Innovation and technology were the focus of the presentation event of the Spanish satellite of AgrifoodTEF, the largest project in Europe focused on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in the agri-food sector. The event, which took place yesterday in Madrid, brought together representatives from academia, business and government.
AgrifoodTEF, which stands for Testing and Experimentation Facilities, is a network of testing and validation infrastructures in real environments, both physical and virtual, designed for the development of technologies, products or services, especially in innovative areas such as artificial intelligence and robotics. This project has a budget of 60 million euros, 5 of which correspond to Spain (2.5 from the European Commission and 2.5 from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) and has a duration of 5 years, from 2023 to 2027. The initiative is made up of 2 nodes (Italy and France) and 6 satellites (Austria, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden) that bring together more than 30 collaborating entities. AgrifoodTEF is co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme of the European Union and the Directorate-General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The Director General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training, Isabel Bombal, opened the presentation of the Spanish satellite yesterday. Bombal highlighted the importance of this initiative, which forms part of the 3rd Action Plan 2024-2026 of the Digitalisation Strategy for the agri-food sector and the rural environment, promoted by the Ministry. “This proposal will be strategic for Spanish companies, as it will allow them to accelerate the arrival on the market of solutions for the agri-food sector based on artificial intelligence or robotics, through the Spanish test and validation infrastructures deployed in the geographical areas of Córdoba, Lleida and A Coruña, which will serve different subsectors,” she explained.
The sub-sectors are:
– Cordoba: Through the facilities and resources of the University of Cordoba, it will offer a range of services aimed at arable crops, horticulture and fruit trees, extensive livestock farming and the food industry. The Spanish company Hispatec will support this centre.
– A Coruña: Through the facilities of the Agricultural Research Centre in Mabegondo (CIAM), belonging to the Axencia Galega da Calidade Alimentaria (Agacal) and the Centro Tecnológico de Comunicaciones de Galicia Gradiant, its range of services will be more oriented towards fodder and dairy production. The Galician digital innovation centre DIH Datalife will collaborate in this initiative.
– Lleida: Through the facilities and resources of the University of Lleida, Agrotecnio, the Centre for Pig Studies and those of the Agrobiotech park in Lleida, it will focus mainly on the pig sector, fruit growing and agri-food data spaces.
More information: