11-04-2017

A stimulus to research for the digitalisation of the agricultural sector.

A stimulus to research for the digitalisation of the agricultural sector. A prize for a thesis on precision agriculture, during the course of the presentation at Vinitaly.

Verona, 11 April 2017 – A stimulus to transfer innovative ideas from the research sector to the agricultural sector, through a digital transformation strategy. This is the aim of AgraDemy 2017, the prize awarded to the best degree thesis or doctoral dissertation focusing on “Information Technology and Agriculture” during the course of the 2016/2017 academic year in Italian universities.

Promoted by AlmavivA, the leading ICT company in Italy in the agricultural sector and long-standing partner of Italy’s main central administration bodies, the prize was presented at Vinitaly at the presence of the General Manager of Ismea, Raffaele Borriello, the Head of Department for Competitive Policies and Food Quality of Mipaaf, Luca Bianchi, and the Manager of Agea, Gabriele Papa Pagliardini.

Aided by its extensive experience in the agricultural and food sectors, AlmavivA looks to universities and research facilities as privileged sources of innovation and drivers for modernising agriculture – a crucial sector for Italy’s economy in which the country ranks third in the EU for production capacity.

During the course of the AgraDemy 2017 Prize presentation, Filippo Iodice received the prize for his second-cycle degree thesis focusing on technological innovation and design for urban systems and the territory, discussed in December 2016 at the IUAV University of Venice, for which he obtained a score of 110 cum laude. The thesis, entitled “Methodologies based on satellite data for monitoring crops. Technical, economic and environmental advantages”, analyses precision agriculture methods, namely the application of innovative industry 4.0 technologies and their relative impact on economic and environmental aspects: the case study focused on the eastern zone of the Veneto Region.

“The initiative by AlmavivA aimed at younger generations – underlined the General Manager of Ismea, Raffaele Borriello, in handing the prize to the graduate – constitutes an important contribution of innovative ideas and energy for the growth of the entire agri-food sector”.

“The AgraDemy 2017 Prize is an opportunity to transform ideas into reality – commented Antonio Amati, General Manager of the AlmavivA IT Division – as it aspires to bring the research sector and precious academic ideas into contact with the design capabilities of a large company boasting the highest degree of integration expertise in the agri-food sector and constantly committed to creating innovative technological solutions in the agricultural sector and safeguarding the territory”.

The judging panel, made up of IT and agri-food experts, will assess the best degree thesis/doctoral dissertation according to the following criteria: scientific rigour, coherence, originality and innovative content, and the quality and completeness of the conclusions. The winner will be assigned a grant amounting to ten thousand Euro and will be offered a six-month internship during which he/she will be able to apply and further develop the academic findings.