CONSORZIO DI BONIFICA DI SECONDO GRADO PER IL CANALE EMILIANO ROMAGNOLO

Their core work

CER is the second-level land reclamation and irrigation consortium managing the Canale Emiliano Romagnolo, one of Italy's most important agricultural water infrastructure systems serving the Emilia-Romagna region. Their core work is large-scale water management for agriculture — irrigation delivery, drainage, and water resource optimization across one of Europe's most productive farming regions. In H2020, they contribute real-world infrastructure and operational expertise for testing precision irrigation, water reuse in agriculture, and nutrient management technologies at field scale.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CER's early H2020 involvement (2015–2018) focused on operational crop water saving through enterprise services (MOSES), reflecting their traditional mandate of efficient irrigation delivery. From 2019 onward, their focus broadened significantly toward circular water use — wastewater reuse (SuWaNu Europe) and nutrient recycling combined with advanced technologies like biochar, constructed wetlands, and precision irrigation systems (WATERAGRI). This shift signals a move from pure water delivery toward integrated water-soil-nutrient management using digital and nature-based solutions.

CER is evolving from a traditional irrigation infrastructure operator toward a testing ground for circular agriculture technologies — precision irrigation, nutrient recycling, and nature-based water solutions.

How they like to work

CER participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with their role as an infrastructure operator bringing real-world test sites and operational data rather than leading research design. With 55 unique partners across 22 countries in just 3 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia — typical of demonstration-oriented EU projects that need field validation sites. This makes them an accessible partner: they provide infrastructure and practical expertise without competing for scientific leadership.

Despite only 3 projects, CER has built a broad network of 55 partners across 22 countries, indicating involvement in large pan-European consortia. Their connections span Southern and Northern Europe, linking Mediterranean water-scarce agriculture with Northern European water management approaches.

What sets them apart

CER controls one of Italy's major agricultural canal systems in Emilia-Romagna, giving them something most research partners cannot offer: large-scale, operational irrigation infrastructure for real-world testing. For any consortium needing a Mediterranean field validation site for water, irrigation, or soil technologies, CER provides both the physical infrastructure and decades of operational knowledge. Their dual nature — public infrastructure body with EU research experience — makes them a bridge between lab-scale innovation and deployment-scale reality.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WATERAGRI
  Their largest and most recent project (EUR 239,812), covering the broadest technology scope — from biochar and constructed wetlands to precision irrigation and remote sensing.
• MOSES
  Their first and highest-funded H2020 project (EUR 304,125), focused on enterprise-grade crop water saving services — directly linked to their core infrastructure mission.