Professor Mohammed Zougagh Zariouh from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) leads the Spanish research team for the "SMA@WA-Medi" Magnetic Filtration Nanotechnology project, which aims to improve irrigation and agricultural productivity in the Mediterranean basin. This project, which will run until 2027, involves collaboration among eleven public entities and two technology companies from Mediterranean countries in Europe and North Africa.

In today’s context of “increasing stress due to climate change,” as noted by the research group, efficient management of irrigation water in agriculture is of crucial importance, “particularly in driving new approaches to optimize this resource and other improvements in the sector.” This perspective is supported by Professor Mohammed Zougagh from UCLM’s Faculty of Pharmacy, who is also part of the Regional Institute of Applied Scientific Research (IRICA) and leads the Spanish research team for the "SMA@WA-Medi" project.

Professor Zougagh advocates for establishing "a true connection between fundamental research and applicable developments with social impact," promoting collaboration between universities, research centers, and companies in the agricultural and environmental sectors.

To achieve this, the "SMA@WA-Medi" project, which held its inaugural partner meeting on June 28-29 at the Royal Kenz Hotel in Sousse (Tunisia), has secured funding of €507,782. The project’s goals include the transfer of skills, knowledge, and competencies between institutions and technology companies specializing in magnetic water treatment; improving career prospects for early-stage researchers through interdisciplinary exchanges on water and agriculture using smart magnetic systems and physico-chemical magnetic treatments; and establishing sustainable collaborations between partners from Europe and North Africa.

The project’s action plan will continue until May 31, 2027, with participation from four professors at UCLM: Ángel Ríos Castro, Nuria Rodriguez Fariñas, Fernando de Andrés Segura, and Mohammed Zougagh Zariouh. It also includes contributions from twelve other international entities, such as the Higher Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies (Tunisia), which coordinates the project, the University of Grenoble Alpes (France), the Borj Cedria National Center for Materials Science Research (Tunisia), the Faculty of Sciences of Sfax (Tunisia), the National Research Center in Cairo (Egypt), the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (Egypt), the University of El Oued (Algeria), the Agronomic and Veterinary Institute Hassan II – Rabat (Morocco), the National School of Applied Sciences, Ibn Zohr University (Morocco), the Tunisian Agricultural Extension and Training Agency (Tunisia), and technology companies TELECOTEC (Tunisia) and Delta Water (Egypt).

Gabinete de Comunicación UCLM. 

Albacete, 5 de julio de 2024