Institute for Bio-economy and Agri-technology iBO/CERTH

What Institute for Bio-economy and Agri-technology iBO/CERTH does

iBO/CERTH is a non-profit research institute established in 2019 as one of five institutes under the Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (CERTH), supervised by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT) of the Greek Ministry of Development and Investments. Headquartered in Volos with additional offices in Thessaloniki and Athens, the institute employs approximately 21 staff and concentrates on agri-technology and bio-systems engineering across three domains: Agro Intelligence (robotics, AI, informatics), Energy-Sustainability (circular economy, LCA, environmental impact), and Ergonomics-Biomechanics. Its activities span 32 national and 39 European research projects and have produced 309 publications to date.

Name

Institute for Bio-economy and Agri-technology iBO/CERTH

Legal name

Institute for Bio-Economy and Agri-Technology (iBO)

Website

https://ibo.certh.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

iBO/CERTH is a Greek non-profit research institute within CERTH that develops robotics, AI, optical sensing, environmental assessment, and ergonomics technologies for agriculture. It serves the European Commission, Greek government, agricultural enterprises, and academic partners through competitive EU and national research grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Technology Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Agricultural & Field Robotics (HDAAAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) & Farm ERPs (AFAAAFAA), Agricultural UAV/UGV Autonomy Platforms (Navigation, mission planning, fleet autonomy) (AFAAAGAF), Field Mapping, GIS & Remote Sensing Analytics (AFAAAFAB), Farm Management & Decision Support Software (FMIS, ERP, Recordkeeping) (AFAGALAA), Decision Support & Agronomic Modeling (Yield, Irrigation, Pest/Disease Forecasting) (AFAAAFAF), Farm Technology Enablement & Data Integration Advisory (FMIS/ERP, IoT, Decision Support) (AFACAJAG)

Keywords

• Precision agriculture research
• Agricultural robotics
• Bioeconomy systems
• Environmental impact assessment
• Smart farming platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Volos

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: Primary revenue from competitive national and European research grant programs including Horizon 2020, INTERREG Europe, Erasmus+, and other EU funding instruments. iBO operates as a non-profit research institute under CERTH.
2. Technical Services and Consulting: Provides technical expertise, research services, and consulting to agricultural enterprises, government bodies, and regional authorities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

iBO/CERTH conducts applied research and develops technology in agri-technology and bio-systems engineering for the bio-production sector. The institute builds autonomous robotic platforms (UGV/UAV), Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS), optical sensing solutions, and Life Cycle Assessment methodologies, and offers consulting, technical services, and research collaboration to agricultural enterprises, regional authorities, and research partners.

