Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

First chemical free, sustainable & scalable disinfection system for intense agriculture in greenhouse facilities

Project description

Flexible chemical-free disinfection system for greenhouses

Food production will need to increase considerably in the coming years to meet the demands of the rising global population. Greenhouses can be sustainable, reliable, productive and economically convenient units for the production of fresh vegetables and fruits. However, insects, pests and plant-related diseases can damage production and reduce profits. Existing prevention solutions are based on pesticides that are harmful to the plants, human health and the environment. The EU-funded SPARC project proposes a pioneering non-toxic and highly responsive gas-based system to neutralize pathogens. It couples with unique wireless sensors and monitoring platform that detects the system’s effectiveness. This system will reduce loss and increase yields for greenhouse growers.

Objective

The global population recently surpassed 7 billion and is projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. As a result, food production will need to increase by 70% to ensure a sufficient supply of food. Hence, growing vegetables, fruits, and other products in greenhouses has become a well-established commercial practice since there are advantages in terms of sustainability, reliability, production rate, money and space for many companies in the agriculture sector. However, greenhouses are also home to many kinds of pests, insects and plant diseases that reduce the quality and yield of crops and result in lower production and reduced profits. Hence, in order to protect plants and attain maximum yield and profits, large amounts of hazardous pesticides must be sprayed on crops in the greenhouse to kill these pathogens and pests, and this not only damages the plants but also has a large carbon footprint. To solve this problem, TechMist developed the SPARC™, a ground-breaking chemical free and 100% environmental neutral disinfection system for removal of pests, insects and plant diseases from greenhouses facilities. SPARC™ is a patented non-toxic and highly reactive gas-based system, which combines 5 particles that are naturally present in the environment and supercharging their ability to neutralize pests. It is completed with wireless sensing devices that are used to continuously monitor the greenhouse environment and track the effectiveness of SPARC™ gas and ensure maximum reliability. By providing a system that completely neutralize the greenhouse environment for pathogens on a maximum of two treatment per year, they expect to reduce the operating costs to growers, offering up to 67% net savings when compared to conventional and chemical-based pesticides. The implementation of the innovation project will place TechMist in a strong position to exploit a market potential over three years exceeding €14 million and creating at least 30 new jobs.

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

TECH MIST LTD
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 50 000,00
Address
UNIT 6 QUEENS YARD, WHITE POST LANE
E9 5EN LONDON
United Kingdom

See on map

SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
London Inner London — East Tower Hamlets
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 71 429,00
My booklet 0 0