AgroSpace kicks off to promote the use of space technologies in rural areas as a tool for innovation and climate change resilience
- The 12 entities of the AgroSpace consortium, including Hidromod, part of ABL, met last week for the first time in Barcelona, host city of the NewSpace Economy Congress 2025
- The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg SUDOE programme and coordinated by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)
- AgroSpace totally aligns with Interreg SUDOE’s efforts on preserving natural capital, adapting to climate change, and enhancing social cohesion in South-West Europe
Hidromod, part of ABL, attended the AgroSpace project kick-off meeting last week in Barcelona. Co-funded by the European Union (EU) through the Interreg SUDOE programme, AgroSpace aims to connect the agriculture and the space sectors, promoting the use of space technologies in rural areas as a tool for innovation and climate change resilience.
Coinciding with the NewSpace Economy Congress (NSEC 2025) celebration, representatives from the different entities of the AgroSpace consortium met at the headquarters of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), in Castelldefels (Barcelona).
Space technologies to transform agriculture
AgroSpace aims to boost space technologies adoption in rural areas as a tool for innovation and climate change resilience.
To achieve this goal, three demonstrators will be implemented: one from a chamber of agriculture to improve assessment of climatic damages, in order to better compensate farmers; another for the efficient management of agricultural resources at a large winery; and a third to validate a methodology based on open calls to identify agricultural challenges and space solutions.
This strategy, also based on training and awareness-raising actions, is expected to generate effective and transformative solutions transferable to wider territories and represents an innovative approach compared to current rigid funding systems.
AgroSpace totally aligns with Interreg SUDOE’s efforts on preserving natural capital, adapting to climate change, and enhancing social cohesion in South-West Europe.
AgroSpace has a budget of 2,5 M€, 1,9 M€ of those coming from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and is expected to deploy during the next 3 years.
Hidromod’s involvement
AgroSpace will contribute to the development of Hidromod’s AquaFarm, improving tools for sustainable agriculture and the efficient use of water, key priorities for climate change adaptation in Southern Europe.
Aquafarm, a revolution in water and agricultural management, blends Hidromod’s expertise with innovation.
The 12 entities of the AgroSpace consortium alongside Hidromod
The IEEC coordinates the 12 partners developing the project, which are:
- Hidromod-Modelação em Engenharia Lda (Lisbon)
- Asociación de empresas aeroespaciales Andalucía Aerospace (Andalusia)
- Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation (Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
- Aerospace Valley (Occitanie)
- Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Barcelona (Catalonia); Centro Operativo e de Tecnologia de Regadio (Alentejo)
- Universidade de Vigo – Facultade de Ciencias Departamento de Química Analítica e Alimentaria (Galicia)
- Chambre interdépartementale d’agriculture de la Charente-Maritime et des Deux-Sèvres (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
- Institut national d’enseignement supérieur pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement (Occitanie)
- Symington Family Estates – Vinhos S.A. (North Portugal)
- ELLIOT CLOUD (La Rioja).
These entities, which go from research centres to commerce and agriculture chambers, clusters and companies from both sectors, as well as end users, will together develop a cross-sectorial innovation strategy with a three-axis action plan for innovation: research, market and policy instruments.
The Government of Catalonia, the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), Portuguese Space Agency, Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), and the Occitanie region, which was the invited region in this NSEC 2025 edition, are some of the highlighted Associate partners.
The best scenario for a kick-off
Besides the first consortium meeting, AgroSpace was also presented during the NSEC 2025, celebrated on 3 and 4 July in Barcelona. The congress aims to establish Catalonia as a leading hub for space technologies. Organised by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Government of Catalonia, the event has the collaboration of the IEEC, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), i2CAT and the KIMbcn Foundation.
Alberto García-Rigo, head of IEEC’s Knowledge Transfer Office, and Anne-Lise Stephan, European Project Manager at Aerospace Valley, presented AgroSpace during the first day of the congress, to promote awareness of the project as well as the future call for space solutions in 2026.
Hidromod, part of ABL, brings over 30 years of experience in developing state-of-the-art modelling systems for coastal, rural, offshore, river, and urban water environments. Their expertise forms the foundation of ABL’s water management offering.