FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE - UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

Their core work

The Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Belgrade is Serbia's leading agricultural research institution, specializing in food safety, plant health, and traditional plant-based knowledge. Their practical work spans mycotoxin detection and management across cereal crops, protection against invasive plant pathogens threatening European agriculture, and the scientific validation of traditional herbal remedies. They bring strong expertise in both laboratory science (natural products chemistry, pharmacognosy) and field-level agricultural challenges relevant to Southeast European farming conditions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2017) centered on plant protection and invasive pest organisms threatening European crops and forests, alongside traditional livestock breeds and food processing technologies. From 2016 onward, the focus shifted toward food safety science — specifically mycotoxin contamination monitoring and risk characterization in cereal supply chains. Their most recent project (EthnoHERBS, 2019–2025) marks a notable pivot toward ethnobotany and natural products chemistry, suggesting a broadening from purely agricultural science into health-adjacent herbal product research.

They are moving from classical agricultural protection toward the intersection of traditional botanical knowledge and food/health safety — a direction with growing commercial relevance in natural cosmetics and functional foods.

How they like to work

Belgrade's Faculty of Agriculture operates exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for Western Balkan institutions joining established EU consortia. However, with 146 unique partners across 29 countries in just 6 projects, they consistently join large, well-connected consortia (averaging ~24 partners per project). This makes them a reliable, low-risk partner who integrates well into big teams and brings regional expertise without demanding the coordination lead.

With 146 unique consortium partners spread across 29 countries, they have built a remarkably wide European network for a Serbian institution — nearly pan-European coverage achieved through participation in large-scale Research and Innovation Actions. Their geographic reach extends well beyond the Balkans into Western and Northern Europe.

What sets them apart

As Serbia's primary agricultural faculty, they offer access to Southeast European farming conditions, biodiversity, and traditional agricultural knowledge that Western European partners typically lack. Their combination of food safety laboratory science (mycotoxins, pathogen detection) with deep ethnobotanical field knowledge is unusual — most institutions specialize in one or the other. For consortium builders, they provide a credible Widening Country partner with genuine scientific capacity, not just a geographic checkbox.

Highlights from their portfolio

• POnTE
  Their largest grant (EUR 204,000) addressing high-profile EU biosecurity threats like Xylella fastidiosa — a politically significant pathogen devastating Mediterranean olive groves.
• EthnoHERBS
  Their most recent and longest-running project (2019–2025), marking a strategic pivot into ethnobotany and natural health products via the MSCA-RISE mobility scheme.
• MycoKey
  Addresses the commercially critical problem of mycotoxin contamination in European grain and feed supply chains, with direct relevance to food industry compliance and safety regulations.