Researchers from SibFU will collaborate with the Centre of LED and Optoelectronic Technologies of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for two years. The project is supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, with annual funding of 15 million roubles. The outcomes are expected to benefit the plant-growing industry, particularly vertical city farms, by enhancing product quality and energy efficiency.
"Our project unites researchers and specialists of diverse fields, namely engineers, mathematicians, biologists, and agronomists. This truly interdisciplinary and collaborative project is conducted in partnership with the Centre for LED and Optoelectronic Technologies of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Zelen Company, and FOS Group Company. Together, we are developing energy-efficient technologies for vertical city farms. By combining phyto-irradiation techniques with digitalization methods, we aim to offer solutions for plant cultivation," said Ivan Timofeenko, project manager, head of the city farming laboratory at SibFU, and candidate of sciences in physics and mathematics.
The researchers plan to advance plant cultivation technologies in demand by businesses and optimize LED modules for agricultural purposes. The research will utilize Russian seeds, and all outcomes will be tested at the facilities of Krasnoyarsk partners.
Siberian Federal University launched the city farming laboratory at the School of Gastronomy at the end of 2022. This coworking lab space fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between theoretical and applied research practices. The laboratory also grows high-quality agricultural products for the restaurant industry and recently conducted tests on soil-free plant cultivation — for the first time in Krasnoyarsk Territory. Moreover, it offers educational courses such as Basics of City Farming for HoReCa and City Farmer: From Idea to PRO.
Source: Education Diary