Abstract
Agri-PET/MRI is a three years project (2023-2026) that brings together five partners aiming to accelerate the industrial deployment of a portable in-field PET/MRI imaging system for early detection of crop stress, addressing the growing risks to agricultural productivity caused by climate change. The project targets the agri-food value chain, combining advanced functional imaging, artificial intelligence and precision agriculture to enable early intervention before stress symptoms become irreversible.
The project consolidates an interregional production and deployment platform involving Transition Regions (Sachsen-Anhalt, Molise) and More Developed Regions (Wien, Emilia-Romagna). Research and technology partners advance the PET/MRI system and AI-based image analysis, while agricultural industry partners validate the solution in real farming environments.
By strengthening innovation and investment capacity in Transition Regions and enabling uptake by leading agricultural operators in MDRs, Agri-PET/MRI contributes to EU competitiveness, food security and sustainability, in line with the European Green Deal.
Agri-PET/MRI connects four regions across three EU Member States: Austria, Germany and Italy, covering both More Developed Regions (Wien, Emilia-Romagna) and Transition Regions (Sachsen-Anhalt, Molise). This interregional configuration ensures a balanced cooperation between regions with advanced research and deployment capacities and regions strengthening their industrial and innovation ecosystems.
The partnership includes higher education institutions, research centres, SMEs and a large agricultural company, with each region contributing complementary expertise along the value chain. Transition Regions in Germany and Italy host key technology and production partners responsible for establishing an interregional manufacturing and integration platform for the portable PET/MRI system. More Developed Regions contribute advanced AI, imaging and large-scale agricultural testing capabilities.
Agri-PET/MRI develops a technological and process innovation in precision agriculture by integrating portable PET/MRI imaging with AI-based data analysis for real-time, in-field crop monitoring. The innovation enables the identification of new digital biomarkers linked to early plant stress, significantly improving decision-making compared to conventional visual or sensor-based approaches.
The project advances the technology from an already validated research system towards industrial deployment, with an expected TRL progression from approximately TRL 6 to TRL 8, including system integration, field validation and preparation for replication. Innovation activities include multimodal imaging integration, AI-based segmentation and analysis, and adaptation of medical imaging techniques to agricultural contexts.
The project aligns strongly with EU priorities on the green transition, digitalisation and climate resilience, supporting sustainable resource use and yield stability. By designing a portable and scalable system, Agri-PET/MRI supports replication across different crops and regions, addressing concrete market needs for climate-resilient and data-driven agricultural solutions.
Agri-PET/MRI includes one main investment and demonstration line, structured around the deployment of a multimodal portable PET/MRI imaging system along the agri-food value chain. The core investment focuses on establishing an interregional production and deployment platform spanning Transition and More Developed Regions.
Pilot and demonstration activities are located primarily in Emilia-Romagna, where the agricultural company Bonifiche Ferraresi applies the system in real crop management and research environments. Technology production and system integration activities take place in Sachsen-Anhalt and Molise, strengthening industrial capabilities in Transition Regions. AI-based image analysis development is led from Wien.
The project targets the agriculture and agri-tech sectors, with applications in sustainable crop management and forestry. Research partners provide technological and analytical expertise, SMEs contribute to system production and integration, and the agricultural partner ensures market-oriented validation. The investment is designed to enable further scaling and commercial uptake beyond the project duration.