Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research
26.04.2021
Last April 7, “Fraunhofer Portugal and Fraunhofer Portugal AWAM took another important step further with the symbolic signature of the investment funding for setting up the new center in UTAD”, assured Liliana Ferreira, Fraunhofer Portugal Chairperson, at the event which took place in Vila Real. To Liliana Ferreira “it was an honour and a privilege to represent Fraunhofer Portugal at this unique moment of its growth and evolution”.
From the visit of the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa, to UTAD, we highlight the installation of a branch of Fraunhofer Portugal AWAM in Vila Real. Fraunhofer Portugal AWAM is the new research center, under the umbrella of the Fraunhofer Portugal, dedicated to precision agriculture and water management.
Although unable to attend the ceremony, Reimund Neugebauer, President of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, was represented by Liliana Ferreira, who read some words of appreciation expressly written for the event in question: “On behalf of the entire Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, I would like to express my great joy and gratitude in today’s important milestone in the establishment of the second Fraunhofer Portugal Center, the Fraunhofer Center for Smart Agriculture and Water Management AWAM with one location being in the beautiful and progressive city of Vila Real”.
“For more than ten years now, Fraunhofer has enjoyed an extremely successful relationship with our Portuguese partners and we are very pleased that this cooperation is expanding in new areas of scientific collaboration. The challenges facing agriculture and water management are global matters with increasing complexity and urgency as the worldwide population continues to grow amid changing climate conditions. Such global challenges require global solutions, bringing together the best experts from around the world, who can share resources and complementary expertise, resulting in innovative solutions that not only fill demands but also protect resources and the environment.”, added Reimund Neugebauer.
As one of the research centers operating under the roof of Fraunhofer Portugal, Fraunhofer Portugal AWAM (Research Center for Smart Agriculture and Water Management – AWAM) was founded in 2019 in partnership between the Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft), Fraunhofer Portugal, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the Universidade de Évora (UÉ) and the Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD).
Dedicated to applied research in this specific field of science and technology, Fraunhofer Portugal AWAM aims at developing, adapting and applying innovative processing technologies to close regional loops of nutrients, water and energy.