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Innovation: Portugal has 3 projects under the EUREKA in the areas of water and agriculture

Portugal has this week for approval under the EUREKA three projects in the areas of water and agriculture and proposes, as a success story, another related to the production of rice.

“We have three projects to be included in the lot of those for approval, in an area of water and two in agriculture is also an area that has had a big appetite from Portuguese institutions,” said the president of the High Level Representatives of the Portuguese Presidency of Eureka, which runs until June this year.

Manuel Nunes da Ponte spoke to the agency Lusa on the sidelines of the second meeting of the Portuguese Presidency of EUREKA which runs this week, in Sines, organized by the Innovation Agency (ADI) and with the support of the Municipality of Sines.

One project that Portugal is now proposing to EUREKA is related to the feeding of pigs in order to maximize your skills, an investment of 2.44 million and will be developed jointly with Spain, whose contribution will be 65 percent, the that joins the Portuguese of 35 percent.

If approved, the other two projects will include Portugal in two different networks.

One of the networks aims at the adoption of a cluster of water, with several partners, including the European Union and countries such as Israel and Turkey, representing an investment of over one billion euros.

The second network is included in the agri-food sector and aims to increase its competitiveness through the development of innovative products and processes as well as new technologies, involving 14 countries.

In statements to the agency Lusa, the national responsible for the area of the Eureka Euroagri, Joao Santos Silva, stressed the importance of a project in the area of integrated management of pest control in the production of rice for consumption, without using chemicals.

Joao Santos Silva said that this project, implemented a few years ago, will be proposed as a success story.

Portugal had a contribution of 45 percent in this project, he added.

“This project has caused it to move some skepticism for Portugal in this area for a picture of reference in world rice stored. Has a production of rice of better quality, lower prices, but especially the transfer of technology and knowledge,” defended the person responsible.

Joao Santos Silva said the U.S. case that began to be observers of the project, but quickly opted to participate, using the knowledge and Portuguese.

The project has involved the Portuguese Institute of Tropical Scientific Research, the Food Saludães, the European Society of Rice (SEARA) and the Group of Producers Aparroz Vale do Sado.

Manuel Nunes da Ponte also highlighted the establishment under the Portuguese Presidency of the EUREKA Eurostars, a new program-which is a project of joint financing with the European Union.

“Like the Eureka, a bottom-up strategy, where are the companies that decide the areas that want to develop. In this case, the projects when they are adopted, and beyond financiamenro given by the governments of several countries, also with a percentage of funding from the European Commission, “explained the person responsible.

Eurostars is directed mainly to SMEs with skills to do research.

“The first call approve 60 projects, seven of them Portuguese, the second call, which is under evaluation, we have 18 projects with Portuguese participation,” he added.

About 150 representatives from 38 European countries participate today in Sines, the second meeting of working under the Portuguese presidency of the Eureka Initiative, aimed at new forms of cooperation between enterprises, research and development institutions and universities.