The government delegate in Extremadura, José Luis Quintana, visited today the facilities of the Agri-Food Technology Center of Extremadura (CTAEX) to which the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has approved the development of eight projects related to research and innovation in the agri-food sector, mobilizing economic support of 4.6 million euros.
Quintana has taken advantage of her visit to learn first-hand about the actions that will be carried out with the support of the Government of Spain, such as the implementation of the first industrial production model of hemp fiber in the region, the different lines of research in tomato cultivation, the optimization of the processing of new tobacco varieties or the use of olive leaf for the extraction of bioactive compounds of high added value.
The CTAEX has been operating since 2001 as a centre that offers research, development and innovation services to companies in the sector. Its lines of research range from biotechnology, agriculture, food technology and sustainability, working in partnership with other knowledge-generating centers, such as CICYTEX, the University of Extremadura, or different institutes of the Higher Center for Scientific Research, such as the IBMCP of Valencia, the Fat Institute of Seville or the Carlos III Health Institute.
The government delegate has acknowledged the work carried out by this center to help and promote technology transfer to the private sector and thus contribute to the social and economic development of Extremadura. “The Spanish Government has always shown a firm commitment to Extremadura through support for its economic sectors. This type of collaboration, through the Ministry of Agriculture, is a clear example to promote the development of projects that contribute to improving the competitiveness of sectors such as agri-food, while generating wealth in this community.”
In the meeting with José Luis Quintana, the CTAEX proposed the possible support of the Government of Spain for the creation of the Technological Institute of Tomato, as well as for the Technological Pole of Hemp as a collaborative technology transfer platform from the headquarters in this center of Extremadura.