INSTITUTE FOR FOOD TECHNOLOGY OF NOVI SAD

Their core work

The Institute for Food Technology of Novi Sad (FINS) is a Serbian research centre specializing in food and feed technology, covering the full product development cycle from raw materials to market-ready food products. They work on improving food processing methods, developing new value chains for underutilized crops, and building research capacity in Southeast Europe's agri-food sector. Their recent work extends into climate-resilient agriculture and institutional innovation in research systems.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their H2020 journey started with inward-facing capacity building — FOODstars (2015–2018) was about strengthening FINS's own research infrastructure and food product development capabilities. From 2020 onward, they shifted toward outward-facing, systemic themes: institutional innovation (Co-Change) and climate-resilient agriculture with novel value chains (CROPDIVA). This suggests an institute that invested in its own foundations first and is now applying that strengthened capacity to broader European challenges in sustainable food systems.

FINS is moving from internal capability development toward applied research in climate-resilient crops and alternative food/feed value chains — a direction aligned with growing EU priorities in food security and agricultural diversification.

How they like to work

FINS takes varied roles — they have coordinated one project, participated as a partner in another, and contributed as a third party in a third, showing flexibility rather than a fixed position in consortia. With 37 unique partners across 15 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in medium-to-large consortia and have built a broad network relative to their project count. This suggests an organization comfortable adapting to different consortium structures and open to new partnerships.

Despite only three H2020 projects, FINS has collaborated with 37 distinct partners across 15 countries, indicating participation in sizable, geographically diverse consortia. Their network spans well beyond the Western Balkans into broader European research communities.

What sets them apart

As one of Serbia's key food technology research centres, FINS offers a rare combination: deep expertise in food and feed processing with direct experience in building research capacity from the ground up through EU-funded programmes. For consortium builders, they bring access to Southeast European agri-food networks and a demonstrated ability to work across both technical research (RIA) and coordination/support (CSA) project types. Their work on orphan crops and alternative value chains positions them well for projects targeting food system diversification in underserved agricultural regions.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FOODstars
  Their only coordinated project (EUR 445K) — a dedicated investment in building FINS's own food technology research excellence, signaling EU recognition of their potential.
• CROPDIVA
  Represents their pivot toward climate-resilient agriculture and novel crop value chains, connecting food technology expertise to pressing sustainability challenges.