European Union Horizon Project "INNOECOFOOD" Started at Our University

Yayın Tarihi | 29 July 2024, Monday

Mehmet Akif Ersoy University in Burdur has achieved a significant success within the scope of the European Union Horizon Project. The project, known as "INNOECOFOOD" and titled “Developing agro-ecological food products using eco-innovative technologies in Africa, sustainable production and marketing of these food products”, has a total budget of 7 million Euros.

 

The project was prepared in line with the European Union's "Farm2Fork" strategy. It brought together 20 different international stakeholders from universities, institutes and private companies in 10 countries including Turkey, Portugal, Germany, UK, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Tanzania. Portugal took on the general coordination, while Dr. Seyit Yüzüak from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics acted as the executor and work package leader on behalf of our university.

 

This project is the university's first European Horizon project and stands out as the university's largest budgeted project in the international arena with a grant of 250,000 Euros. As a result of the efforts of Dr. Seyit Yüzüak, supported by Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Oğuz Gürsoy and Prof. Dr. Hakan Öner, our university was accredited by the European Horizon Commission and MAKÜ took its place as an important actor in the European Horizon Commission Project Program.

 

The project started with a kick-off meeting held in Portugal on February 6-7, 2024 and held its second meeting at Lavanta Tepesi Hotel on our university campus between July 1-4, 2024. The meeting started with the opening speech of our Dean Prof. Dr. Sevilay Özer, where work package leaders shared their presentations and reports, and evaluated the project's data and studies. Project partners visited our faculty and received a briefing from Assoc. Prof. Dr. Füsun Akgül, who is a researcher in the Spirulina production work package, in the algal biomass production laboratory.