A hub for innovation in sustainable natural resource management and climate action
The Interbalkan Environment Center (i-BEC) acts as a center of excellence that brings together expertise in carbon footprint monitoring and decision-support systems for sustainable land practices. With extensive experience in field-level soil surveys using smart portable sensors (soil diagnostic toolkit), it enables real-time crowdsourcing of field data for the project’s digital infrastructure.
i-BEC is a non-profit international organization committed to the development of innovative technologies and research for sustainable resource management and environmental protection across the Balkans and the wider Mediterranean region. Its members include academic institutions, research communities, and public authorities, such as the Regional Development Funds of Central, Western, and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), and the Municipalities of Lagadas, Delta, and Oraiokastro.
Over its 17 years of operation, i-BEC has implemented around 70 national and European projects, studies, and programs in thematic areas such as climate change mitigation, EO-based monitoring of soil and water resources, development of carbon sequestration services and emission reduction practices in agriculture, as well as capacity building and knowledge transfer to businesses, communities, and stakeholders. Flagship initiatives include “CARBONICA – Carbon Initiative for Climate-resilient Agriculture,” which aims to establish the CARBONICA Centre of Excellence linking innovation ecosystems in Cyprus, Greece, and North Macedonia.
i-BEC also operates the only “Web-Based Hub for Environmental Technology and Information Transfer” in Northern Greece, serving as a central platform for collaboration, data exchange, and knowledge dissemination. It hosts an accredited Laboratory of Analyses (ISO/IEC 17025:2005) certified by the Hellenic Accreditation System (ESYD).
