The Generalitat has approved €3.65 million between 2026 and 2028 to build and launch the Centre d’Edició Genòmica de Cereals (CEGC), a cereal genome-editing centre at the University of Lleida’s Agrònoms campus. The facility is intended to develop crops better able to withstand drought, extreme temperatures and disease.

For rice growers in areas including the Delta de l’Ebre and Pals, the first research programme is intended to address drought, soil salinisation and climatic variability. The Generalitat says the techniques could also improve crops’ use of water and nutrients.

“The aim is to put research and innovation at the service of the agri-food sector, contributing to more competitive, resilient and sustainable agriculture,” the Department of Research said when presenting the project.

Construction is planned for 2027

The centre will be based at the Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Agroalimentària i Forestal, the University of Lleida’s School of Agri-food and Forestry Engineering. It will be incorporated into Agrotecnio, a Lleida research centre within CERCA, Catalonia’s network of research centres.

The funding approved by the Executive Council covers the construction design, the new facility and the launch of its initial research lines. The wider project has a planned investment of €10.1 million.

  • 2026–2028: €3.65 million allocated by the Generalitat.
  • 2027: construction is scheduled to begin.
  • 2028: the centre is expected to be completed and operational, if the timetable is met.

Rice will be the first research target

Genome-editing techniques make highly precise changes to a plant’s genome in order to speed up the development of varieties with agriculturally useful characteristics, according to the Department of Research.

The CEGC’s first phase will focus on rice. Later work is planned on barley, alfalfa and other cereals, with the Generalitat aiming to make Lleida and Catalonia reference areas for applying new genome-editing techniques to cereal improvement.

The European Parliament approved a new regulation on genomic techniques in June, according to the project information. The centre’s planned opening in 2028 is expected to coincide broadly with the new framework’s entry into force.

Reported by Source Text Link, Valentina Raffio, Helena Rius, lavanguardia.com, segre.com, Josep Anton Pérez, Laura Biela, APD Noticies.