Innovation: ENEA “Microcosm” arrives on the market thanks to FOS
18/3/2021
ENEA and FOS Spa signed a license agreement to market in Italy and abroad "Microcosm", the first hi-tech field simulator made in Italy for indoor and extreme environment cultivation of plants like olive trees, potatoes, tomato, lettuce and basil, using soil as a substrate.
Microcosmo is a joint ENEA - FOS (30%) patent and will be marketed by the start-up Piano Green srl, comprising Greentech srl group -a subsidiary of the FOS Group- and Ligurian company Santagata 1907 Spa, active in quality olive oil production.
The simulator uses a hi-tech apparatus which handles plants growth with sensors that monitor parameters like humidity and temperature -which affect development and reproduction- and LED lights that control illumination, selecting the wavelengths most useful for plant growth.
"Artificial intelligence, connected to the Internet of things, will enable the system to manage itself autonomously, making Microcosm a very precious tool for the agricultural sector, especially in this historical phase in which critical issues related to climate change and soil consumptin will have to be tackled, “ d'Aquino continued.
"A start-up like Green Plan confirms the validity of the new strategy ENEA has adopted concerning technology transfer", Marco Casagni, Head of the ENEA Technological Development Division, said.
"This strategy is based on the desire to strengthen collaboration with companies through the Knowledge Exchange Program: with a view to exchanging knowledge and skills, this program allows the development of common research activities also in order to evaluate further investments for the proof of concept [1], indispensable to market a new product or process.
This is exactly what happened with FOS, from whose collaboration derived the joint-patent Microcosmo”, Casagni said.
“We are very satisfied with the patent agreement with ENEA, which we consider a virtuous example of technology transfer to the market, from basic research oriented towards scientific publications, which will continue in the ENEA-FOS collaboration, to marketing with the newco Piano Green, created by the industrial partner of the FOS patent in collaboration with a large food company.
An agreement respectful of the balance among the actors of innovation, driven by both demand (market / business) and supply (science / research). The uniqueness of the patent lets us imagine new technological scenarios for the agri-food sector and for eco-sustainable urban design ", Enrico Botte, CEO of FOS Spa pointed out.
Microcosm was developed as part of the project PON ISAAC, funded by the MISE with approximately 4.8 million euro, in which ENEA and FOS , jointly with Becar srl, a company of the Beghelli Group, worked on the evolution of the initial prototype to achieve a Level of Technological Maturity ( the so-called TRL, Technology Readiness Level) to allow its introduction on the market. The project has led to the development of new lighting solutions for indoor plant breeding that could be marketed shortly.
For more information please contact:
Marco Casagni, ENEA – Technological Development Division, marco.casagni@enea.it