Objective MET s.r.l. is an Italian SME focused on translating the sanitizing action of ozone into innovative industrial applications for transportation, agro-food and, recently, greenhouse crops. Greenhouse farms are very efficient food producers facing two major challenges: a) up to 15% crop losses due to several thousand pests caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses and b) the urgent need to comply with environmental European regulations (Integrated Pest Management) and with the growing demands of European consumers for healthier and environmentally sustainable food (i.e. organic agriculture). Existing solutions are insufficient to cover greenhouse farmer needs: Chemical phytosanitary products are inefficient (pests develop resistance), environmentally undesirable and unsafe for greenhouse workers and consumers (synthetic chemicals may leave toxic rests in food). Biopesticides, yet environmentally friendly, are excessively selective (each substance targets only one or few specific pests) thus ineffective for the broad pest spectrum faced by each greenhouse farmer. In this context, MET has developed O3MET: an innovative technology for spraying aqueous ozone (O3) for pest control and sanitation of greenhouse crops, taking advantage of the powerful oxidation-based (hence non-selective) anti-pathogen action of ozone. O3MET offers greenhouse farmers a solution that is: clean (self-disintegrated into oxygen in a few minutes); cost-effective (€6000/ha/year savings in chemicals and labour); environmentally sustainable (decreasing the need for polluting chemical pesticides); and safe for workers (remote ozone application by the operator from outside the greenhouse, and minimized post-application safety interval) and food consumers (ozone is residue-free and also extends vegetable shelf life). Once brought to industrial scale, O3MET would reach 10,000 ha of greenhouses (i.e. 2,000 farmers) in the EU/Mediterranean market, with a €60 million turnover accumulated in 5 years. Fields of science agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureagronomyplant protectionagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturesustainable agricultureagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growingnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologymycologyagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturevegetable growing Programme(s) H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme H2020-EU.2.3.1. - Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument Topic(s) SFS-08-2015-1 - Resource-efficient eco-innovative food production and processing Call for proposal H2020-SMEInst-2014-2015 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-SMEINST-1-2015 Funding Scheme SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1 Coordinator MET MEDICAL EQUIPMENTS TECHNOLOGIES S.R.L Net EU contribution € 50 000,00 Address VIA PALAZZETTI 26 40068 San Lazzaro Di Savena Italy 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 Nord-Est Emilia-Romagna Bologna Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 71 429,00
