On 6 October, the Technical Innovation event was inaugurated by members of the political, scientific and business worlds at EIMA 2022, held at Palazzo Re Enzo in Bologna
Research and technological development are the basis of competitiveness in the agro-mechanical sector. Agricultural machinery is at the origin of agri-food chains. Crop quantity, product quality, environmental compatibility and automation of harvesting, sorting and packaging of foodstuffs depend directly on new-generation agro-mechanical technologies. During the five days of EIMA International, speeches by authoritative representatives of the political, academic and industrial world took place, followed by the presentation of 62 models of machinery and equipment awarded by a special jury of experts.
"Agrifood research has become a strategic priority and it is no coincidence that Agritech is one of the five key strands of the NRRP, which allocates US$311.5mn for agrifood research," explained University of Bologna Chancellor, Giovanni Molari in his speech. He also recalled that this year the university had made available 202 PhD scholarships that were aimed at developing professional skills suited to the innovation needs of companies, including those in the agro-industrial and agro-mechanical sectors.
Daniele Ara, Bologna's Councillor for Education and Agriculture mentioned that working on innovation was the challenge of the future that not only concerned centres of excellence but also involved many players, from secondary schools and university education, to local companies. “We are facing a historic transition that requires us to make both our governance and our production system more efficient and more sustainable. This is a challenge that we can only win by focusing on innovation. In this perspective, the Technical Innovation Award is something our city is proud of,” stated Ara.
BolognaFiere's general manager, Antonio Bruzzone also pointed out that the trade exhibition market was increasingly selective, with product innovation being one of the fundamental parameters on which entrepreneurs measured the quality of an event. “Technologies such as those of the Technical Innovation contest are at the basis of EIMA's success,” said Bruzzone. “They reinforce its positioning and justify the investments that BolognaFiere is making to strengthen the exhibition complex as part of a partnership with FederUnacoma that is increasingly solid and that binds the two organisations until 2032."
