Submission Form for including your FP6 project information in the EPSO online FP6 project finder

FP6 Priority: Food Quality and Safety

Projects Acronym: TDC-Olive

Start and Ending date: =1-02-2004 to 31-01-2006

Budget 789,474.48 Euros

Name Coordinator: Rosa de la Viesca

Full Address: CINDOC (CSIC)

Joaquín Costa 22

28002 Madrid

Spain

Full Title: Setting-up a network of Technology Dissemination Centres to optimise SMEs in the olive and olive oil sector

Contract number: : FOOD - CP- 2004 - 505524

SSA

This Specific support action includes a series of initiatives to improve the technology in olive oil industries, mainly SMEs. Technology improvement of the olive oil industries will have economic, social, quality and environmental impacts. Therefore, it will benefit producers and consumers.

Olives and olive oil are known for their beneficial effects on human health, mainly due to their protective action over the skin and cardiovascular and skeletal system. These foods are basic elements in the Mediterranean diet. Countries in this area are not only the main producers but also the ones with the highest number of consumers.

The idea underlying this project is that this source of good health should not be restricted to the producers located in the Mediterranean region. In fact, it would be highly recommended that olives and olive oil should be part of the regular diet not only in European countries, but also in the whole world. To achieve this goal, the producing companies need to be reinforced, since most of the companies in Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mainly family companies.

The process of controlling olive oil quality is considered a high priority as well as the treatment, recycling and re-use of all the wastes generated in the process of producing olive oil and olives.

The objetives of the project are the creation of a physical and virtual network of Technology Dissemination Centres (TDCs) as means of support to enterprises of this sector, as well as a bridge between them and R&D institutions. Since Mediterranean olive oil and table olives producers (particularly SME) need to modernize and increase their competitiveness, TDCs aim to accelerate the necessary technology innovation process of SMEs by establishing a training programme and by providing updated information in those topics of interest for SMEs. Simultaneously, TDCs will carry out a series of actions and promotion activities in order to achieve a certain change of mentality in central and northern European consumers, thus an increase in the consumption of olive oil and table olives.

The project will have three main blocks of activities

1. Setting up an European network of Technology Dissemination Centres (TDCs) for SMEs in the sector of table olive processing and olive oil production.
2. Promotion of olive oil and table olive consumption in non-Mediterranean European countries.
3. Improvement through a training programme of olive mills’ and table olives producers’ technical competence and competitiveness.

·         Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), C/ Serrano, 117, 28006 Madrid, Spain

·         Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA) Finca "El Encín", Apdo. 127, Crt. Nacional II, km. 38.200, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid (Spain)

·         Istituto Sperimentale per la Elaiotecnica  (ISE) 37, Contrada Fonte Umano 65013 Città S. Angelo, Pescara (Italy)

·         Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Likovrisi / National Agricultural Research Foundation (NAGREF) Sofokli Venizelou 1, 14123 Likovrisi (Greece)

·         Technologie-Transfer-Zentrum An der Karlstadt 10, Haus M, 27568 Bremerhaven (Germany)

·         Bundesforschungsanstalt für Ernährung und Lebensmittel 32756 Detmold, Schützenberg 12 (Germany)

·         Unilever Olivier van Noortland 120, 3133 AT Vlaardingen, (The Netherlands)

·         Asociación Agraria de Jóvenes Agricultores San Francisco Javier s/n, Edificio Sevilla 2
Planta 3ª-modulo 9, 41018 Sevilla (Spain)

·         Sabina-Agricola Vía Farense -02030 Coltodino di Fara Sabina, RI (Italy)

·         Alcubilla 2000 S.L. CN 432, km 315,8, Castro del Río, Córdoba (Spain)

·         Improtechnology Limited 94 Dolphin Crescent, TQ31JZ Devon (UK)

·         Biozoon GmbH Fischkai, 1, Bremerhaven

·         Agricultural Association Agio Apostolon Vion Ag. Apostoloi Vion, Neapoli Vion 23053 (Greece)

Projects Web Link: www.tdcolive.net

This Form was completed by – Name: Rosa de la Viesca

Affiliation to the project: Coordinator

Submission Date of this form: 10-03-2005