CirculAgri Lab
CirculAgri Lab is a living lab designed to advance innovative ideas resulting from agricultural research, with the aim of transferring scientific knowledge to the market.
Established in collaboration with the University of Milan as part of spoke 8 of Agritech (Mission 4 of the PNRR “Education and research” - Component 2 "From research to business"), CirculAgri Lab will work with companies and farmers to make the best use of research findings and increase the economic competitiveness of agri-food chains.
Main goals
The main goals of CirculAgri Lab are:
- to put together top researchers and disseminate research findings
- to connect research with the market
- to promote innovative ideas and develop them into prototypes.
In line with Agritech spoke 8, CirculAgri Lab aims to promote research and innovation regarding processes and technologies in a number of thematic areas, namely:
- the production of plant protection products
- land rehabilitation and crop restoration
- the production of biopolymers
- wastewater recycling
- agro-energy farming
- the conversion of waste into products for the agri-food industry.
CirculAgri Lab offers unique opportunities for researchers and companies.
What's in for researchers:
- specialised skills training to make the best use of technologies
- tutoring and support during the whole process
- joint projects in collaboration with other actors of the CirculAgri Lab ecosystem
- information-sharing on risks encountered while developing new technologies.
What's in for companies:
- access to new technologies to increase competitiveness
- matchmaking with potential partners for joint projects
- information-sharing on risks encountered while developing new technologies
- targeted investments in specific technologies or innovative pathways.
1. Tech scouting
Call for ideas > initial screening of the proposals > interviews with research teams > workshop with companies of the Agritech spoke 8 ecosystem to evaluate the proposals.
2. Collaboration and networking
Round tables with companies and research teams to design a joint project.
3. Fine-tuning and mentorship
Mentorship sessions to define the project's value proposition, business model and business plan.
4. Prototyping and testing
Support and monitoring during the prototyping and testing phases.
On 12 December 2024, CirculAgri Lab is hosting its very first workshop, under the title CirculAgri Work Lab.
The goal of the workshop is to introduce agri-tech companies to the projects and innovative solutions developed by the research teams selected within the living lab.
This will be a unique chance to collect feedback from participants and lay the foundations for future collaborations between companies and researchers.