Scientific Support to Agriculture: Some Challenges and Opportunities

Athanasios G. Konstandopoulos Member of the Board of Governors

Joint Research Center (JRC) Chairman of the Board and Managing Director

Centre for Research & Technology - Hellas

Scientific Support to agriculture: competitiveness, quality and sustainability April 23, 2014 Zappeion, Athens

CENTRE FOR RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY-HELLAS

CERTH

Why am I talking at a Conference on Agriculture?

Chemical Engineering

N2+ 3H2 2NH3

Fertilizers

Bosch-Haber Process

Mechanical Engineering

Engines, Mechanisms, Materials

Corinthe Raisins Drying in Ilia, Peloponnisos in the 60s

Stafida Ilias

Most Greeks have/had(?) an agriculture connection…

Outline

The Joint Research Center (JRC) – Mission and Roles

CERTH at a glance

Megatrends: The Food, Water, Energy Nexus

Some Challenges and Opportunities

Epilogue

As the Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre's mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle. Working in close cooperation with policy Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing new methods, tools and standards, and sharing its knowhow with the Member States (MSs), the scientific community and international partners. The JRC is active in several key policy areas, including environment

and climate change; energy and transport; agriculture and food security; health and consumer protection; information society and digital agenda; safety and security, including nuclear; all supported through a crosscutting and multi-disciplinary approach

The Joint Research Center (JRC)

Support to the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) via satellite imaging to land parcel management

Soils, land, forests and water ecosystem management, through developing and maintaining databases

Socio-economic assessment of novel agro-technologies

Specific actions on food security, such as crop assessment, yield forecasting and an on-going foresight analysis on Global Food Security

Support to the EU Danube strategy

Participation in International Fora, like this event or the Milan Expo, where the JRC coordinates the EU participation in the theme "Feeding the Planet: Energy for Life".

JRC Specific Roles in Support of Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security

The JRC recently (1 April 2014) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The aim of this MoU is to establish the basis for future cooperation between the Sides in fields of mutual interest, including but not limited to energy, maritime affairs, food, health, environment and security

Contact Persons

Athanasios G. Konstandopoulos, agk@certh.gr Member of the Board of Governors Maria Koutrokoi, mkoutr@gsrt.gr National Contact Point

JRC and Greece

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/downloads/ jrc_country_leaflet_el_en.pdf

5 Institutes

Emphasis on RTD & Innovation

Strong collaboration with international industry

Strong co-operation with Universities and Research Institutes worldwide

Unique Infrastructures at the lab, pilot and demonstration scales in Energy, Environment, Sustainable Mobility, Processes, IT, Agro/bio-tech, -Omics

Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH)

CERTHHeadquarters

Athens

Ptolemais

Thessaly

CERTHHeadquarters

Athens

Ptolemais

Thessaly

Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute

Informatics & Telecommunications Institute

ITI Informatics &

Institute

ITI Hellenic

Institute of Transport

HIT Hellenic

Institute of

HIT Institute of Applied Biosciences

Institute of Research & Technology-Thessaly

IRETETH

CERTH at a Glance www.certh.gr

• Established: in 2000 (CPERI existing since 1985)

• Personnel : 600+ with majority being engineers

• Annual Turnover: € 20+ Million yearly average for the last 10 years. >30% from bilateral industrial research contracts >60% from competitive research projects and <10% as government institutional funding

• Return-on-Investment 9:1 for each € of institutional funding

• Center of Excellence Top-20 (16th) EU Research Centers in FP7 competitive grants (2007=today). 300+ active projects/year (>3000 total)

• Numerous awards and distinctions (including EU Descartes Prize, ERC and REG-POT Grants and many more)

• Spin-offs: 5 started (4 active), 2 in preparation Incubator: 8 companies

A Carbon Stairway to Heaven

Energy Content

High

Low

CH4

CO CO2

hydrocarbons, oil, alcohols

carbon, carbohydrates

polymers

oxygenated organics

CxHy CxHyOz

C

-4

-2

-1

0

+2

+4

“Food”

“Waste”

Gruber & Galloway Nature 451, 293-296 (2008)

Carbon-Nitrogen-Climate Interactions

Processes/ Treatment

Energy Carriers Food Raw Mat.

Transport / Distribution

Uses Impacts

Coal/Lignite Natural Gas

Oil Industrial Minerals Wastes/Pollutants Plants and Animals

Solar Energy Organic &

Agricultural Residues

Water

Hardware & Reactors

Control and Software

Economic Development

Environment Mankind

“Smart Communities”

Sustainable Technologies

Supply Chains & Logistics

Networks / Pipelines

/ /

Holistic Approach to Sustainability: The Concept of the “Generalized Energy” Corridor

Regional Innovation and Smart Specialization

Generalized Energy Corridors

Some Challenges and Opportunities… Nanoporous/Nanostructured Materials and Agrifood

Examples

Nanopesticides/Nanoherbicides and Nanofertilizers,

Nanoporous particles for water retention, decontamination,

Nanosensors, Nanofeed additives, etc

Organized pore structure and increased surface area

Can incorporate functionalities for better sensitivity in detection methods, increased capacity of sorbents, and improved selectivity and yield in catalyst-based synthesis.

Can improve food safety and utilization of agricultural products.

Conversely agricultural byproducts can become feedstocks in the development of nanoporous/nanostructured materials

CO2

H2O

CH4, CxHy Fuels & Chemicals

H2

Waste Heat for Solar Desalination H2O

Electric Energy

Some Challenges and Opportunities… Solar Reactors for Fuels, Fertilizers and Materials

Advanced Grant

EXPO 2005 IPHE 2006 Descartes Prize 2007 EU IDEAS Award 2010

NH3 Fertilizers

Epilogue: Need the Next Agro-Revolution!

Integrated approach energy-water-carbon-nutrients. Closing the loop at the farm level.

Reduce waste along the energy-food corridors

Renewable energy/materials from agriculture

Be smart: meter, sense, tele-monitor/control

11,000 BC Tomorrow!