AGRITECH EU

Funding programme: Digital Europe Programme

Project reference: Grant Agreement n. 101123258

Principal investigator: Emanuele Frontoni

Role UniMC: Partner

Consortium:   Università di Pisa (IT, Coordinator),  Quinn - Consorzio Universitario In Ingegneria Per La Qualita E L'innovazione (IT) , Geoponiko Panepistimion Athinon (GR), Universidad De Almeria (ES), Ceska Zemedelska Univerzita V Praze (CZ), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT), Institut National D'enseignement Superieur Pour L'agriculture, L'alimentation Et L'environnement (FR), UNIVERSITEIT GENT (B GENT01), CSITA ZS (CZ), XPERIENCIA VIRTUAL S.L. (ES), AGRICOLUS SRL (IT), APRA SPA (IT).

Runtime: from 01.01.2024 to 31.12.2027

Short description:  The primary objective of the AGRITECH EU project is the design and delivery of higher education programme(s) – I level master (at ISCED LEVEL 7 or equivalent) - the enrichment of existing bachelor and master degrees and the development of related self-standing modules/courses (online or in-person) to train specialists in digital transition for farms and food companies, leading to recognized certifications. These objectives will be achieved by an European consortium of 6 higher education institutions, businesses and excellence centres. Digitalisation in the farming sector can generate multiple benefits: it can increase productivity, improve the efficiency and quality of work, reduce pressure on natural resources, and promote market integration. Moreover, it can enhance farmers’ access to knowledge, foster peer-to-peer learning, support innovation networks, improve rural-urban and producer-consumer links, and reduce bureaucratic burden. However, the opportunities of economic, social, and environmental prosperity enabled by digitalisation also come with risks. Indeed, unregulated digitalisation in the agricultural sector, or incentivising acceptance without offering sufficient (regulatory) protection, may have harmful economic, social, and environmental consequences for vulnerable individuals, communities, and regions across the EU.
To maximise equitable opportunities and to mitigate the risks, public policies need to increase their know-how and capabilities to use digital technologies in effective and responsible ways. The project will work to the design and delivery of international higher education programmes dedicated to train specialists in Digital Agriculture:
- for exploring technological solutions for digital agriculture with a responsible innovation approach
- to acquire the ability to interact with technology suppliers and developers for the design and selection of innovative applications
- to acquire the ability to use digital agriculture tools
- to acquire the ability to assess the socio-economic impacts of digital technologies.

Total cost: € 3.274.693,00

EU contribution: € 1.637.347,00

EU contribution to UniMC: € 116.443,00