From increased requirements for food production, to depleted soil, water scarcity and reducing environmental footprint, agriculture is facing enormous challenges today. In line with these requirements, ANTARES project aims to transform BioSense Institute from Novi Sad, Serbia, into an application-oriented, market-driven European Centre of Excellence (CoE) for advanced technologies in sustainable agriculture and food security.
A number of key enabling technologies have matured in the recent decade, including microelectronics, communications and signal processing, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, biosystem research, while others are emerging, such as nanoelectronics, material science, big data, agrorobotics, and archeobotany. However, although some of these technologies have already created a significant impact in various aspects of human life and well-being, none of them has delivered its full impetus to the agrifood sector. By attracting and maintaining a critical mass of high level scientists, technology developers and research managers, by the unprecedented upgrade of its research infrastructure, and by concentrating multidisciplinary research efforts towards a common goal, the new CoE will build the capacity to create scientific breakthroughs in all key enabling technologies in its focus, to steer their development towards answering global societal challenges, and finally to create a paradigm-shift in the global agrifood sector by providing solutions which will turn agriculture into a self-sustainable, rewarding activity and secure safe and adequate food for the growing population. But the mission of a European CoE does not end at delivering excellent scientific results.
BioSense cross-fertilizes two most promising sectors in Serbia: ICT and agriculture. By performing multidisciplinary research in the fields of micro and nanoelectronics, communications, signal processing, remote sensing, big data, robotics and biosystems, the new CoE is committed to contribute to the wider goal, beyond national borders: to meet the ever-increasing demand for food, while ensuring the sustainability of agricultural production. New CoE relies on a well-developed research agenda and on a documented financial analysis that proves the long-term sustainability and growth of the new CoE beyond Teaming funding.
CoE’s mission and vision are aligned with needs of European and Serbian society and focus on science for impact and economic growth. In order to achieve this, we teamed up with the best: Wageningen University and Research Center (WR) in the Netherlands, recognized worldwide as a global leader in agrifood and biobased research and the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MESTD) who will provide both institutional and legislative support to newly established CoE.
ANTARES objectives:
1. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE – to transform BioSense Institute into a European Center of Excellence
2. SCIENCE – to achieve and promote scientific excellence as the main driving force for sustainable socioeconomic development
3. INNOVATION – to transform scientific results into game-changing innovations
4. PARTNERSHIPS – to build a strategic, mutually beneficial partnership and to spread its benefits across the entire value chain
5. SUSTAINABILITY – to guarantee sustainability and growth of the new CoE, through a diverse set of income streams
6. GROWTH – to create a long-term impact in terms of increased efficiency and reduced environmental footprint in agrofood sector and engage Serbia in a path of innovative growth
