INSTITUT ZA ANTROPOLOGIJU

Their core work

Institut za Antropologiju (INANTRO) is Croatia's dedicated biological anthropology research institute, based in Zagreb. They study human biological variation across time — from ancient populations reconstructed through archaeogenetics and skeletal analysis, to contemporary health cohorts. Their practical contribution to EU projects has ranged from integrating ancient DNA data with Croatian archaeological heritage records, to providing population biology expertise within large-scale COVID-19 real-world data infrastructure initiatives. They sit at the intersection of life sciences and humanities, treating humans as both historical subjects and biological organisms.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2016-2019), INANTRO worked squarely in archaeogenetics — reconstructing Croatian population history by combining ancient DNA with archaeological and heritage data, a niche at the deep-time end of human biology. By their second project (2020-2023), the keywords had shifted entirely to real-world data, COVID-19 cohorts, and data standardization — placing them inside a pan-European health data infrastructure effort. The connecting thread appears to be population-level biological data: the methods and thinking used to analyze ancient human variation seem to have positioned them as a contributor to contemporary human health data work.

INANTRO appears to be using its biological anthropology base to enter health data research, moving from historical populations toward contemporary epidemiological cohorts — a direction that could make them a useful partner in projects combining population genetics with public health data.

How they like to work

INANTRO has participated only as a consortium partner across both H2020 projects and has never taken a coordinator role, suggesting they function as a specialist contributor rather than a project driver. Despite their small size and limited funding, they have engaged with 36 distinct partners across 18 countries — unusually broad for an institute with only two projects — which points to involvement in large, multi-partner CSA consortia where participation is wide but deep coordination is handled by others. This profile suggests they are accessible partners who bring specific disciplinary expertise to larger, externally coordinated efforts.

INANTRO has built a network of 36 partners across 18 countries from just two projects, reflecting the large consortium structure of the CSA funding scheme. Their reach is genuinely pan-European, though their Croatian national focus in MendTheGap suggests a regional anchor alongside broader European connections.

What sets them apart

INANTRO is the only dedicated anthropology research institute in Croatia with H2020 participation, giving them a unique position as the national gateway for biological anthropology expertise in EU consortia. Their ability to move from archaeogenetics into COVID-19 health data suggests a flexible data-oriented approach grounded in human biology that is uncommon among purely archaeological or purely biomedical institutes. For consortium builders, they offer a Croatian research partner with both heritage science credentials and health data experience — a rare combination at the boundary of humanities and life sciences.

Highlights from their portfolio

• unCoVer
  Largest project by funding (EUR 99,375) and the one that repositioned INANTRO from archaeological science into European health data infrastructure, connecting them to a broad COVID-19 research network.
• MendTheGap
  Defined INANTRO's core identity as a specialist in Croatian archaeogenetics and anchored their H2020 presence in a highly specific niche bridging genetics and cultural heritage.