The vice-rector for Innovation and Transfer of the University of Valencia, Rosa Donat, and the director of the Science Park, Pedro Carrasco, have revealed to the research community the 10 business projects that will be forged in AgrotecUV, the new high-tech incubator in Sustainable agri-food promoted by the University of Valencia and the UV Science Park Foundation.
The projects selected in the first AgrotecUV call, to which twenty-eight proposals aspired, address different aspects related to the biotechnological sector of Agri-food. These are startups or business projects aimed at introducing innovative products and solutions to the market for a healthy and sustainable diet.
Biocontrol systems for the prevention and treatment of bacteria on farms; real-time monitoring of the health status of crops; biomolecules produced in plants for food, cosmetics or research; compounds of industrial interest obtained from orange waste; detection of pathogens in insects from genetics; plant-based food creams as an alternative to ultra-processed ones; smart labels that monitor the health status of food; use of data for decision-making in the development of agri-food solutions; Functional foods with a low glycemic index and anti-inflammatories, or biodegradable aerogels for food packaging are some of the innovations proposed by the 10 initiatives that will constitute the first generation of companies incubated by Agrotec.
Led by independent scientists, pure entrepreneurs or teams arising from university research, the projects presented this Monday, November 28, in the Marie Curie auditorium of the Science Park of the University of Valencia, before a hundred researchers in the field of biotechnology and agri-food, will soon begin to enjoy the services of AgrotecUV, the high-tech incubator in sustainable Agrifood recently promoted by the University of Valencia and the UV Science Park Foundation.
“The University of Valencia is, according to the Shanghai ranking, the first Spanish university in Food Science and Technology, and 25% of the companies in its Science Park are focused on the area of agri-food and biotechnology”, Rosa Donat commented. “By adding the R+D+i capacities of our university to the entrepreneurial ecosystem generated by its Science Park, the channels that facilitate the transfer of knowledge can be improved to provide advanced solutions to the needs of this sector”, the vice-chancellor concluded, who opened the day accompanied by the director of AgrotecUV and the PCUV, Pedro Carrasco, and the members of the AgrotecUV team, Isidre March, Giuseppe Meca and Eva Bataller.
The incubator
Agrotec-UV is a business incubator in the field of sustainable Agrifood, a sector of vital importance in the Valencian Community and one of the environments with the greatest weight and economic projection in the Smart Specialisation Strategy in Research and Innovation (RIS-3) of the Valencian Community.
Directed by the professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the UV Pedro Carrasco Sorlí, AgrotecUV aims to promote entrepreneurship in this field; increase the participation of UV research groups in collaborative R+D+i projects, and increase the rate of technology transfer between university research and the productive sector, and thus contribute to the transformation of the agri-food sector into a sustainable system, healthy, inclusive and adapted to the needs of the consumer and society.
In addition to having a training, mentoring and networking program, which will be applied to each project in a personalised way, the incubator will provide companies with access to the different scientific-technical services of the academic institution, among other things, as explained Pedro Carrasco at the meeting between UV researchers and representatives of the projects selected in this first call.
Co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), through the Incyde Chamber of Commerce, AgrotecUV is headquartered in the facilities of the UV Science Park Foundation, awaiting completion of the works on the Innovation building that will definitely house it in the Science Park itself.