Agro-Food Technological Institute of Castilla and Leon (ITACYL) is a public research institution re-founded in 2003 (Regulation 7/2002) by the Government of the Castilla and Leon autonomous region. ITACyL’s main goal is to strength the technological development of the Agro-food sector of the region. The organization has more than 20 years of experience in research and development of the needs of enterprises and in supporting regional agrarian policies. Moreover, ITACyL is the regional representative of the National Institute of Agro Food Research (INIA), which comprises all Spanish Agro-Food Resources. The Research and Technology Sub directorate of the ITACyL, currently employs more than 150 people, including 64 researchers. ITACYL strategic policy is focused actively on three main areas: Food Safety and Quality, Agricultural and Animal Research.

1. Food Safety and Quality: our main research is being carried out in GMO detection and quantification of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in food and feed, development of reliable molecular tools for diagnosis of food-borne pathogens and implementation of traceability systems based on DNA analysis.
2. Agricultural Research: we are actively working on different subjects as crop breeding (Marker Assisted Selection, MAS), crop protection (entomology, plant pathology, insect toxicity and pesticide residues), viticulture, development of energy crops and its industrial applications.
3. Animal Research: main research concerns genetic resources conservation, production and nutrition of Iberian pig, molecular markers for traceability of animal products and reproduction and genetic characterization of Spanish fighting bull breed.

Headquarters of ITACyL are located in Valladolid and furthermore other five specialized research and technological centres are part of ITACYL, dedicated specifically to meat products, milk and dairy products, wine, porcine production and the bull fighting research centre.

To support these areas the ITACyL has accredited the laboratories of analysis under the norm UNE-EN-ISO/IEC 17025, where the most up-to-date analytical techniques are used to strengthen the regional economy through the improvement and development of products, techniques and services of great importance for Food Industry. The laboratories are equipped with the most modern equipment for molecular biology, microbiology, in vitro culture, sensorial analysis and physical and chemical analysis, and involve multidisciplinary teams (molecular biologists, veterinarians, chemists, biologists, agricultural engineers, food hygienists, and computer specialists). ITACYL regularly organize courses to specialists about cereal and pulse production, wine production, food analyses and control, etc.

Thus, ITACYL believes that its knowledge and experience in the agro-food sector would contribute positively to this project with the aim of group different expertise from different countries for organizing high quality e-courses. Its perspective will be focus on performing strategic analysis, information exchange and dissemination fostering. ITACYL will have the responsibility of monitoring the needs and evaluate them in order to plan the learning modules and we would please to form part of the advisory committee for the preparation of the e-learning training system.

Main tasks of ITACYL within F4ST will be: to transfer their knowledge with the agrarian sector to F4ST; to determine the need of the crop and animal production sector for establishing the training modules; to disseminate F4ST results during and end of the project to the agrarian sector and to coordinate its won national dissemination activities; to find 150 trainees from Spain to register for training sessions, to take part in the preparation of training modules (Food Microbiology, Primary Production Animal, Primary Production Agriculture); to develop strategies for learning and implementing GAP and EUREPGAP as another action to enhance sustainability and safety of food chains; to organize at least one press meeting during the project lifetime.

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