Eight UAB projects receive funding to improve Catalonia's agri-food and forest system

The projects are part of the first call published under the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for demonstration activities and knowledge transfer. The Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia approved 114 applications with a total budget of 5.5M euros
Of these, the UAB will receive 318,000 euros to develop and validate technologies that help increase the competitiveness and sustainability of farms in Catalonia. The eight projects are as follows:

• PATENT-CAT: Capitalisation of research results of the Catalan agri-food ecosystem, led by Xavier Vallvé, head of the Office of Knowledge Transfer and Research Valorisation of the UAB. This project seeks to promote innovation and competitiveness in the agri-food sector through the creation of a map with all the Catalan patents from the past 10 years.
• Combined application of ultrasound and ultraviolet radiation (UVC) as a physical alternative to surface disinfection in the food industry, a project by Carolina Ripollés, researcher in the Department of Animal and Food Science.
• Guide for the selection of emission mitigation mechanisms in on-farm composting: physical, chemical and biological strategies, developed by Antoni Sánchez, researcher in the Department of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering.
• Application of a new feed supplement to commercial farms to improve productivity, health and welfare of dairy ruminants under heat stress conditions, a project by Ahmed Salama, researcher in the Department of Animal and Food Science.
• Welfare and profitability: design of parks for group breeding of rabbits, also led by Ahmed Salama, researcher in the Department of Animal and Food Science.
• Validation of a multi-objective decision tool for the swine industry: economic competitiveness and environmental impact (MultiPorc), led by Aureli Alabert, director of the Mathematical Consulting Service.
• Industrial validation of an optical technology for pH determination in yogurt production, led by Manuel Castillo, director of the Centre for Innovation, Research and Transfer in Food Technology.
• Livestock guardian dog in Catalan farms: how to maximise effectiveness and prevent risks, led by Giovanna Ciaravino, researcher in the Department of Animal Health and Anatomy.