An intelligent irrigation platform wins the ‘InnoWise Challenge Lab’ of EIT Food in Spain

An intelligent irrigation platform that collects and integrates environmental and soil data in real time through sensors and other sources, has been the winner of the international competition ‘InnoWise Challenge Lab’ in Spain held in Malaga on September 24, during the Smart Agrifood Summit fair. The start-up BrioAgro, winner of 10,000 euros, has been the winner of the initiative organized by the EIT Foodconsortium to find innovative solutions against water scarcity.

BrioAgro is an intelligent irrigation platform that uses low-cost technology based on information obtained by sensors that calibrate soil moisture and allow automatic irrigation when the crop needs it. This tool also provides alerts to farmers about conditions that may threaten crops, so that they can take appropriate action in a timely manner through the mobile application. In addition, Brioagro intelligently analyzes the aggregated data, stratifying the recommendations by means of a standardized process according to each type of crop, allowing anticipating the reaction of decision-making on irrigation and fertilization. As a result, Brioagro avoids the risk of production losses, increasing the performance of the farms and the quality.

The second classified has been Vestigia Blockchain, which has presented a project to manage the operation and reputational risk in the supply chain, eliminating the possibility of fraud. This platform automates the control of the merchandise from the suppliers of raw materials to the end customer using IoT (Internet of Things) elements specially designed and powered with Artificial Intelligence designed by Vestigia Blockchain. The prize to launch this initiative is 5,000 euros.

In recent months, a total of 26 start-ups have been part of a training and advisory circuit in Spain, Greece and Italy that ends with the presentations of their projects in the three countries. In the case of Spain, ten companies have been finalists: BrioAgro, Vestigia Blockchain, Detektia, Savia Atmospheric Fountains & Rivers, Graniot, Spherag Teck IoT, Fata Morgana, Métrica6, Groots, FS Group Consulting.

After the training period, solutions have been selected that – from the field of agriculture, manufacturing, climate or raw materials – can respond to one or two of these six challenges: digitization to improve water management, awareness and education around local risks of scarcity and measures to face it, governance and financial structures for the sustainability of measures against water scarcity, solutions to optimize its use in situations of scarcity, data processing and control around the use of water resources and responses to prepare society for climate change from the perspective of water.

Spanish start-up Aquacorp wins at InnoWise in Greece

A proposal to control water pollution levels has been the winner of the international ‘InnoWise Challenge Lab’ competition in Greece held on September 15, during the Green Deal congress. The Spanish ‘start-up’ Aquacorp has been the winner of the 10,000 euros to launch its project.

Aquacorp‘s objective is to bring to the market a scalable, affordable and profitable technology to control water pollution levels, carry out adequate water quality management and take care of the sustainability of ecosystems.

EIT Food, in Alliance with EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Manufacturing, EIT Raw Materials, Athena and Bioazul, seeks to give the definitive support to go to market to those who are developing technologies and services that prevent and mitigate water shortages and droughts , as well as the excessive use of water. In short, it is about promoting competitiveness in southern Europe through innovative solutions against water shortages and droughts, as well as its overuse, to focus the region on an economy based on sustainability, which is efficient in the use of water and that promotes its saving.

ABOUT EIT FOOD

EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative. It works to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trustworthy. The consortium has more than 60 entities, including key industries, industry leading companies, startups, research centers and universities across Europe. It is one of the eight innovation communities established by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), an independent EU body created in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship.