AUA Acopian Center Participates in GreenAgro Research Network on Biodiversity, Climate, and Agriculture

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YEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) Acopian Center for the Environment is participating in the newly launched GreenAgro project, an initiative led by the University of Hohenheim (Germany) and including universities from Kazakhstan. 

The project aims to explore innovative solutions at the intersection of climate, biodiversity, and agriculture. It aims to establish a long-term research, teaching, and innovation partnership that will support the green transformation of the agricultural sector in the participating countries.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), under its framework for research and innovation cooperation with Eastern Europe and Central Asia, GreenAgro will facilitate scientific exchange, enhance collaboration among universities, and empower young researchers and future industry leaders to tackle global sustainability challenges.

Dr. Arsen H. Gasparyan, the AUA Acopian Center’s biodiversity expert, who’s leading the Center’s participation in the initiative, explains that “Our nine-month collaboration will clarify what areas of research we have mutual interest in and where the likely funding sources are for us to apply. This is an important step in developing a clear path for building research directions linking biodiversity conservation, climate action, and our food systems.”

The project will run for nine months (March – November 2025) and is structured into three phases. These phases include an online stage where universities will engage in virtual workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions to define common challenges and project goals. Next is an on-site exploration phase, which will bring researchers from the University of Hohenheim to Armenia and Kazakhstan for field excursions, laboratory visits, and networking sessions.

The final phase includes a workshop, organized in Stuttgart, Germany, where partners from Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Germany will discuss and finalize a strategic roadmap for the GreenAgro Research Network. This roadmap will serve as a blueprint for future cooperation, including grant applications for follow-up projects on key scientific research topics.

The partner universities from Kazakhstan include the Akhmet Baitursynuly Regional University, M. Kozybaev North Kazakhstan University, Saken Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University, and Sh. Ualikhanov University Kokshetau. 

For more information, please visit the project webpage at the AUA Acopian Center website.

The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia (AUA), promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. The AUA Acopian Center’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity protection and conservation, greening the built environment, sustainable energy, as well as information technology and the environment. Visit http://ace.aua.am.