CESKA ZEMEDELSKA UNIVERZITA V PRAZE

Their core work

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague is a major Czech research university focused on agricultural sciences, food technology, and rural development. They contribute applied research in food processing (bakery, dairy, meat), soil management, climate adaptation in agriculture, and forest ecosystem resilience. Their work bridges laboratory food science with real-world regional food production systems, and they increasingly address how rural communities and agricultural landscapes can adapt to climate change. They also maintain expertise in environmental monitoring, including air quality measurement and human biomonitoring of chemical exposures.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2018) was scientifically diverse but scattered — geochemistry of brachiopod carbonates (BASE-LiNE Earth), human biomonitoring of endocrine disruptors (HBM4EU), and early-stage food infrastructure planning (PRO-METROFOOD). From 2019 onward, their portfolio consolidated sharply around food technology, climate-smart agriculture, and rural/forest ecosystem resilience, with their two coordinator roles both in this later period. The shift signals a deliberate strategic focus: moving from contributing niche analytical expertise in varied fields to becoming a recognized hub for sustainable food systems and land-use adaptation research.

They are consolidating around climate-resilient food production and rural land-use systems, making them a strong future partner for agri-food and territorial adaptation projects.

How they like to work

Predominantly a consortium partner (16 of 19 projects), but they have taken the coordinator role twice in their more recent, strategically focused projects — PoliRural and DRIFT-FOOD — suggesting growing confidence and capacity to lead. With 444 unique partners across 52 countries, they operate as a well-connected node in European research networks rather than a closed group with repeat collaborators. Their participation in both large EJP-type joint programmes and smaller CSA/RIA projects shows flexibility in working across different consortium sizes and structures.

An exceptionally broad network of 444 unique partners across 52 countries, reflecting their participation in large multi-partner consortia in food, agriculture, and environment. Their reach extends well beyond Europe, with Africa-focused food security partnerships alongside pan-European soil and forest research networks.

What sets them apart

As a life sciences university in a Central European country with significant agricultural land and active coal regions, they bring a perspective that Western European universities often lack — practical experience with post-industrial rural transition and food production at regional scale. Their DRIFT-FOOD project (EUR 2.5M, coordinated) specifically targets regional food technologies like craft bakery and dairy processing, an area where few research universities combine laboratory food science with hands-on production expertise. For consortium builders, they offer a reliable Czech partner with genuine depth in agri-food research and a proven track record across 19 H2020 projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DRIFT-FOOD
  Their largest project (EUR 2.5M) and a coordinator role — focused on advanced technologies for regional food production including bakery, dairy, and meat processing, a distinctive applied food science niche.
• PoliRural
  Coordinator role combining rural policy development with text mining and data-driven foresight — shows capacity to lead interdisciplinary projects beyond pure food science.
• SUPERB
  Their second-largest funding (EUR 827K) in a high-profile forest restoration project, signaling their growing role in ecosystem-scale environmental research.