MED-C

Mediterranean Europe Living Lab — MED-C

Innovation 17 Jul, 2025 Webmaster

The Douro Socio-Ecological Living Lab (MED-C Living Lab) at UTAD in Portugal is an innovative co-innovation hub focused on sustainable agroecological transitions in the Douro Region. 

 

Located within UTAD's AgroServ Research Infrastructure under the “UTAD-Socioeconomics” RI, the lab integrates research, education, and experimentation to develop socio-economic, organizational, and technological solutions tailored to Mediterranean agroecological challenges.

The Living Lab's core purpose is to foster sustainable development and socio-ecological resilience by facilitating collaboration among winemakers, researchers, local communities, and policymakers. Its approach emphasizes preserving natural resources and cultural heritage while promoting agroecological transition practices through participatory and knowledge-sharing frameworks.

The lab's expertise spans biostatistics, plant physiology, robotics, and data processing, offering decision-support tools and localized data to drive informed stakeholder actions.

Demonstrator Labs

Place-Based Territorial Intelligence Data Lab (Data4LowDensity):

  • Focus on data-driven decision support for low-density regions.
  • Services include survey design, cognitive mapping, multi-stakeholder panels, and integrated assessment of socio-economic and ecological trade-offs.

 

Laboratory of Fluvial and Terrestrial Ecology (LEFT):

  • Specializes in ecosystem monitoring, conservation biology, environmental impact assessment, and habitat restoration.

 

Plant Ecophysiology Lab:

  • Studies plant responses to environmental stresses like drought and diseases.
  • Aims at improving yield, sustainability, and climate resilience for Mediterranean crops.

 

PRISM Lab:

  • Advances remote sensing and IoT-based monitoring technologies for agriculture and forestry.
  • Provides geospatial data processing and machine learning services to enhance natural resource and infrastructure management.

This structure fosters a collaborative environment where tailored research services address the socio-economic complexities of Mediterranean agroecological transitions, thus supporting resilient and sustainable regional development in the Douro region

 

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101058020 (AgroServ). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.