The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Fund for Science and Technology (FRCT), is preparing an application to "Innovative, Sustainable, Inclusive and Bioeconomy" under the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation - Horizon 2020.

The Regional Director for Science and Technology stated that the "specific challenge" of this application concerns the promotion of a viable and sustainable development in agriculture, fisheries and rural areas by bringing scientific research closer to industry players. This will be achieved with the use of methodologies for the transfer of knowledge in order to increase the inclusion of innovative processes and products in the value chain."

Nelson Simões also stressed that this application is "very demanding from a technical and scientific standpoint," hence the Regional Fund for Science and Technology counted on the collaboration of experts.

"The participation of former post-doctoral fellows of FRCT in this application represents a return on the investment made by the Government of the Azores in the qualification of human resources of acknowledged value," said the Regional Director.

According to Nelson Simões, this application "reveals the strategic vision of FRCT to become a regional entity of reference in the channelling of funds from Horizon 2020," either through its presence in consortia as the coordinating entity of projects or in partnership, or even through the provision of specialised technical assistance to regional authorities in preparing their own applications. Hence, this entity will provide a decisive contribution to the projection of the Autonomous Region of the Azores as a space of excellence in the Research and Innovation at a European level.

The international consortium led by FRCT includes 19 entities from 11 Member States of the European Union, namely Portugal, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Netherlands, Italy Romania, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, France and Poland, and even Macedonia.

As the entity in charge for the project, the Regional Fund for Science and Technology invited the Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation and S. Miguel Agricultural Associations to be consortium partners, given their relevant and acknowledged experience in this area.