What CIHEAM Zaragoza does

CIHEAM Zaragoza (legal name: Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza; Spanish-language brand: IAMZ) is the Spanish headquarters of CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Agronomic Mediterranean Studies), an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969 and supported by 13 Mediterranean member states. The institute delivers specialised postgraduate education and cooperative research in agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, natural resources, environment, and food technology, and serves two core customer segments: university graduates enrolling in MSc programmes and mid-career professionals attending short advanced courses on cutting-edge technical topics. The institute's headquarters sit on the Campus of Aula Dei in Zaragoza, Spain, one of the country's largest and most prestigious agricultural science complexes, and house its operations along with delivery at partner-institution venues across Spain.

The product portfolio comprises (1) eight MSc programmes in five specialisations — Plant Production, Animal Production, Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Food Science, Technology & Marketing — delivered as two-year, 120-ECTS degrees with Spanish government-granted equivalence to official university Master's degrees and dual-diploma options with ten Spanish universities; (2) ten to twelve advanced professional courses per year, offered face-to-face (500 EUR) or online (350 EUR) and typically lasting one to two weeks, covering topics such as greenhouse gas assessment, methane emissions, regenerative agriculture, precision livestock farming, and AI applications in agrifood; and (3) cooperative research outputs including time-bound EU-funded projects and long-running FAO-CIHEAM research networks. Delivery is supported by a Moodle-based Virtual Campus that extends the institute's reach beyond the physical Campus of Aula Dei, alongside open course materials, mobility programmes, and tailored training activities.

Revenue is derived from three streams: course registration fees and MSc tuition, scholarships financed by member-state governments and international organisations that cover tuition, travel, and accommodation for participants from the 13 CIHEAM member countries, and overhead on EU and multilateral cooperative-research projects. The institute hosts more than 450 graduates per year and draws 250 or more guest lecturers annually from roughly 80 countries, and partners with FAO, ICARDA, OECD, EFSA, WTO, UN agencies, CSIC, AECID, MAPA, GFCM, GRA, IRTA, and the wider CIHEAM network (Bari, Montpellier, Chania). GTM is community-led: marketing runs through the institutional website, multilingual social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Flickr), topic-specific email newsletters, and participation in international symposiums and conferences.

Name

CIHEAM Zaragoza

Legal name

Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza

Website

https://iamz.ciheam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIHEAM Zaragoza is an intergovernmental agrifood postgraduate institute and one of four campuses of CIHEAM, delivering MSc programmes, advanced professional courses, and cooperative research on Mediterranean agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and food technology for graduates and professionals across roughly 80 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Agricultural Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Consortia & Network Exchange Programs (EDAIABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cooperative Education (Co-op) Technical Universities (EDAHAEAF), Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

Keywords

• Agricultural education
• Postgraduate programmes
• Agronomic research
• Mediterranean agriculture
• Professional training

Headquarters

HQ city

Zaragoza, Zaragoza

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Course Registration Fees: Revenue generated from registration fees for advanced professional courses. Face-to-face participation fees are 500 EUR while online participation fees are 350 EUR per course.
2. MSc Programme Fees: Revenue from Master of Science programmes offered biennially. The Spanish government has granted equivalence to official Spanish University Master's degrees.
3. Scholarship-based Revenue: Funding from member country governments and international organizations for scholarships covering tuition, travel, and accommodation for participants from CIHEAM member countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CIHEAM Zaragoza (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza) is an international postgraduate training and cooperative research center specializing in Mediterranean agriculture, food science, aquaculture, plant breeding, animal production, and environmental sustainability. The institute delivers MSc programmes, advanced professional courses, and tailored training activities, while conducting cooperative research projects with partner institutions across its 13 member-country network.

Product overview

CIHEAM Zaragoza (Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza) is one of four CIHEAM institutes offering international postgraduate education and cooperation research in Mediterranean agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and food technology. The institution operates two main educational products: Master of Science programmes (8 specialized MSc tracks covering Plant Production, Animal Production, Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Food Science/Marketing) delivered over 2 years with 120 ECTS credits, and Advanced Courses for Professionals (10-12 short courses annually on cutting-edge topics). These are supported by a Moodle-based Virtual Campus platform, cooperative research projects and networks, open course materials, and tailored training activities. The institution hosts over 450 graduates annually from approximately 80 countries, with programmes delivered by 250+ guest lecturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSc Programmes Postgraduate master's degree programmes covering agronomy, food science, plant breeding, aquaculture, animal production, and sustainability for university graduates and professionals from CIHEAM member countries and beyond.
• Advanced Professional Courses Short-duration specialised training courses on topics such as phytosanitary measures and food sustainability, delivered face-to-face or online for working professionals and researchers.
• Cooperative Research Projects Joint applied research initiatives in Mediterranean agriculture, food systems, and natural resources delivered with universities, research centers, and international organisations in CIHEAM's network.
• Tailored Training Activities Bespoke professional development and capacity-building programmes commissioned by organisations to address specific technical or scientific needs in agriculture and food science.

