The aim is to establish an incubator for agritourism and the bioeconomy in Lynedoch, in the South African province of the Western Cape. There, students, researchers and smallholder farms will work together to develop new ideas for sustainable agriculture and additional income opportunities.
To kick off the project, the project partners from Bulgaria and South Africa met in person for the first time on the Wismar campus from 9 to 14 March 2026 to plan their collaboration. Students from our Wismar University of Applied Sciences can take part in international innovation camps and practical projects as part of the initiative. Master’s students in International Management, Architecture, and Environmental and Process Engineering are involved. International Master’s students have already organised a social programme for this week.
The ATVENTURE project, funded by the European Union to the tune of €800,000, is being coordinated by Robert Schmidt Institute at our UAS, which has many years of experience in international cooperation projects. In addition to Wismar University of Applied Sciences, the Agricultural University of Plovdiv in Bulgaria and, in South Africa, Stellenbosch University, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Agricultural Research Council are also involved. The project began in December 2025 and will end in November 2028. The RSI will receive €230,000 of the total funding.