Page 42 - Roadmap

MOMENTUM OF INNOVATION

7.3. HEALTH AND FOOD SCIENCES

AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE GROUP

Presentation of the RI group
Modern agricultural and food science research is essential to ensure sufficient, healthy and nutrition-rich food supplies.
Agriculture is responsible for the production of food ingredients in such a way to avoid food contamination and envi-
ronmental pollution. Hungary has achieved outstanding results in the past and has excellent features to perform these
tasks. However, to stay internationally competitive in research it is necessary to organise the functioning of a national
infrastructure group that can use the output of basic research (in physiology, genetics, genomics, molecular biology
etc.) and translate it to applied research (plant breeding, production technology, precision agriculture, food industry
etc.) to produce safe and competitive end-products. Discovery research in this area can help mitigate the adverse impact
of anticipated climate change on agricultural production, develop biological resources able to adapt to changing envi-
ronmental conditions, and produce functional food ingredients. The infrastructures currently possessed by the group
members are only partially suitable for securing the conditions for internationally competitive research. Therefore, they
not only need to be developed but they should also be shared between members in a coordinated way, while further
broadening cooperation already featured in many projects.

National coordinator of the RI group: Background information
HAS Centre for Agricultural Research The group comprises 9 organisational units and experimental sys-
tems of MTA ATK institutes, several research institutions of the
Contact: Ottó Veisz National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre operating
Email: veisz.otto@agrar.mta.hu under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, and several faculties
Website: www.agrar.mta.hu and related research institutes of the four agricultural universities.
Based on the 2014 certification of the infrastructures by the NEK-
Partners: NAIK – multiple research institutes; PE Georgikon Faculty; DE IFUT project, it is reasonable to create the group from the strate-
Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management; gic research infrastructures established by the above-mentioned
SZIE Faculty of Food Science; SZE Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sci- organisations (e.g. MTA ATK Experimental crop production sys-
ences, KE Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences tem, Experimental soil quality and nutrient turnover system, SZIE
Food Science RI, Method development for the detection of indi-
ESFRI connection: None vidual bioactive food components), two network groups (Agricul-
tural Plant Genebank, plant phenotyping infrastructure), and 24
Status of the RI group: under implementation units which received unique research infrastructure status.

Aim of the RI group
The infrastructures operate in different types of institutions across
the country, representing different quality standards. The aim is con-
centrated development. MTA ATK received funding for its project
“Creation of a metabolomics platform in support of agricultural re-
search” (GINOP-2.3.3-15-2016-00018). Further significant infras-
tructure development is needed, which is expected to be
implemented in the next 3 years based on already available plans.

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