News New funding for expansion of HYDRAS research infrastructure

We are pleased to announce that FWO approved new funding for the further expansion of the HYDRAS research infrastructure as part of follow-on funding to the EMPHASIS-BE project. This ambitious infrastructure project aims to take plant phenotyping in Belgium and Europe to the next level through access to state-of-the-art phenotyping infrastructure at different scales from lab to field in collaboration with VIB, Agroincubator and Vito. Vito is a new partner in the project and will offer drone services for phenotyping. This investment will allow Flanders to position itself at the forefront of developments in phenotyping and plant breeding.

'Thanks to the FWO funding, we can further develop HYDRAS and strengthen ties with our partners,' says Peter Lootens, researcher at ILVO.

This new funding will allow us to further expand HYDRAS with additional measurement units and cables for underground phenotyping with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and with the necessary soil and plant sensors. We will also improve the accessibility of the HYDRAS infrastructure, develop data services according to FAIR principles, and provide training for users. The total budget is approximately EUR 3.7 million for the period 2025-2028, of which EUR 877 775 will be for ILVO.

'We look forward to working with the partners, researchers and companies who wish to carry out projects with HYDRAS. Be sure to contact us if you want to use the infrastructure and keep an eye on our website for more news!'