Agriculture meets innovation

The AQUAPONIK network aims to develop a sustainable and economic value chain for fish farming and the production of plants in enclosed circles. The core technical elements are aquaponic methods and systems. From a plant technology perspective, the focus of the network's efforts is on the cultivation of cannabis in hydroponics. The target markets for the products in question are the food industry and the pharmaceutical and naturopathic sectors. German-based companies and research institutions work together with partners from the Netherlands and Switzerland to achieve the network's goals.

The digitalisation of production poses major challenges for SMEs. The aim of the IOT4FOOD network is to increase the digitalisation and automation of manufacturing technologies and processes along the entire value chain of the SME food production industry. Innovative and individually customised food and packaging will be developed using new sensor/measurement technology and artificial intelligence. The players in the entire value chain will be able to network with each other. This international network with partners from the Netherlands and Great Britain envisions joint research, development projects and the result application across Germany and the Netherlands.

In the meat industry, many processes are still manually solved, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises. These operations, such as monotonous tasks or the movement of heavy loads, often have negative effects on the staff's wellbeing. The aim of the AutoMeAt network is to develop innovative technologies to sustainably improve production conditions in the meat industry across the entire value chain. For this purpose, the slaughtering process, the inline transport and the packaging process of single products are to be improved and accelerated through the use of robotics, AI and automation of hygiene and sensor technology.