Erasmus ULST

Between 8–11 December 2025, academic staff and auxiliary teaching staff from the Faculty of Agriculture and ULST participated in an Erasmus+ mobility at the factories of Maschio Gaspardo S.p.A. in Italy. During the mobility, training activities and oservation visits were carried out at the Maschio, Gaspardo, and Terranova factories, as well as at a model farm, Societa Agricola ZILI (Italy), where 800 cows are milked daily, 20 John Deere tractors are used, and a large agricultural area of approximately 600 hectares is cultivated. A high-capacity biogas production facility was also studied at the farm.
Study visits took place in several departments of the Maschio factory in Campodarsego, including the Research–Development–Design Department, where computer-aided design is performed using the CATIA software. The Gaspardo factory in the Udine region, where machinery for fertilization and plant protection is manufactured, was also visited. In addition, the participating group studied the Icaro X4 robot, developed in collaboration with Lamborghini, the world’s first hybrid robot designed to prevent fungal diseases in vineyards and fruit plantations.
It was agreed to initiate a collaboration partnership between the University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” of Timișoara and Maschio Gaspardo S.p.A. within the framework of ERASMUS+ mobilities, with details to be finalized through a videoconference, together with potential collaborations in the fields of research and design.

Following an invitation from Mr Sean van Hoeven, Business Development Manager Liquids, a USVT delegation travelled to Solina Netherlands B.V., Nieuw-Vennep, for an Erasmus+ mobility activity conducted between 8 and 11 December 2025. The delegation comprised Prof. Diana-Nicoleta Raba (Faculty of Management and Rural Tourism), Lecturer Delia-Gabriela Dumbrava and Lecturer Camelia Moldovan (Faculty of Food Engineering). During the visit, the representatives participated in several thematic meetings and in-depth discussions with the management team of Solina Netherlands B.V. The agenda was comprehensive, addressing technological and commercial strategies, sustainability, waste management, circular economy models, food innovation, as well as the concrete exploration of future collaboration opportunities between the two institutions. A key practical component of the mobility was the prototyping and sensory analysis of six novel sauce varieties, based on recipes developed by the USVT delegation. In addition, the participants benefited from hands-on training within the sauce production facilities, observing and monitoring the entire technological flow for various products.