CNR - ISAFOM 
🔬 CNR OPEN INNOVATION DAY
🌱 Research, technology and business for regional growth
📅 22 October 2026 | 9.00 am – 1.00 pm
📍 CNR Regional Research Centre, Catania
How can scientific research be turned into new opportunities for businesses and the local area?
The CNR Open Innovation Day was established with this aim in mind: to facilitate interaction between public research and the business world, by promoting technology transfer, the sharing of expertise and the development of new partnerships.
The initiative, organised by the CNR’s Catania Regional Research Centre, will provide an important opportunity to learn about the expertise, technologies and infrastructure of the CNR’s institutes, to forge links with businesses and to identify new avenues for innovation and development.
🌿 ISAFOM – the Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forestry Systems – will also be taking part in the event, showcasing its research expertise and contributing to the discussion on opportunities for collaboration between scientific research and the production sector.
The day’s programme includes presentations on the institutes’ areas of expertise, case studies of successful collaborations between the CNR and businesses, and sessions dedicated to Business–Research Matching, aimed at facilitating contact between researchers and businesses and developing new projects.
🤝 Innovation means bringing together knowledge, skills and ideas, so that research findings can be translated into tangible opportunities for the sustainable and competitive growth of local areas.
📌 Find out about the programme and all the details of the initiative:
www.cnr.it/it/evento/20759
#CNR #ISAFOM #OpenInnovation 1TP5Scientific Research # Technology Transfer
📌As part of the public outreach event “Mediterraneo e Dintorni”, which forms part of the international ‘Fascination of Plants Day’ network, Dr Laura Gargiulo and Dr Bruno Di Matteo presented, through images and videos, the research carried out by the Agrifood Imaging laboratory at the Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forestry Systems (CNR-ISAFOM) at a stand entitled ‘Inside the agrifood world: a visual journey into the plant world’.
🌿The event, dedicated to raising awareness of and promoting the plant world, took place on 12 and 13 September 2026 at the Botanical Garden of the Bourbon Royal Palace in Portici and was organised by the Department of Agriculture at the University of Naples Federico II in collaboration with MUSA (Museum of Agricultural Sciences), the CNR-ISAFOM and the CNR IBBR in Portici.
👥Visitors were able to explore the world of plants from a variety of perspectives: from the ground to space, from nutrition to the bioeconomy, and from sustainable food to alternative uses for plants.
AGRI-FOOD IMAGING IN THE SERVICE OF A SEED SUPPLY CHAIN OF EXCELLENCE: NEW ISAFOM PUBLICATION
A new article has just been published in the journal *Industrial Crops & Products*, entitled ’The role of seed structure on hemp germination: A study based on X-ray microtomography and 3D image analysis’, doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2026.124233, the result of work carried out by the research team at the Agrifood Imaging Laboratory of ISAFOM-CNR (Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forestry Systems), comprising Dr Sabrina Maria Marsala and Dr Laura Gargiulo and by Dr. Giacomo Mele.
The study was carried out as part of the “CANASEME” project (CUP B69H23000090006) www.canaseme.it/, the Rural Development Programme (RDP Campania 2014–2020), Operational Groups (OGs) under the European Innovation Projects (EIPs), and forms part of the research activities of Phen-Italy (www.phen-italy.it/), the Italian node of EMPHASIS (European Infrastructure for Multi-scale Plant Phenomics and Simulation for Food Security in a Changing Climate).
Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has recently been re-evaluated in many countries for its versatility and sustainability, finding applications in various manufacturing sectors, including food, construction, textiles and cosmetics. However, the seeds of this species present several critical issues, such as poor germination rates, which hinder the development of a high-quality, profitable and environmentally sustainable seed production chain. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the seed’s internal structure on hemp germination using X-ray microtomography and multivariate discriminant analysis.
Overall, the three-dimensional morphometric characterisation of the internal structure of hemp seeds has made it possible to identify the phenotypic traits that most clearly distinguish normal seedlings from non-germinated seeds, thereby laying the foundations for improving seed selection and its profitability with a view to reviving hemp cultivation, both at regional and national level.
#canaseme
# hemp
#raggix
#germination
#CnrIsafom
📚 New scientific publication
We are pleased to announce the release of the book:
Environmental Geochemistry and Health: Theory, Methods and Applications
📖 ISBN: 979-12-218-2566-4
The book, published by Aracne Editrice, represents an important contribution to the field of environmental geochemistry and health.
👉 Preview available at the link:
www.aracneeditrice.eu/it/pubblicazioni/geoquimica-ambiental-y-salud-maurizio-palmisano-9791221825...
👏🏻 Heartfelt thanks and congratulations to our ISAFOM PhD researcher Maurizio Palmisano for this prestigious achievement!
@racne – Environmental Geochemistry and Health – Theory, Methods and Applications
www.aracneeditrice.eu
Environmental Geochemistry and Health: Theory, Methods and Applications provides a coherent overview of the fundamentals of environmental geochemistry and its implications for ecosystems and human health...
🌱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗶 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼 – 𝗜𝗔, 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗮-𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗼-𝘇𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗶
📍 The University of Naples Federico II, in collaboration with CNR-ISAFOM, is offering one PhD place as part of the National PhD Programme in Artificial Intelligence – Agrifood and Environment stream.
The project focuses on integrating micrometeorological, ecophysiological, meteorological and agronomic data with artificial intelligence, machine learning and data fusion approaches to study the exchange of carbon, water, energy and greenhouse gases in Mediterranean crop and livestock systems.
The activities will be carried out in collaboration with CNR-ISAFOM and at the ICOS IT-BCi experimental site, a Class 1 agricultural site within the European ICOS network.
🔬 Main topics:
• Biosphere–atmosphere exchanges
• Eddy covariance measurements and experimental fieldwork
• Flows of CO₂, H₂O, energy and greenhouse gases
• Non-CO₂ greenhouse gases, including N₂O and CH₄
• Machine learning, data fusion and data-driven modelling
• Carbon farming and sustainable Mediterranean agriculture
⏳ Application deadline:
21 July 2026 – 12:00 CEST
📄 Call for applications: www.unina.it/documents/d/guest/dot_42_ciclo_bando
📑 Topic details: www.unina.it/documents/d/guest/dot_42_ciclo_bando_rettifica_all-A
📩 For further information: antonio.manco@cnr.it
👉 Please share this with potential candidates who might be interested!
# National Research Council
#CNR-ISAFOM – Institute for Agricultural and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean
# PhD #PhD #ArtificialIntelligence #Agrifood 1TP5Environment #Agroecosystems #EddyCovariance #ICOS #Greenhouse Gas #ClimateChange # Carbon Farming #MachineLearning #DataFusion 1TP5Sustainable Agriculture
📌 OPEN COMPETITION BASED ON QUALIFICATIONS AND EXAMS FOR THE RECRUITMENT, ON A FULL-TIME, PERMANENT CONTRACT, OF ONE STAFF MEMBER IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER CATEGORY, PROFESSIONAL LEVEL V AT THE INSTITUTE FOR MEDITERRANEAN AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY SYSTEMS (ISAFOM) OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL – RENDE (CS)
👉 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS No. 367.629 FA ISAFOM www.urp.cnr.it/node/49306
Mission
The Institute carries out research and all other activities provided for in Chapter VI of the Regulations on Organisation and Operation, in the following main subject areas:
- Study and analysis of ecosystems
- Study of the physical, chemical and biological processes and ecosystem services of the soil that govern the functioning and adaptation of agricultural and forest ecosystems in the context of climate change.
- Study, conservation and characterisation of plant germplasm to ensure stable yields and the sustainability of agricultural and forestry ecosystems.
- Development of strategies and models for sustainability
- Development of sustainable agriculture strategies aimed at: optimising inputs (water, nutrients, plant protection products), reducing the environmental footprint and emissions, improving the quality and stability of production, increasing resilience to climate change, and making more efficient use of resources.
- Development of process, forecasting and artificial intelligence models of the soil-plant-atmosphere system for the sustainable management of agricultural and forestry systems, integrating data from multiple sources and operating at laboratory, field and regional scales.
- Digital technologies and innovation
- Development and application of methods for precision agriculture and forestry based on multi-scale proximal and remote sensing, imaging for laboratory and field phenotyping, IoT sensors and AI systems for site-specific monitoring and management.
- Development of advanced digital technologies for decision support (DSS, geospatial DSS, Digital Twins) to assist businesses, local authorities and policy-makers with sustainable planning and the assessment of management and climate scenarios.
Our locations
| Portici (NA) |