On 12 May 2026, the kick-off meeting of IDEOLOGIST, a new Interreg project involving several partners from the CEDRIC project, was held online. The project aims to improve the sustainable management of vineyards by integrating artificial intelligence with agronomic, climatic, microbiological and physiological data. Its objective is to address a common challenge across the cross-border area: enhancing vineyard resilience to climate change and soil degradation by harnessing microbial biodiversity.
The project is coordinated by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste under the leadership of Prof. Vittorio Venturi, Group Leader of the Bacteriology Group.
“By combining climatic, microbiological, genetic and physiological data, we will develop predictive models capable of supporting more sustainable and resilient vineyard management,” explains Prof. Venturi.
Representatives of all project partners attended the online kick-off meeting, including the University of Innsbruck, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS), Primo Principio S.c.a.r.l., CREA, and the Pordenone-Udine Chamber of Commerce. The associated partners ERSA and the Collio Wine Protection Consortium (Consorzio Tutela Vini Collio) also participated.
IDEOLOGIST will develop machine learning models capable of identifying targeted and sustainable interventions to restore the microbial balance of vineyards and enhance their resilience. Beneficial microbial communities, isolated from naturally more resilient plants, will be applied to vineyards affected by dysbiosis, while artificial intelligence will guide the selection of the most effective treatments according to different biotic and abiotic stresses.
During the meeting, representatives of the seven project partners and two associated partners defined the project’s main operational aspects and discussed the activities planned for the next two years. Running from 2026 to 2028 with a budget of over €1.1 million, IDEOLOGIST is co-funded by the European Union, which will cover approximately 80% of the project’s total costs.
Among the project’s key expected outputs is the development of a digital platform, building on the experience of the CEDRIC platform, to collect and manage project data, facilitate knowledge exchange, and support collaboration among researchers, winegrowers, businesses and public authorities. The platform will also serve as a stakeholder engagement tool, facilitating information sharing and promoting the uptake of the solutions developed by the project.
The active involvement of stakeholders across the wine value chain will be a central element of IDEOLOGIST. Through communication activities, dedicated events and local engagement initiatives, the project will foster dialogue between research, industry and public institutions, helping to maximise the impact of the innovations developed.
IDEOLOGIST will also place particular emphasis on knowledge transfer to younger generations by promoting educational and awareness-raising activities in schools at different levels. These initiatives aim to increase awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and the application of innovation in agriculture.