The Science Center project for CCD-CROP-IAC Development (Citrus, Coffee and Cane: Research organization for Innovative Products), funded by the Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP) and by private companies, started officially in December 2021. Previously, the activities were related to the procedures between the research institutions and partner companies. The project, initially referred to as the Research Nucleus Geared Toward the Problems of São Paulo (NPOP), is hosted by the Agronomic Institute (IAC), reference in Brazil in the three research areas involved with: citrus, coffee and sugarcane.

These three important supply chains of São Paulo agribusiness are now counting on biotechnology reinforcement, with the aim to solve problems associated with these crops, thus generating unprecedented results for global agriculture. Faster speed will be provided by the “genetic scissors”: DNA genome-editing method, called CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) currently considered as a revolutionary technology.

The multidisciplinary work is carried out in collaboration with approximately 500 scientists from several knowledge and multi-institutional areas. Along with IAC, other participants include the following: the Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA), Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, a division of the São Paulo University (Esalq-USP), Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP/USP), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), University of Florida, in the United States, Max Planck Institute, in Germany, University of Queensland, in Australia, and IRRI- International Rice Research Institute, in the Philippines.

The CCD-CROP-IAC partner companies are as follows: Agroterenas, Amazon, Biovertis, CiaCamp, Citrosuco, DATERRA, GranBio, Jacto, besides the Foundation for Agricultural Development (FUNDAG). Other companies could adhere to the project over the coming five years.

Science and innovation solving challenges and contributing toward sustainability, generation of income and quality of life in both urban and countryside environments.

To know more and be a partner in this project, please contact the Technology Innovation Nucleus, NIT-IAC nitiac@iac.sp.gov.br.