Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX)

What Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX) does

CICYTEX (Centro de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas de Extremadura) is a public research institute owned by the Junta de Extremadura and attached to its Consejeria de Industria, Energia, Ciencia y Territorio. The institute operates as a public law entity with patrimonial, organizational, and functional autonomy, integrating four specialized research centers: the Instituto de Investigaciones Agrarias 'La Orden-Valdesequera' (crop and livestock systems), the Instituto Tecnologico Agroalimentario de Extremadura (INTAEX, food industry and sensory analysis), the Instituto del Corcho, la Madera y el Carbon Vegetal (ICMC, cork, wood and charcoal), and the Centro de Agricultura Ecologica y de Montana (CAEM, organic and mountain agriculture). Together these institutes cover the full agricultural-livestock-forestry-food value chain of the Extremadura region.

The center's technology stack is built on physical research infrastructure — experimental fields, germplasm banks, the Herbario HSS CICYTEX, pilot plants, and standardized food analytics platforms (PIASE, HERACLES, ASTREE, IRIS) — combined with applied digital tools such as LoRaWAN low-cost IoT sensor networks and agrovoltaic pilot installations. Active research programs include controlled deficit irrigation strategies for cherry cultivation (Riego Deficitario Controlado), cork harvester certification curricula (FUNURECORK, SUROCAT), electronic sensory analysis for olive oil and wine, and the SUDOE-funded AgroSOL agrivoltaics project. CICYTEX also develops and disseminates technical manuals, including a multilingual cork harvester manual.

CICYTEX's business model is non-market public funding. Core institutional operations are financed through the Junta de Extremadura's regional budget, while project-specific work is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), NextGenerationEU, the Fundacion Biodiversidad, and Interreg SUDOE. The center reaches its stakeholders through community-led engagement: direct research collaboration with cooperatives and associations (Agrupacion de Cooperativas del Valle del Jerte, ADISMONTA), SEPE-acredized training programs (e.g., the 22-hour 'Operaciones de descorche' course), field demonstrations, downloadable technical publications, and participation in transnational EU project consortia. End customers are SMBs and cooperatives across Extremadura's agricultural, livestock, forestry, and food sectors; pricing for services is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX)

Legal name

Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura

Website

https://cicytex.juntaex.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CICYTEX is a public research institute of the Junta de Extremadura that integrates four specialized centers covering agricultural, livestock, forestry, and food industry R&D, serving Extremadura's farmers, cooperatives, and SMEs through applied research, training, and technology transfer funded by regional and EU budgets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Guadajira (Badajoz), Badajoz

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: CICYTEX operates as a public entity under the Junta de Extremadura receiving government funding for its core research activities and institutional operations. The center is attached to the Consejeria de Industria, Energia, Ciencia y Territorio.
2. European and National Project Funding: The center participates in multiple EU-funded projects including Interreg SUDOE programs (AgriTech, AgroSOL) and national projects (FUTURECORK, ET-AGROS) with funding from European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), Fundacion Biodiversidad, and NextGenerationEU.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CICYTEX is a public research center that conducts applied R&D and technology transfer in agriculture, livestock, forestry, and food industries through four specialized institutes (La Orden-Valdesequera, INTAEX, ICMC, CAEM). It provides research collaboration, technical services, laboratory and pilot plant access, sensory analysis, and professional training and certification programs to regional producers, cooperatives, food industry businesses, and public administrations in Extremadura.

Product overview

CICYTEX is a public research center of the Junta de Extremadura consisting of four specialized institutes: the Agricultural Research Institute 'La Orden-Valdesequera' (crop and livestock research), the Food Technology Institute of Extremadura (INTAEX - food industry research with pilot plants and sensory analysis), the Cork, Wood and Charcoal Institute (ICMC - forest products), and the Center for Organic and Mountain Agriculture (CAEM). The center provides research services, technical equipment (PIASE, HERACLES, ASTREE, IRIS), software models, germplasm banks, and professional training to the agricultural, livestock, food industry, and forest sectors of Extremadura. It operates as a platform offering both research infrastructure and applied technology transfer services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Development Collaboration Services Applied R&D and technology transfer services delivered through four specialized institutes covering the agricultural-livestock-forestry-food chain, including experimental field trials, laboratory analysis, pilot plant access, and pilot demonstrations for regional cooperatives, producers, and public sector clients.
• SEPE Official Cork Extraction Training Program (Operaciones de descorche) Official SEPE-recognized 22-hour cork harvester training program covering traditional extraction techniques, new technologies, mechanization tools, occupational safety, and terminology, culminating in the European Cork Harvester Card (EFESC) certification for cork sector professionals in Extremadura.
• Manual for Cork Harvester Certification (Manual para la obtención del carné de sacador/a de corcho) Multilingual technical manual covering cork oak debarking using traditional methods combined with new technologies, designed as a key tool for professionalizing the cork sector; published in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, and Arabic.
• AgroSOL Agrivoltaic Research Project European Interreg SUDOE-funded agrivoltaic research collaboration analyzing the integration of photovoltaic energy generation with agricultural production on small and medium rural farms, with Pilot 5 in Extremadura coordinated by CICYTEX focusing on winter cereal crops.

