The production of healthy animal feed materials and organic soil conditioners from black soldier fly larvae has brought revolutionary, sustainable solutions to several areas of domestic agriculture. Agroloop and Széchenyi István University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could open new doors to the animal feed insect market. In addition to scientific research, they will also support each other in other areas: not only will they develop a common approach to sustainability, but they will also aim to use and expand the knowledge generated in the academic sphere for agro-industrial applications - we were informed at the signing of the agreement.

Agroloop's activity in the production of animal feed material and larvae for animal feed production has opened up a whole new industry in agriculture. This is taken to a higher level by the agreement with Széchenyi István University to jointly research and develop insect-based solutions and to expand and exploit the knowledge base in general. The cooperation is based on sustainability, which is a key focus of both parties' operations. Széchenyi István University considers sustainable development to be of strategic importance, as demonstrated by the fact that the institution was ranked among the world's top 400 universities in the Times Higher Education sustainability goals-based ranking of "sustainable cities and communities". The expected impact of the joint projects will be reflected not only in more environmentally friendly agricultural practices, but also in national and international academic and professional activities. 

"We believe that insect protein production for animal feed can open up new perspectives in the development of the Hungarian agricultural and food economy and can also contribute to mitigating climate change - and for this, the cooperation of the corporate and academic sectors is essential. We are proud to be partnering with one of the most prominent institutions of higher education in Hungary with a strong sustainability strategy," said Rajmond Percze, co-founder and CEO of Agroloop.

According to the agreement, the University's Mosonmagyaróvár Innovation Park will provide significant research and development resources to the insect protein manufacturing company: its extensive laboratory network and small-scale field trials on its own premises will help, among other things, to test larval organic fertilizers. This can show whether plants grown in soil enriched with larval manure really do have a markedly improved pollination capacity, attracting pollinating insects and thus boosting the reproduction of plants grown in the field. It may also provide an answer to the question of how much of the herbivorous pests are alienated by the larval manure enriched soil.

Agroloop will show students the practical application and economic exploitation of the resulting R&D results and innovations. For example, it provides technical support, regular lectures and study visits to farms to help teach the subject of insect breeding, which was introduced at the university. In addition, it shares its experience at the annual international conference organised by the institution's Competence Centre for Sustainability: Agroloop and university staff work together on technical presentations, which are published as scientific papers and will be the subject of joint R&D tenders. 

"At Széchenyi István University, we are particularly concerned with the issue of sustainability, so one of our most important strategic goals is to continuously promote sustainable development through our teaching and research activities and to broaden the horizons of our students on the topic. New resources are now available thanks to Agroloop's broad portfolio and innovative technology, which will enable us to achieve tangible economic and social impact with the knowledge we gain from our research", said Dr. Gergely Teschner, Head of the Innovation Park of Széchenyi István University in Mosonmagyaróvár.