The University of Cordoba (UCO) hosted on September 30 the official opening ceremony of the 14th edition of the MSc Programme in Olive Growing and Olive Oil Technology co-organized by CIHEAM Zaragoza.
The event was attended by the director of the Secretariat of Masters of the UCO, Álvaro Martínez; the director of CIHEAM Zaragoza, Raúl Compés; the director of the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture of Córdoba (IAS-CSIC), María Leire Molinero; the head of the Department of Olive Technologies and Environment of the International Olive Oil Council (IOC), Pablo Morello; the coordinator of IDF Activities of IFAPA, Ignacio Jesus Lorite; and the director of the Master in Oliviculture and Elaiotechnics of the UCO, Ricardo Fernandez.
The MSc programme in Olive Growing and Olive Oil Technology has been held every two years since 1995 and is organized by the University of Cordoba (UCO), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Andalusian Regional Government, the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, Fisheries, Food and Organic Production (IFAPA), the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), the International Olive Council (IOC) and the Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero (FPCO). Since the 7th edition, the MSc programme is an official Master of the Spanish university system and also an International Master of the CIHEAM recognized by the Spanish State as equivalent to the official Master degree of the Spanish university system.
From the very beginning, the MSc programme has counted on the participation of international, national and regional institutions since they all have a common interest in sharing their experiences and resources to jointly organize an international training programme for specialists that facilitates the scientific and technical specialization of graduates from different countries, and offers an opportunity to increase international cooperation in this area, especially in the Mediterranean.
To date, more than 1,350 applications have been received, with a participation of 292 students. The students come from 24 countries: Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Portugal, Egypt, Albania, Chile, Turkey, Syria, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Palestine, Peru, Belgium, Croatia, Israel, Libya, Mexico, Montenegro, Jordan and Iran.