The Centre for Marine Research (CIM), selected to participate in a European ‘mega-project’ with 73 partners and more than 15 million euros in funding.

The University of Vigo’s Centre for Marine Research, a member of the CIGUS Network, has been selected to participate in a European ‘mega-project’ funded by the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme with more than 15 million euros and which brings together 73 partners, including the leading EU research institutions in the field of agriculture and aquaculture. AgroServ, Integrated SERVices supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition, is a consortium that seeks to facilitate the ecological transition and the development of a sustainable food-farming system.

This five-year project is led from France by the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS in its French initials), the country’s top research institution. The University of Vigo (UVigo) is represented by the fish physiology lab PHYStoFISH, directed by Professor José Luis Soengas, and the Marine Science Station, Ecimat, an operator of the Spanish node of the European Marine Biological Resources Centre (EMBRC).

The relentless depletion of natural resources, environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change have led to the need for a drive towards greater resilience in agriculture, whilst ensuring global food and nutrition safety. Through AgroServ, the EU seeks to support research and innovation by providing customised and integrated research infrastructure services in all fields related to this challenge. The idea is that the 73 project partners will collaborate closely with all stakeholders, from farmers to industry, citizens and policy makers, working together to improve the future of the food system, preserving biodiversity and reducing agriculture’s impact on the climate.

Partners of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre since 2016

Apart from the University of Vigo (though its Centre for Marine Research (CIM), part of the CIGUS Network), AgroServ has a number of other Spanish partners, including the University of Santiago de Compostela, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC in its Spanish initials), the Centre of Excellence for Research into Innovative Medicines in Andalusia, the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, RÍGIDA, and the e-Science European Infrastructure for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research.