The Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation has allocated over 4.3 million euros to a total of 42 transfer projects carried out by agents of the Andalusian knowledge system during this legislative period, with «incentives that will continue with a total of 5 million euros planned for 2025«. This was highlighted by the counselor, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, during the closing ceremony of the ‘Know Ham’ Forum on knowledge transfer in the ham sector, held in Pozoblanco (Córdoba) at the Agri-Food Research and Technology Center (CICAP), bringing together companies from the livestock and agri-food sectors, universities, and technology centers.
During his speech, Gómez Villamandos emphasized that Know Ham «is a cutting-edge initiative that reinforces our conviction about the usefulness of our transfer projects«, as it «has reached relevant conclusions and found room for improvement in areas such as product salting or food safety against potential issues like listeria, where significant progress has been made.» This initiative aims to modernize and enhance the ham industry in Andalusia through the implementation of innovative tools and advanced methods at all stages of production.
Furthermore, the counselor expressed pride in this project, which the Andalusian government has supported through calls for assistance in knowledge transfer activities, including when in 2023 the Ministry of University granted CICAP a grant of 172,904 euros for the ‘Know Ham’ project. «These incentives are crucial for the development of the technological centers in Andalusia, whose work is an essential foundation of our excellent R&D+i system,» he emphasized.
‘InnovAndalucía’
In this context, Gómez Villamandos referred to the ‘InnovAndalucía’ initiative, with a total allocation of 59 million euros and six incentive programs, including 22.6 million euros aimed at boosting the activity of technology centers by supporting their research projects (16.1 million) and equipment acquisition for infrastructure improvement (6.5 million), encouraging companies to see this program as «an opportunity for development.»
He also pointed out that ‘InnovAndalucía’ will promote industrial research projects aimed at providing innovative technological solutions, with 11.4 million euros allocated to, among other things, increasing the business fabric that invests in R&D+i and knowledge transfer and enhancing innovation intensity in the production system, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, he concluded his speech by mentioning that the ‘InnovAndalucía’ business line also includes 15 million euros dedicated to sustainable aviation and 10 million to clusters.
