Three meeting with stakeholders from universities, research centers, education centers, company’s advisers in the agri-food sector and the Region of Murcia Development Agency INFO were held on February 16, April 14, April 19, 2021. In these meetings the project progress was presented, and concrete actions were supported for the development of the Action Plan for the Region of Murcia in the water sector associated to the agrofood sector.
On the other hand, on May 18, 2021, the sixth meeting of partners organized from Murcia took place, in online format. The event was held in a morning session within the framework of the X International Symposium on Food Technologies and the Murcia Food Brokerage Event, which are consolidated events for the agri-food sector in the Region of Murcia. Specifically, a specific section on water entitled iWATERMAP Project was presented, as a pilot experience for future editions, which brought together nine speakers who addressed the latest innovations related to water, such as the recovery of effluents using sustainable technologies and the use of digital tools, in addition to presenting the opportunities that the hydraulic technologies sector has in the agri-food industry. In the afternoon session, the project partners shared progress and future implementations of their Action Plan. With regard to the Region of Murcia, the following actions have been established to promote innovation in the water sector: - To improve the Critical Mass, a Technological Surveillance has been proposed in the water sector, a Technology Transfer Area "Water in the Agrifood Industry" and Aid Programs directed to the Agrifood and Water Cycle sector (areas of specialization in the RIS3Mur for 2021-2027). - For the improvement of Human Capital, sessions have been programmed for the training of Vocational Training technicians, which will range from awareness to specialist courses related to water, taught by company technicians, and which will finally be supported by Open Doors Days in Business. - To improve internationalization, actions will be developed that include the creation of an international network on water issues from a section entitled "iNetWater" in the CTCAlimentacion magazine edited by the CTNC, and the presence of a Block entitled "Hydraulic Technologies in the Food Sector" in events such as the Murcia Food Brokerage Event and the International Symposium on Food Technologies.
Participation in the framework of the X International Symposium on Food Technologies and the Murcia Food Brokerage Event 2021, organized by the Institute for the Promotion of the Region of Murcia (INFO) and the National Technological Center for Canning and Food (CTNC), has allowed that more than 400 people from 39 countries know about the iWATERMAP project and the possibilities that the water technology sector has for the agri-food sector, in addition to society in general in the Region of Murcia and outside of it due to the numerous references in media with regional, national and international impact.
In addition, this semester we have prepared the Action Plan, but it is necessary to close the subject of the Aid Program in line with the new RIS3Mur 2021-2027 strategy, which has not yet been fully defined for the Region of Murcia.
