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Activity Funded

Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences

Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambientais e Biológicas

Reference
UID/04033/2025
Project Start Date
2025-01-01
Project End Date
2029-12-31
Principal Investigator
Scientific Area
Agricultural sciences
Funding Program
Avaliação UID 2023/2024

Abstract

CITAB aims to foster more sustainable and competitive agrarian systems, promoting research alliances and synergies within the agriculture-environment twofold system, creating added value, building capacities, and transferring knowledge& technology to stakeholders, decision-makers and the general society. CITAB aims to improve the performance of the agrarian socioeconomic sectors, mostly in rural, low-density and economically fragile territories, contributing to food safety and security, though environmental protection and effective response to climate challenges will remain a central goal. This duality drives CITAB towards a deployment of cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solutions, based on the pillars of interdisciplinarity, internationalization, innovation and industry engagement. To optimise our response to these ambitious but feasible challenges, the 2025-2029 Activity Plan of this proposal is based on an effective organizational structure, following the circularity concept. CITAB’s highest-performing research lines will be comprehensively assimilated, while their collaboration to generate solutions for the agriculture-environment dual system will be facilitated. Two Research& Development Groups will be established, reinforced by one Technology & Innovation Group, namely R&D1: Natural Resources, Biodiversity & Climate Challenges, R&D2: Resiliency & Valorisation of Agrarian Value Chains, and T&I: Technological Innovation to Support Agrarian Systems. The R&D1 Group will focus the research on climate, water and soil, landscape management, agroecology and biodiversity, while research within the R&D2 Group will be devoted to crops and crop protection, crop genetic resources, soil health and management, circular economy, and the development of novel, healthy and safe foods through (by)product valorisation. Lastly, the T&I Group will apply remote sensing, IoT, artificial intelligence, big data and image-based solutions to the agrarian systems. Hence, R&D1 and R&D2, i.e. environment vs. agriculture, will act collaboratively instead of being on opposite sides. These two R&D groups will count on the T&I transversal group to achieve higher technology readiness levels in their research outputs and deploy applications to relevant stakeholders. This Activity Plan results from a bottom-up participatory process, combining internal discussion with external advice. Its structure envisions the alignment of our research with the EU Green Deal and the UN SDGs, thereby placing CITAB in a privileged position for supporting decision-making and the definition of policies from the local/regional level to the European/International level. It reflects our vision to enhance CITAB's internationalization and promote its reputation and attractiveness for highly qualified researchers, establishing solid foundations for its long-term sustainability among the most recognized units in Agro-environmental and Biological Sciences in Portugal, Europe and worldwide.

Institutions

Main Institutions

  • Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Centro de Investigação e de Tecnologias Agro-Ambientais e Biologicas (UTAD CITAB)
  • Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD)

Funding 3.418.757,33 €

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Portugal

3.418.757,33 €