When R&D&I in Cooperation Crosses Borders
In an increasingly interconnected world, Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D&I) have become a central axis to face global challenges. International cooperation in this field not only drives innovation but also promotes sustainable and equitable development across all regions of the planet. Cooperation between nations allows for the sharing of knowledge, resources, and advanced technologies, accelerating progress in critical areas such as health, energy, the environment, and education.
Europe has numerous financial instruments to support international R&D&I, with the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the “Next Generation EU” Recovery Instrument standing out. Specifically, the MFF, endowed with 1,074.3 billion euros and covering the period 2021-2027, includes key programs to support R&D&I, such as Horizon Europe.
Access to public funding for the execution of R&D&I projects has many advantages for the entities that benefit from it. It is not just about the financial support for the project itself, but also about the capability it provides to achieve greater projection and reach. This aspect is even more pronounced when talking about collaborative projects and even more so if we are dealing with an international R&D&I project involving different countries, perspectives, and backgrounds that enrich the entire consortium.
We are experts in finding the funding program that best suits your project.
To ensure the success of a proposal, it is crucial to identify, among a wide range of possibilities, the international program that best fits the R&D&I project idea, as well as the key partners to launch the initiative’s execution. With over 30 years of experience in Innovation Consulting, artica+i has a professional team ready to tackle these types of international calls, advising our clients from the initial stage of designing and developing the proposal to the subsequent technical and administrative follow-up and justification.
I Have a Project Idea, What Now?
Presenting an R&D&I project requires meticulous planning and proper structuring to ensure that the project is understandable, viable, aligned with the objectives of the organization or entity to which it is presented, and therefore has a greater chance of obtaining the desired support and funding. As a starting point, it is important to identify the most beneficial aid program for our initiative, as well as define the most appropriate consortium and articulate the roles each will have in the work plan.
Furthermore, the application dossier must be well-structured and documented, including some essential contents:
- Justification and context of the background and state of the art.
- Project objectives: both general and specific.
- Work plan: detailed description of the activities and tasks to be carried out by each partner.
- Detailed timeline of these activities.
- Resources and budget to carry out the R&D&I project.
- Expected impact and results.
- Risk identification and strategies to address these challenges.
NOVATERRA, a Success Story Approaching Its Final Stretch
Advancing towards more sustainable viticulture and promoting vineyard management following environmental criteria are two of the objectives set out in the NOVATERRA project. This is an interdisciplinary study with an international character, led by the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), which had our support during the conception and design process of the project. Currently, after almost 4 years of execution, NOVATERRA is nearing its final stretch with the support of our International Project Financing team in the technical and administrative management of the project.
With the aim of showcasing some of its most relevant advances and results, the NOVATERRA project gathered more than 50 professionals from the research and viticulture world of Spain and Portugal on May 9th at Bodegas Terras Gauda in an event organized by the Wine Technology Platform together with Feuga. During the event, under the theme “Sowing changes in integrated pest management for more sustainable viticulture,” the challenges faced by the project and some of the solutions found to address them were discussed. In short, a way to make the knowledge acquired available to local vintners to expand the reach of the results and enable them to implement these “bio” techniques, which reduce environmental impact while maintaining the economic viability of the crops.
The enological director of Bodegas Terras Gauda, Emilio Rodríguez Canas, explained that it has been demonstrated possible to reduce nitrogen fertilization by up to 30% without affecting either the quantity or quality of the harvest. This reduction has been achieved through the application of Instinct – Optynite technology, as presented by Raquel Abad, field scientist and researcher at CORTEVA agriscience. The implementation of cover crops and flower margins to strengthen the biological control of pests affecting vineyards has also been tested. Additionally, in one of the test plots, biosolutions against downy mildew have been trialed to evaluate the effectiveness of these more sustainable alternative treatments compared to conventional ones.
Meanwhile, the University of Burgos and the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança also presented some of their advances and results, highlighting that the incorporation of cover crops and flower margins has several beneficial effects, such as maintaining soil moisture and temperature, providing nutrients, fixing soil structure, and contributing to pest protection.
Finally, several practical demonstrations were carried out during the meeting, such as the Modular-E robot demonstration, developed by INESC TEC, showcasing its ability to cut and recover biomass from the vineyard, as well as its potential to incorporate these materials into biocompatible compounds.
