The agro-industrial system represents annually circa 3,6 x 109 € in the formation of the Centro
Region of Portugal gross income and that accounts for 39% of the Portuguese overall return for
this sector. Given this dynamics it is of utmost importance to perform a consistent strategy to
promote the sustainable growth of this regional system income.
Therefore, the CERNAS/IPC research unit has developed an integrated approach bringing
together several regional actors under a networking logic that links the industrial needs with the
academia R&D capabilities, and of capacity building and entrepreneurship (2011-2013).
This strategy is rooted in the InovCluster, where CERNAS leads two anchor projects, the
in_AGRI and the ECODEEP, and collaborates with a third one, the AGRITRAINING. The
in_AGRI aims the upgrade of the system value chains by bridging the academia with the
industry in a series of workshops, supported with a knowledge transfer platform and a network
of research facilities, and ECODEEP will develop eco-efficiency tools, based on a LCA
approach to enhance the overall sustainability by improving practises and find new solutions
within an industrial ecology framework. The AGRITRAINING surveys the training needs of the
system, looking forward to complement the actual capacity building achieved by the Master
courses in Food Engineering and Environmental Management. In addition, an advanced training
in Environmental Entrepreneurship is being implemented, and an Innovation Management for
SME’s program is being designed, promoting a cultural change towards the sustainable welfare
of our present and future generations.InAGRI – Proj. n.º 3494 (Mais Centro/PORC);
EcoDeep – Proj. n.º 18643 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC); InovEnergy– Proj. n.º 18642 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC);
Agritraining – Proj. n.º 8310 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC); GovCluster –Proj. n.º 8063 (SIAC/COMPETE/POFC
