Recently, a new entity has joined BIOVEGEN as a partner. The Regional Service for Research and Agricultural Development (SERIDA) serves as the instrument of the Principality of Asturias for R&D&I in the agricultural sector and contributes to the modernization and improvement of the capabilities of the regional agricultural sector.
From its two headquarters in Villaviciosa and Gijón and its experimental farms in Illano and La Mata (Grado), and with a staff of 162 workers, including researchers, technologists, and administrative support personnel, both in laboratories and in the field, SERIDA maintains a close connection with agriculture and continuous collaboration with the main agents in the agricultural sector: associations, cooperatives, protected geographic indications (IGP), protected designations of origin (DOP), agribusiness companies, and individuals.
The activities of SERIDA revolve around four main pillars:
1-Research, Development, and Innovation Activity
As a public research organization, integrated into the National Network of Agricultural R&D&I Centers coordinated among the National Institute for Agricultural Research and Technology (INIA) and the autonomous communities, SERIDA seeks innovative and competitive answers and solutions to the needs of agriculture and the agribusiness industry in Asturias. Currently, it has over 20 active research projects funded regionally, nationally, and internationally, focusing on various topics, particularly those related to Agriculture and Forestry, Sustainability of productions and ecosystems, as well as Livestock and Food Technology.
2-Technology Transfer and Advisory Activity
Another pillar of SERIDA’s activity is the transfer of knowledge generated by research activities to the Asturian agri-food sector, which actively demands this support to innovate its production system and improve its profitability. SERIDA maintains agreements and collaboration accords with more than 40 companies, associations, and cooperatives, which facilitate the transfer of information and technology developed to their end-users.
3- Conservation of Genetic Resources
The conservation and recovery of local horticultural and forestry varieties, or microorganisms involved in different product manufacturing processes, are important not only from a conservationist perspective but also represent an opportunity for the development of new products. The present and future challenge lies not only in the collection and conservation of these local resources but also in their characterization and exploration of their utilization possibilities and contributions to the production system, without neglecting environmental aspects.
Aware of this, SERIDA has been developing significant activities in this field for years, launching various initiatives that have enabled the creation of a Genetic Resource Bank that includes plant, animal (autochthonous livestock breeds), and microbial materials, constituting a collection of invaluable value not only for SERIDA but for society in general, as they are a heritage of
the same.
4-Training Activity
The SERIDA organizes training sessions for professionals in the sector, which are in high demand as they focus on very current and relevant topics for producers, offering an innovative perspective as a result of the researchers’ experience. The cultivation of apple trees and its related issues is one of the subjects for which SERIDA receives the greatest training demand, but training courses on various topics related to the agricultural and livestock sectors are also organized.