The LINFA project, (PON “LINFA- Laboratorio pubblico-privato per la ricerca e l’Innovazione nella Filiera olivicolA”, PON03PE_00026_1), responds to the Project Call of 29 October 2010, issued by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MUIR) with Ministerial Decree 713 / Ric., aimed both at strengthening and consolidating existing Areas of Technology and public-private laboratories, as well as the creation of new areas and Public-Private Partnerships. This Call requested the participation of large, medium and small enterprises, universities and public research institutions to submit project proposals. The objective was to achieve integrated and rational systems of “research-training-innovation” capable of stimulating competitive and sustainable growth in the economies of the “Regioni della Convergenza” (???Unified Regions of Puglia, Sicily, Calabria and Campania). More specifically, with the creation of new Areas of Technology and public-private laboratories, the project aims to develop local concentrations of scientific and production specializations of specific areas, and to consolidate the various public and private institutions.
The interventions and actions aimed at supporting the development of the sector proposed by the LINFA Aggregation, aim on one hand to elevate the level of competitiveness of the whole line of production, by means of actions related to the sectors in the phase of production and processing, with a strong emphasis on increasing product value and supporting the process of integrating different components of the industry, working on those factors that can obtain level of cooperation more effective and strengthen research collaboration between the academia and business. On the other hand, the intention is to create pre-competitive conditions, with the programming of actions that are cross-cutting and have a broad effect on all operators in the industry and the socio-economic structure, for example, supporting the companies’ approach to the market by using promotional activities, communication and information on “olive oil and table olive products” by developing value-added activities and effective application of research results, promoting interventions of high-level training and transfer of skills, also through the creation of innovative start-ups and spin offs.
Other objectives of the project LINFA, include the selection and study of new beneficial microorganisms and active metabolites of microbial origin for crop protection (especially olive) and increasing yields. The direct use of bioactive metabolites produced by beneficial microorganisms present in commercial bioformulations indicated comparable effects, and in some cases higher, than those observed with the use of the original living microbe obtained from industrial fermentation. In addition, these substances were less perishable in storage of the and less persistence in the field. Research in this area are increasingly moving towards the study and identification of new biomolecules capable of exerting beneficial effects to crops, both in terms of protection from pathogens and parasites, as well as plant growth promotion and increased yield productivity.