Product overview

The Institute for Bio-economy and Agri-technology (iBO) is a research institute within CERTH (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas) focused on agri-technology and bio-systems engineering. Rather than commercial products, iBO develops research technologies and platforms across three domains: Agro Intelligence (robotics, AI, informatics), Energy-Sustainability (circular economy, LCA, environmental impact), and Ergonomics-Biomechanics. The institute's primary technological output is the Farm Management Information System (FMIS) developed as part of the Nexus project, which serves as an integrated farm unit management platform unifying robotic platforms, sensors, and decision-making systems. iBO operates primarily through EU-funded research projects and does not offer commercial products for sale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Management Information System (FMIS) An integrated software platform for managing farm data and orchestrating field operations, designed to interoperate with autonomous UGV/UAV platforms and optical sensing systems for precision agriculture stakeholders.
• Applied Research and Technical Consulting Services Contracted research, development, and technical consulting services in agro-intelligence, energy-sustainability, and ergonomics-biomechanics, delivered to government bodies, agricultural enterprises, cooperatives, and academic partners.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Regional Development Agency of West Macedonia (ANKO S.A.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017Collaboration on technical visits to agri-food enterprises in Western Macedonia region within the INTERREG EUROPE BRIDGES project. ANKO coordinates visits and selects enterprises while iBO/CERTH provides research expertise for mapping the agri-food sector and developing action plans for the Intelligent Specialization Strategy (RIS3). ANKO is member of Enterprise Europe Network.
• University of Thessaly (E-CE/UTH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborative projects including LanguageGames (digital learning applications for early English language learning), EMPLOY (digital skills for employability), LEAP (flexible design processes for engineers), and other research initiatives. Joint organization of events and conferences.
• Institute of Veterinary Research - Greek Agricultural Organization DEMETERcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on European COST DairyCare networking program activities, including hosting the 5th and final conference of COST DairyCare on 'Getting There with DairyCare' in March 2018.
• European Commission H2020 Consortium (Z-Fact0r Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation as partner in H2020 project 'Zero-defect manufacturing strategies towards on-line production management for European factories'. CERTH calling for expressions of interest from end users to participate in the project.
• European Universities (LEAP Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEAP project partnership with universities from Portugal, Spain, Estonia, and United Kingdom, co-funded by Erasmus+ programme. Project aims to harmonize skills and knowledge in higher education with industry needs.
• European Schools Network (LanguageGames Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguageGames project involving organizations from Romania, Estonia, and United Kingdom, funded by ERASMUS+. Develops digital tools based on exploratory learning methodologies for early age language learning.
• European Schools Network (EMPLOY Project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMPLOY project with organizations from Greece, Turkey, France, Estonia, and Italy, funded by ERASMUS+. Develops digital learning applications for digital skills development among high school students.
• Bulgarian Business Support Center for SMEs in Ruse (BSC-SME Ruse)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in DIY-ACCEL European project 'Piloting of Danube and Ionian Youth Entrepreneurship Acceleration'. BSC-SME Ruse is one of three project partners working on youth entrepreneurship acceleration in the Danube region.
• Regional Development Agency of Eastern Serbia (RARIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in DIY-ACCEL European project alongside BSC-SME Ruse and iBO/CERTH. RARIS represents Serbia in the Danube and Ionian youth entrepreneurship acceleration initiative.
• Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINTERREG EUROPE BRIDGES project partner hosting the two-day meeting in Helsinki for regional action plan discussions. Part of nine partners from seven European countries focusing on bioeconomy development.
• Region of ThessalycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Interreg Europe CLIBUS project for carbon neutrality in Thessaly. The region leads the project with iBO providing technical support for involving business communities in climate strategies and supporting SMEs in energy efficiency and GHG reduction.
• University of ThessalycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in CLIBUS project representing academic sector in Thessaly's regional stakeholder group for climate strategy development.
• Thessalian Enterprises and Industries AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CLIBUS project representing business community interests in Thessaly's climate strategy initiatives.
• Regional Development Fund of ThessalycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CLIBUS project contributing to regional development dimensions of carbon neutrality strategy implementation.
• Chamber of LarissacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in CLIBUS project representing commercial and industrial enterprise interests in Thessaly's climate strategy.
• H2020 STARGATE ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2020 EU project 'STARGATE - Resilient Farming by Adaptive microclimate management'. Kick-off meeting held October 2019 in Thessaloniki with multiple European partners.
• H2020 BACCHUS ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2020 EU project 'MoBile Robotic PlAtforms for ACtive InspeCtion and Harvesting in AgricUltural AreaS'. Field experiments conducted for autonomous inspection and harvesting technologies.
• H2020 INNOSETA ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2020 project on innovative spraying technology with freely accessible repository of training materials, projects and papers for the spraying community.
• Agricultural University of AthenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of 2nd Greek Regional Workshop for AgroFossilFree project on greenhouses, organized by the Greek hub of the project.
• AgroFossilFree Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of cluster exploring defossilisation potential of EU agriculture alongside RES4LIVE, REN, Hyperfarm, Agrobioheat projects. iBO hosts Greek hub for the initiative.
• Interreg Europe Programme PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in multiple Interreg Europe projects including BRIDGES, CLIBUS, with nine partners from seven countries working on bioeconomy and climate strategy development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wageningen University & Research: Wageningen is the leading European agricultural and food research university, with extensive work in precision agriculture, robotics, life-cycle assessment, and bioeconomy policy. It competes with iBO for the same H2020/Horizon Europe grants and serves overlapping government and farming stakeholders across Europe.
• Agroscope: Agroscope is the Swiss Confederation's center of excellence for agricultural research, covering precision farming, robotics, and sustainability assessment. It mirrors iBO's blend of agronomic technology development and government-funded applied research for national stakeholders.
• John Innes Centre: John Innes Centre is a UK-based, publicly funded agricultural and plant-science research institute that participates in EU consortia and produces high publication output. It is comparable to iBO as a non-commercial, grant-funded research institute publishing in agricultural technology and bioeconomy.
• INRAE (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment): INRAE is France's primary public agricultural R&D institute, active in robotics, agroecology, LCA, and bioeconomy. It is a direct comparator as a publicly funded, multi-disciplinary agricultural research body participating in the same EU consortia.

Emerging players

• AGRIVI: AGRIVI is a commercial Farm Management Information System (FMIS) vendor offering SaaS farm management and analytics. It is comparable to iBO's Nexus FMIS platform as a functional productization of the same concept.
• XAG: XAG is a global manufacturer of agricultural drones, UGVs, and precision-spraying systems. It commercializes UAV/UGV autonomous platforms that overlap with iBO's robotics research at the BACCHUS and STARGATE projects.
• Taranis: Taranis provides AI-powered aerial imaging and field analytics for precision agriculture. It productizes the same optical-sensing and decision-support themes that iBO researches, representing the commercial translation of iBO-adjacent R&D.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (and related divisions): Fraunhofer is Germany's largest applied-research organization with institutes working on automation, sensing, and agricultural technology. Like iBO it is publicly funded and project-based, but operates at far greater scale and across many sectors.
• Climate FieldView (Bayer): Climate FieldView is Bayer's commercial precision-agriculture platform providing FMIS, data analytics, and decision support at global scale. It represents the at-scale commercial version of the integrated FMIS capabilities iBO develops in research form.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: VTT is Finland's applied research organization working across industries including agricultural robotics, sensing, and sustainability assessment. It is comparable to iBO in operating model (government-owned, project-funded applied R&D) but broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ibocerth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-for-bio-economy-and-agri-technology

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 Institute for Bio-economy and Agri-technology iBO/CERTH