Funding from the European Horizon Europe programme will be invested in cutting-edge research, advanced doctoral training and public communication around new approaches to winemaking. The "Eco2Wine" project will start at the end of 2023, with joint funding of around €2.4 million over four years. Ten doctoral students will be trained under the project.
The scientific objective of the Eco2Wine project is to exploit the microbial interactions that occur during winemaking as tools for innovation.
In doing so, the aim is to produce natural and environmentally friendly wines, while improving vineyard management and giving consumers more choice of wine. In addition to a focus on cutting-edge science, the project will use creative approaches to communication and public engagement, including digital storytelling, virtual exhibitions and science-art links, as well as efforts to involve relevant public groups in the co-creation of new ideas and knowledge.
The team will also ensure that progress and results are shared on an ongoing basis via public and social media.
Coordinated by the University of Milan, the Eco2Wine consortium's partner institutes are located in wine-producing countries including Italy, Germany, France, Georgia, Spain, Slovenia and South Africa. The participating universities are the University of Milan, the University of Burgundy, the University Hochschule Geisenheim, the Georgian Technical University, the University of Perugia, the University of Ljubljana, the University of Cadiz and the University of Stellenbosch, as well as the Spanish National Research Council.
In each country, several winegrowing and winemaking partners are also involved. These include: the National Wine Agency of Georgia, Miguel Torres SA (Spain), Rioja Salud Foundation (Spain), Winetech (South Africa), Parsec (Italy), Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo (Italy), SICAREX Beaujolais Société (France), Azienda Agricola Ferghettina (Italy), Wine Company Shumi Ltd (Georgia), Petrič Winery (Slovenia), and Reyneke Winery (South Africa).
- Information : Professeur Ileana Vigentini
- Email : ileana.vigentini@unimi.it