Quantifiable outcome

• 450+ university graduates trained annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for training activities, research networks, and food systems education. FAO collaborates on courses such as food sustainability assessment, aquatic food value chains, wastewater reuse, animal welfare, and fisheries management.
• ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on training courses covering topics such as regenerative agriculture, Agriculture 5.0, wastewater reuse for agriculture, and AI applications in agrifood sector.
• EU Projects Consortiums (PRIMA, H2020, FP7, Interreg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates and participates in multiple EU-funded research projects including Barista, Gendibar, CAMA, SEA-TRACES, MedAID, PerformFISH, NewTechAqua, SIMRA, ParaFishControl, REFRESH, XF-ACTORS, POnTE, CURE-XF, MINOUW, CREAM, and others spanning agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and food systems.
• Spanish Universities (UZ, UPV, UAB, UCO, UA, ULPGC, UdL, UPNA, UR, Campus Iberus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint delivery of MSc programmes with dual diplomas. Universities include Universidad de Zaragoza, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Universidad de Córdoba, Universidad de Alicante, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Universitat de Lleida, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Universidad de La Rioja, and Campus Iberus consortium.
• CSIC (Spanish National Research Council)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates through institutes including INIA-CSIC, IEO-CSIC (Spanish Institute of Oceanography), and other CSIC centers on research projects and advanced courses in agriculture, livestock, and marine sciences.
• OECDminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational organization collaborating on knowledge exchange and capacity building in the agrifood sector.
• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean agency partnering on food safety knowledge transfer and professional training.
• AECID (Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organizes courses such as Scientific Fisheries Observers and Mediterranean Food Entrepreneurship Week; provides funding support for participant scholarships.
• IRTA (Institute of Agriculture and Food Research and Technology, Catalonia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on aquaculture courses (Low impact aquaculture) and research collaboration.
• GRA (Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on greenhouse gas assessment courses and methane emissions reduction in ruminants through nutrition courses.
• MAPA (Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish government ministry co-organizing courses on regenerative agriculture, phytosanitary control, animal welfare, sustainable fisheries management, and water management.
• GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO body providing technical support for fisheries courses and working on sustainable fisheries management in the Mediterranean region.
• UN (United Nations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through multiple UN agencies including FAO, UNEP-MAP, UNESCO, UNIDO for training and research cooperation.
• WTO (World Trade Organization)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational organization for trade-related knowledge exchange in agrifood sector.
• DPZ (Diputación Provincial de Zaragoza)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded the OLIB project for strengthening sustainable local development and coexistence in Lebanon through improving olive cultivation productivity and processing.
• CCUIAF (Conference of Spanish Agro-food and Forestry Engineering University Centers)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish university conference whose professors prepared educational materials for the OLIB project on olive cultivation.
• Other CIHEAM Institutes (Bari, Montpellier, Chania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of four CIHEAM institutes across the Mediterranean providing complementary expertise and collaborative training activities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU): Austrian university specializing in agricultural sciences, food technology, and natural resource management. Comparable MSc and continuing-education portfolio in agrifood and sustainability, though broader in geographic scope and not consortium-based.
• Institut Agro Montpellier: French national agronomy school (formerly Montpellier SupAgro) delivering engineering degrees, MSc programmes, and doctoral training in agriculture, food, and environment. Strong overlap in Mediterranean agronomy curriculum and serves a similar francophone Mediterranean learner segment.
• Wageningen University & Research: Netherlands-based global leader in agricultural and food sciences education and research. Offers MSc and PhD programmes across the same thematic domains (plant/animal production, food science, environment) but operates as a much larger, nationally-funded technical university rather than a Mediterranean consortium.

Direct peers

• CIHEAM Bari: Sister CIHEAM institute in Italy offering parallel MSc programmes, advanced courses, and cooperative research in Mediterranean agriculture. Most directly comparable peer — same parent organization, governance, and degree-equivalence framework, differing only in geographic specialization (Italy vs. Spain).
• ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas): International agricultural research center covering dryland agriculture in the Mediterranean and West Asia. Active training and applied-research partner of CIHEAM Zaragoza; comparable in international scope, agronomic focus, and Mediterranean mandate, though more research- than degree-oriented.
• CIHEAM Montpellier: French CIHEAM institute delivering MSc programmes and advanced courses in agriculture, food, and rural development. Same operating model, same parent, and overlapping learner base — explicitly listed as a sister institute on CIHEAM Zaragoza's own website.
• CIHEAM Chania: Greek CIHEAM institute focused on Mediterranean agronomy, environment, and food quality. Fourth member of the CIHEAM four-institute network; comparable in scale, programme structure, and target learner segments.

Regional players

• Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV): Spanish technical university with prominent agricultural and food engineering programmes that co-delivers CIHEAM Zaragoza MSc content. Comparable in technical agronomy training and Spanish Higher Education Area credentialing, though not consortium-governed.
• Universidad de Córdoba: Spanish university hosting one of CIHEAM Zaragoza's joint MSc deliveries and a major agricultural engineering faculty. Comparable in Mediterranean agronomy and food science training, with strong regional Spanish student base and dual-degree collaboration model.

Others

• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations): UN agency whose knowledge, capacity-building, and research-network functions overlap heavily with CIHEAM Zaragoza's programmes (FAO-CIHEAM networks on Nuts, Pastures, Sheep and Goats). Functions as both a deep partner and an adjacent ecosystem player shaping the same Mediterranean agrifood training agenda.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CIHEAMZaragoza
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IAMZCIHEAM
• Facebookfacebook.com/CIHEAMZaragoza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/iamz-ciheam
• Instagraminstagram.com/ciheam_zaragoza
• TikToktiktok.com/@ciheam.zaragoza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CIHEAM Zaragoza