On June 16 and 17, 2026, the city of Bragança (Portugal) hosted the 3rd in-person meeting of the European FRUCTHOR-IA project. This technical meeting brought together partner delegations from Portugal, Spain, and France to evaluate the scientific progress achieved over recent months and coordinate the planning for the upcoming practical field demonstration phases.
Breakthroughs in Automation and Knowledge Generation (GT1)
During the working sessions, partners presented the latest developments related to Working Group 1 (GT1 – Knowledge generation and solution development). The presentations focused on the development of Artificial Intelligence algorithms, autonomous robotic systems, and automation tools tailored for the agricultural sector.
These technologies aim to provide direct, sustainable technological solutions to the structural challenges faced by agricultural farms within the SUDOE space:
- Mitigating the effects of rural labour shortages.
- Enhancing environmental sustainability and resource-use efficiency.
- Boosting the economic competitiveness and resilience of the fruit and vegetable sector.
Transition to the Demonstration Phase and Pilot Trials (GT2)
With the scientific foundations established and the transnational communication strategy fully active — focused on transferring this newly generated knowledge directly to farmers, technicians, and sector associations —, the consortium is now preparing the deployment of Working Group 2 (GT2).
Over the coming months, the project will launch the implementation phase of pilot projects across strategic crops within the participating territories. These field trials will validate, under real environmental and production conditions, the integration of advanced sensors, predictive data analysis, and collaborative robotics into daily agricultural operations. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate how cutting-edge innovation translates into more efficient, high-value production tailored to modern market demands.