Strengthening the agri-food sector to relaunch the economy and stem climate change. This is the heart of the “AgriFuture 2024” call that will be published tomorrow, October 22, by the Startup desk of Sardegna Ricerche to select 10 projects that will receive a voucher of 6,000 euros in addition to support in the phases of conception and implementation of the idea . An initiative that aims to involve university students, PhD students, researchers, young professionals or emerging university spin-off groups capable of proposing original, sustainable and highly innovative business ideas to strengthen a sector considered strategic, but with several fragilities.
According to sector studies, there are numerous weaknesses in the agri-food sector: companies suffer from the poor diffusion of information and communication technologies as well as the necessary technical skills . The entrepreneurial culture and skills of people who must be able to seize the opportunities linked to innovation also need to be strengthened. The economic-entrepreneurial challenge is not the only one in the field: the agri-food system plays a fundamental role in managing the ambitious green transition towards a climate-neutral Europe. An important objective that can be achieved through new technologies because the future of the countryside is also running towards digital.
Some examples: Artificial Intelligence will be able to improve the use of resources such as water, energy and technical inputs, while the Internet of Things will play a crucial role in the continuous monitoring of key parameters for production. Finally, thanks to the use of drones and satellite data, the traceability and transparency of products along the entire supply chain will also be guaranteed. Two events are already scheduled to present the “AgriFuture 2024” call : the first is scheduled for November 5th at Sa Manifattura in Cagliari, while the second will take place on November 11th at CUBACT, an incubator at the University of Sassari.
