INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

Their core work

The Institute of Agricultural Economics (IEA) is a Romanian research centre focused on agricultural policy analysis, farm-level economic performance, and rural development in Central and Eastern Europe. They specialize in assessing how different farming systems — from ecological to mixed farming — deliver economic, social, and environmental outcomes. Their work feeds directly into evidence-based policy recommendations for EU rural and agricultural strategies, with particular strength in understanding the CEE agricultural context including farm demographics, labour conditions, and bioeconomy transitions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2016–2018) centred on farm-level economics: resilience assessment, sustainability metrics, ecological farming performance, labour productivity, and farm demographics. From 2019 onward, a clear shift occurred toward policy-facing and participatory work — bioeconomy strategy for CEE countries, citizen participation in rural policy, and transdisciplinary mixed farming research. The evolution shows a move from measuring farm performance to actively shaping agricultural policy through participatory methods and regional bioeconomy frameworks.

IEA is moving from pure economic analysis toward becoming a policy bridge — connecting farm-level evidence with participatory governance and bioeconomy strategy, especially for Central and Eastern European agriculture.

How they like to work

IEA operates exclusively as a consortium partner or third party — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. With 85 unique partners across 27 countries, they integrate into large, pan-European research consortia rather than leading small focused teams. This profile suggests a reliable contributing partner who brings CEE agricultural expertise and data access to broader European research efforts without seeking the administrative overhead of coordination.

Extensive European network spanning 85 unique partners across 27 countries, built through participation in large multi-actor research consortia. Their reach covers essentially all EU member states, with a likely stronger connection to CEE partners given their BIOEAST involvement.

What sets them apart

IEA brings a rare combination: rigorous agricultural economics research grounded specifically in the Central and Eastern European context, a region often underrepresented in EU farming research dominated by Western European institutions. Their BIOEAST involvement positions them as a key voice for CEE bioeconomy strategy. For any consortium needing credible farm-level economic data and policy insight from Romania and the broader CEE region, IEA is a natural fit.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MIXED
  Their largest funded project (EUR 167,938), running until 2025, combining participatory action research with mixed farming and agroforestry — represents their most recent strategic direction.
• BIOEASTsUP
  Directly tied to the BIOEAST macro-regional initiative for Central and Eastern European bioeconomy — positions IEA as a regional policy anchor for CEE agricultural transformation.
• SURE-Farm
  Large-scale EU farming systems resilience project covering farm demographics, new entrants, and sustainability — foundational to IEA's farm resilience expertise.