opportunities.
