A workshop with the participation of the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH) and all the companies comprising the Efthymiadis Agrotechnology Group was held with great success in Heraklion, Crete, on the subject of:

"The prospects for the exploitation of research results in the field of agri-food through the collaboration between the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH) and the Efthymiadis Agrotechnology Group"

The conference was attended by 20 senior executives coming from all of the Group’s affiliates as well as by 60 FORTH researchers.

The Group presented the corporate structure and activities of each affiliate, as well as the overall strategy of innovation and extroversion in the fields of Plant Protection, Nutrition, Propagation Material, Food Quality Control and the modern sector of Foods with High Added Value.

On behalf of FORTH, nine research projects were presented, related to the following areas:

1. Applications of Optical Spectroscopy in Agri-Diet
2. Data management for corporate and customer information
3. New generation DNA sequencing technologies and applications in agri-feeding
4. Improvement of energy crops
5. New approaches to improving agri-food safety
6. Enzymatic Biotechnology and extensions to the agro-food sector
7. Studies and applications of the Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (MPMI) research field
8. Innovative applications for control of insects of agronomic significance
9. Exploitation of plant defense against viruses

The conclusions from the presentations of the participants can be summarized as follows:

1. It has become increasingly important to further develop a functional network of enterprises and research centers, with emphasis on applied research and innovation in the agri-food sector.
2. Joint initiatives from both FORTH researchers and Efthymiadis executives were agreed, in order to develop closer cooperation and synergies between the two sides.
3. The common goal is to increase the level of know-how, innovation and quality at every stage of primary production and processing of Greek agricultural products, in line with the contemporary requirements of end users / consumers in the international market.

FORTH President Prof. Nektarios Tavernarakis, in his address, referred to the Foundation's priority in exploiting the results of research for the benefit of the Greek economy and society. "FORTH Institutes such as the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Electronic Structure and Laser, and the Institute of Computer Science in Heraklion as well as the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences in Patras, have developed significant activities in the field of agri-food. Therefore, there isa great interest on behalf of FORTH in productive partnerships with agri-food companies such as those of the Efthymiadis Agrotechnology Group. At such meetings, we are given the opportunity to present mature research results and to discuss about ways of exploitation of the technology developed in FORTH laboratories, by the business community. We believe that such initiatives reinforce the relationship between research and entrepreneurship for the benefit of all stakeholders,and they are actively supported by FORTH".