Kickoff meeting

Flagship Initiative for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems

PRESS RELEASE

The first meeting of the partners of the Flagship Initiative for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems took place on Monday, July 29, 2024, at the headquarters of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The initiative focuses on establishing an intelligent framework for economic and sustainable development, based on three key pillars: sustainability, food security and production, and knowledge management within the agri-food sector.

Starting with the mapping of agri-food value chains across Greece, and through a combination of applied research, infrastructure development, and specialized services, the initiative aims to enhance the sustainability of the sector and establish a new development strategy.

The activities to be implemented throughout the project will focus on knowledge generation and data utilization, targeting productive ecosystems selected according to their importance for the country’s food security, production capacity, growth potential, and ability to generate added value in intermediate and final products and services.

The ultimate objective is to develop infrastructure, foster synergies, and establish methodological frameworks and digital infrastructures that will serve as tools for strengthening the resilience of Greece’s agri-food systems.

The organizations participating in the implementation of the Flagship Initiative are:

  • Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) – Coordinating Partner, through the participation of the Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB) and the Information Technologies Institute (ITI).
  • Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH)
  • University of the Aegean
  • University of Thessaly
  • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)
  • University of Crete
  • Hellenic Agricultural Organization – DIMITRA (ELGO-DIMITRA)

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The initiative is funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI) of the Ministry of Development, through the National Development Programme 2021–2025.

Contact Information:

Professor Anagnostis Argyriou Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) / Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB) Coordinator of the Flagship Initiative

Thessaloniki, July 31, 2024