

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSOCIATE LABORATORY
Inov4Agro (Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production) is a strategic consortium of two R&D units, CITAB and GreenUPorto, which have a track record of a successful long-lasting cooperation and represent the highest scientific productivity in agriculture within this region. By combining a multidisciplinary background and a complementary expertise, Inov4Agro joins high quality PhD researchers to work on cross-disciplinary groups with a high problem-solving capacity, and with a greatest ability to achieve highly reputed brand value.
A 10-year strategic plan has been developed, focused on four intervention areas:
Resources use efficiency and product quality, aiming to increase plant food production, improve its quality and, at the same time, reduce the environmental impact of the agri-food sector;
Water resources, soil health & food, targeted to provide the society with contributions to better manage water resources, improve soil health while increasing the production of high-quality food;
Leverage local food systems, focused on fostering local food production systems and the respective short-supply chains, supported by the novel concept of “food hubs”. This intervention area aims to address the creation of a food environment that makes the “healthy and sustainable choice” the easiest choice for consumers;
Technological development & innovation, envisaging to develop and foster the digitalization of agriculture (e.g., big data, internet of things, augmented reality, robotics, sensors, system integration, ubiquitous connectivity, artificial intelligence).
The added-value of Inov4Agro relies also on synergies which represent very attractive conditions for young scientists: relative brand new facilities and brand new laboratories from large recent investments which must be boosted by a novel dynamic in science and innovation, a fairly number of solid cooperation with several companies and producers consolidated by several research projects in a great natural landscape environment of more than 20 ha, in which emerges an eco-campus, of easy access.
Thus, Inov4Agro will have excellent conditions to attract the best national and international graduation students, as well as the best young doctorates, to increase international collaborations and to better compete for international research funds, as well as to have a more prominent acceptance and intervention in the horticulture sector.

STRATEGIC AIMS
The mission of Inov4Agro will be to support the Government during the next crucial decade of transition to sustainability with the application of public policies in a multilayer approach, aiming to promote smart and conservation agriculture (in particular of the horticulture sector), to foster the adaptation to climate changes, to mitigate the territorial dissimilarities by increasing the attractiveness of low density territories and by fitting the primary sector to the regional diversity of endogenous resources. This will be done by acting as actor of capacitation closest to the youngest generations of growers and farmers, providing them the scientific and technological grounds required for essential upgrades to the digitalization of the agriculture.
PUBLIC POLICIES INTERVENTION AREAS
By 2030, with the contribution of the agriculture sector, the National Plan for Energy and Climate (PNEC 2030) aims to reduce CO2 emissions in 11%. The territorial asymmetry is also a significant structural problem that has been addressed by public policies, such as the Rural Development Program (PDR 2014-2020) and still needs to be tackled. The stimulation of the Local Production with an increased use of local cultivars, creating a niche market and an added value in the production chain, is one of the best approaches to meet the objectives of the Common Agriculture Policy regarding the development of rural areas (PE-PAC 2021-2027). Sustainability of both natural resources and food systems is also a goal of the National Strategy for Organic Farming and of the National Agenda for Innovation in Agriculture 2020-2030. All the intervention areas of INOV4Agro will provide support on these main public policies.

Inov4Agro organisation and governance model
