FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FUR BIOLOGISCHEN LANDBAU OSTERREICH

Their core work

FiBL Österreich is the Austrian branch of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), one of Europe's leading independent research centres dedicated to organic farming and sustainable agriculture. They focus on translating soil science and organic farming research into practical tools for farmers — knowledge platforms, training materials, and decision-support systems. Their work bridges the gap between agricultural research and on-farm practice, with a growing interest in environmental contaminants like micro- and nanoplastics in agricultural soils.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FiBL Österreich's early H2020 work (2015-2018) focused on organic arable farming knowledge networks through OK-Net Arable. From 2018 onward, they shifted toward soil health specifically — first through practitioner-facing tools and training in BEST4SOIL, then into environmental science with MINAGRIS, investigating plastic pollution in agricultural soils. The trajectory shows a clear move from general organic farming knowledge exchange toward more specialised soil contamination research, with steadily increasing project budgets reflecting growing responsibility.

FiBL Österreich is moving from pure knowledge-transfer roles toward environmental risk research in agricultural soils, making them an increasingly relevant partner for projects at the intersection of soil science and pollution monitoring.

How they like to work

FiBL Österreich consistently participates as a partner rather than leading consortia, suggesting they contribute specific expertise — particularly in knowledge dissemination, farmer training, and organic agriculture methods — rather than managing large projects. With 48 unique partners across 19 countries from just 3 projects, they work in large, broad consortia typical of Coordination and Support Actions. This makes them a well-connected, low-friction partner who integrates easily into multi-national teams.

Despite only three projects, FiBL Österreich has built a remarkably wide network of 48 partners across 19 countries, reflecting the large consortium sizes of their CSA and RIA projects. Their reach spans most of the EU, with no obvious geographic concentration beyond a natural European focus.

What sets them apart

FiBL Österreich belongs to the FiBL network, one of the most recognised organic agriculture research brands in Europe, which gives them instant credibility in sustainable farming circles. Their distinctive strength is combining rigorous soil science with practical farmer-facing outputs — knowledge platforms, multilingual training videos, and practitioner communities. For consortium builders, they offer a rare combination: deep organic agriculture expertise plus proven ability to package research into usable tools for end users.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MINAGRIS
  Their largest project (EUR 360k, running to 2026), tackling the emerging and high-visibility issue of micro- and nanoplastics contaminating agricultural soils.
• BEST4SOIL
  Built a comprehensive multilingual knowledge platform with video-based training and practitioner networks for soil health across Europe.