Innovation, Scalability, and Real-World Impact

International Workshop

19 August 2026

About the workshop

Advanced Materials for Agriculture is an international workshop bringing together researchers, graduate students and industry representatives to discuss emerging materials and technologies with the potential to transform sustainable agriculture. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.

Programme

🕘 09:00–09:15

Welcome &r Opening Remarks

Presentation of the workshop objectives, participants and discussion format.

🌱 09:15 – 10:15

Session 1 | Inspiring Ideas: Emerging Materials for Agriculture

Short presentations (7 minutes each)

Prof. Dr. Jéssica Barcelos
Prof. Dr. Fernando Putti
Dr. Marcos Derita
Dr. Adrián Pérez Rubin

Each speaker will present one emerging technology, scientific challenge, or promising result with potential agricultural application.

☕ 10:15 – 10:30

Coffee Break

🔬 10:30 – 11:30

Session 2 | Reality Check : From Laboratory to Field

Interactive round-table discussion focused on:

Scientific evidence
Material characterization
Scalability
Field validation
Technology transfer
Regulatory challenges

🗺️ 11:30 – 12:15

Session 3 | Looking Ahead: Interactive Roadmap Exercise

Participants will collaboratively identify:

Most promising technologies
Research priorities
Major bottlenecks
Opportunities for academia–industry collaboration

🤝 12:15 – 12:30

Closing Discussion

Summary of the workshop and future collaborative initiatives.

Afternoon Seminar

🎤 15:00 – 16:00

ICiAgro Seminar

Prof. Dr. Jéssica Barcelos

Biological nitrogen fixation and low-carbon agriculture: advances, challenges, and opportunities

Open lecture for researchers, students and the general academic community.

Invited Speakers

Prof. Dr. Fernando Ferrari Putti

Associate Professor
Department of Biosystems Engineering
São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil

Research interests: Advanced materials, biosystems engineering, precision agriculture and sustainable production systems.

Prof. Dr. Jéssica Barcelos

Assistant Professor
Graduate Program in Agronomy
Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE), Brazil

Research interests: Plant ecophysiology, plant nutrition, biological nitrogen fixation, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural systems.

Dr. Adrián A. Pérez

Independent Researcher (CONICET)
Área de Biocoloides y Nanotecnología
Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos (FIQ–UNL) / INCAPE (CONICET–UNL), Argentina

Research interests: Biocolloids, nano- and microencapsulation, controlled release systems and biomaterials for food and agricultural applications.

Dr. Marcos Derita

Independent Researcher (CONICET)
Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias del Litoral (ICiAgro, CONICET–UNL), Argentina

Research interests: Natural products chemistry, bioactive compounds and biological control for agricultural applications.

Participation is free of charge.

The workshop is open to researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students and professionals from industry.

Registration is required due to limited seating capacity.

👉 Register here

Registration

Venue

Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional del Litoral

Kreder 2805, Esperanza, Santa Fe

Organizers

Applied Nanotechnology for Agriculture Initiative

Prof. Dr. Gustavo Mendow
Prof. Dr. Gonzalo Berhongaray

The Applied Nanotechnology for Agriculture Initiative is a collaborative effort between researchers from ICiAgro and INCAPE (CONICET–UNL). Since 2019, the group has been developing advanced materials and technologies for sustainable agriculture, including nano-enabled fertilizers, controlled-release systems and microbial encapsulation. By combining expertise in agronomy, materials science, chemistry and microbiology, the initiative seeks to translate laboratory innovations into practical solutions for agriculture through interdisciplinary research and collaboration with industry.

Contact

Gonzalo Berhongaray

bgonzalo@agro.uba.ar

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