Quantifiable outcome

• 56 trained cork harvesters certified in first edition of training program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centro Tecnológico Forestal de Cataluña (CTFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICYTEX collaborated with CTFC to develop the 'Manual for obtaining the cork harvester certification' within the FUTURECORK project. This partnership combines CICYTEX's expertise in cork oak management with CTFC's specialization in forestry science to professionalize the cork harvesting sector.
• ADISMONTA (Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral de la Sierra de Montánchez y Tamuja)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICYTEX collaborates with ADISMONTA to configure LoRaWAN public antennas for agricultural and agroforestry digitization. This partnership enables low-cost IoT technology deployment in rural areas with limited mobile coverage, covering 5 antennas across 4 municipalities.
• Instituto Catalán del Corcho (ICSURO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICSURO participated in the FUTURECORK project alongside CICYTEX to develop official cork harvester training programs recognized by SEPE. The partnership contributes to professionalizing cork sector and ensuring generational succession.
• Junta de AndalucíaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJunta de Andalucía participated in the FUTURECORK project to extend cork harvester certification programs to the Andalusian cork sector, complementing CICYTEX's work in Extremadura.
• Agrupación de Cooperativas del Valle del JertecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICYTEX works directly with the Jerte Valley cooperative grouping on cherry cultivation research, conducting field trials at commercial farms and implementing automated irrigation systems with remote monitoring.
• CONETIC (Confederación Española de Empresas de Tecnologías de la Información, Comunicaciones y Electrónica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCONETIC coordinates the AgriTech SUDOE project in which CICYTEX participates. The project aims to accelerate digitalization of small farms through low-cost IoT technologies and the AgriDemoLab methodology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement): France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment, participating alongside CICYTEX in SUDOE projects. Operates at vastly larger scale but covers the same agronomic, food, and forestry research domains in SUDOE territory.
• INIA-CSIC (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria): Spain's national agricultural and food research institute, now integrated into CSIC. Operates at a national scale with much larger headcount and budget, but covers the same crop, livestock, and food technology research areas as CICYTEX, making it the umbrella incumbent peer.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR): Dutch agricultural and food research university with global leadership across plant sciences, livestock, food technology, and sustainability. Active in EU agri-tech consortia and a benchmark peer for the depth and internationalization CICYTEX aims to scale toward.

Direct peers

• IFAPA (Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción Ecológica): Andalusia's public agricultural and food research institute, structurally analogous to CICYTEX as a regional Spanish public body covering crops, livestock, aquaculture, and ecological production. Already collaborates with CICYTEX on FUTURECORK and is the closest functional peer in the Spanish public research landscape.
• CTFC (Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya): Forestry technology center in Catalonia with specialization in Mediterranean forest systems, cork, and wood products. Already a direct partner of CICYTEX on the FUTURECORK cork harvester manual; highly comparable for the ICMC institute's forestry and cork mandate.
• IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries): Catalonia's agri-food research and technology institute with similarly broad coverage of crops, livestock, food industry, and forestry. Comparable governance as a public-sector consortium and active in Mediterranean agricultural R&D, making it a natural counterpart for CICYTEX at SUDOE scale.
• CITA (Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón): Aragon's regional agri-food research center covering crops, livestock, and food technology. Closely comparable in mandate, scale, and Spanish autonomous-community public-law structure to CICYTEX.
• NEIKER (Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development): Basque Country's public agricultural research institute with comparable scope across crops, livestock, and food technology, and a similar autonomous-community public-sector structure. Direct regional peer in the Spanish public agritech ecosystem.
• ICSURO (Institut Català del Suro): Catalan Cork Institute, a direct partner of CICYTEX on the FUTURECORK project. Highly specialized peer for cork research, certification, and standardization, overlapping directly with CICYTEX's ICMC institute mission.
• IVIA (Institut Valencià d'Investigació Agrària): Valencia's regional agricultural research institute with comparable scope in Mediterranean horticulture, fruit crops, and plant health. Comparable regional public-law status and Mediterranean crop focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cicytex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX)