INSTITUT ZA POLJOPRIVREDU I TURIZAM USTANOVA

Their core work

The Institute for Agriculture and Tourism (IPTPO) in Poreč, Croatia, is a public research institution focused on agriculture, food science, and rural development along the Adriatic coast. Their H2020 work centers on olive oil quality and authenticity, wine sector knowledge transfer, and the environmental and health impacts of plant protection products. They bring regional agricultural expertise — particularly in Mediterranean crops — to large European research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IPTPO's early H2020 involvement (2015-2017) centered on wine sector networking and knowledge exchange through WINETWORK, a coordination and support action. From 2016 onward, their focus shifted to food authenticity and analytical chemistry with OLEUM, and most recently to environmental health impacts of agriculture with SPRINT (2020-2026). The trajectory shows a move from soft networking activities toward more technically demanding research on food safety, fraud detection, and sustainable agriculture.

IPTPO is moving from sector networking toward substantive research on food safety and environmental impacts of farming — signaling growing technical capacity and ambition.

How they like to work

IPTPO operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, joining medium-to-large consortia (63 unique partners across 20 countries from just 3 projects). This pattern indicates an organization that contributes specialized regional expertise to broad European efforts rather than leading them. Their wide partner network relative to their small project count suggests they are well-connected and valued for their Mediterranean agricultural knowledge.

Despite only 3 projects, IPTPO has collaborated with 63 unique partners across 20 countries, reflecting participation in large pan-European consortia. Their network spans widely across the EU, with no apparent geographic clustering beyond a natural Mediterranean connection.

What sets them apart

IPTPO offers a rare combination of agriculture and tourism research from the Croatian Adriatic — a region with strong Mediterranean crop traditions (olives, wine) and direct relevance to Southern European food systems. For consortium builders, they provide ground-level access to Croatian agricultural practice, field trial sites, and expertise in olive oil and viticulture that is difficult to source from Northern European partners. Their dual mandate in agriculture and tourism also makes them relevant for rural development and agri-tourism initiatives.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPRINT
  Their largest funded project (EUR 155,625) and most recent, running until 2026 — signals a growing role in sustainable agriculture research.
• OLEUM
  A highly specific project on olive oil fraud detection and quality assurance, directly tied to their regional Mediterranean expertise.