€2.65M to support SMEs in the agri-food and forestry sectors
19th March 2020
The European project agROBOfood, developed in partnership with the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), provides €2.65M to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the agri-food and forestry sectors, thus promoting the adoption of innovative robotic technologies. The first Open Call for Innovation Experiments is open until May 31.
Small consortia (2-5 partners) from the agri-food and forestry sectors can apply for this open call, and they ought to include at least one SME in the technology/robotics field, as well as one end-user. Applications must address a commercial need in the sectors, through a robotics-based solution.
The consortia must be based in Member States, or in countries associated with the Horizon 2020 programme, and must agree on the use of the network's cross-border services. They should also resort to a local Digital Innovation Hub (DIH) partner as a primary contact point. In Portugal, they can turn to INESC TEC, by contacting senior researcher Filipe Neves dos Santos.
The agROBOfood project will provide €2.65M available (between 300,000€ - 500,000€ per proposal).
The main goal of this call is to create a European ecosystem for the effective implementation of robotic technologies in the agri-food and forestry sectors and to help SMEs become more efficient and competitive.
The Open Call for Innovation Experiments is open until May 31, on the project’s website, and the implementation period will take place between September 2020 and May 2022. One can obtain additional information by emailing info@agrobofood.eu and filipe.n.santos@inesctec.pt.
This is the first call within the scope of the agROBOfood project, and new calls will be launched over time – with a total of €8M to support SMEs.
The agROBOfood project (Business-Oriented Support to the European Robotics and Agri-food Sector, towards a network of Digital Innovation Hubs in Robotics) comprehends 38 European partners, covering the fields of robotics, agriculture, R&D and business, through the creation of a sustainable network of Digital Innovation Hubs. At the moment, this network includes 48 hubs and 12 Competence Centres, established in seven regional clusters in Europe; they will support companies in the digitisation process by connecting different stakeholders. These Innovative Experiments form the focal point of the project, and are organised and monitored by the Digital Innovation Hubs. The Regional Clusters will be responsible for demonstrating innovative robotic solutions in the agri-food sector, in order to ensure their replicability and implementation at the European level.
The AgROBOfood is funded by the EU Research and Innovation programme H2020, under agreement number 825395.
More information at https://agrobofood.eu/project/.
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For further inquiries:
Eunice Oliveira
Communication Service
INESC TEC
FEUP Campus
Rua Dr Roberto Frias
4200-465 Porto
Portugal
P +351 22 209 4297
M +351 934 224 331
eunice.i.oliveira@inesctec.pt
Porto, March 19, 2020