INSTYTUT UPRAWY NAWOZENIA I GLEBOZNAWSTWA, PANSTWOWY INSTYTUT BADAWCZY

Their core work

IUNG-PIB is Poland's national research institute for crop cultivation, fertilization, and soil science, based in Puławy. They develop sustainable agricultural practices — from soil management and nutrient recovery to bio-based fertilizers and diversified cropping systems. Their applied research bridges laboratory findings with on-farm implementation across Central and Eastern Europe, with a strong focus on circular bioeconomy strategies for agriculture. They also serve as a regional policy hub, coordinating bioeconomy development across the BIOEAST initiative countries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), IUNG-PIB focused on broad bioeconomy strategy and capacity-building — coordinating Poland's bio-economy initiative (BioEcon) and participating in agroforestry, crop diversification, and organic seed networks. From 2019 onward, their work became sharply more applied and technical: bio-based fertilizers, soil conditioning, nutrient recovery, circular economy value chains, and climate-smart soil management. The shift reflects a move from "what is bioeconomy?" to "how do we implement circular agriculture in practice."

IUNG-PIB is moving toward practical implementation of circular agriculture — bio-based inputs, soil carbon management, and food system sustainability — making them a strong partner for projects that need CEE field validation sites and policy connections.

How they like to work

Primarily a participant (10 of 12 projects), but with credible coordination experience — they led both BioEcon and BIOEASTsUP, both focused on CEE bioeconomy strategy. With 240 unique partners across 29 countries, they maintain a broad European network rather than a tight cluster of repeat collaborators. This makes them a reliable, well-connected partner who can both contribute technical expertise and open doors across Central and Eastern Europe.

With 240 unique consortium partners across 29 countries, IUNG-PIB has one of the broadest networks among Polish agricultural research institutes. Their geographic reach spans all of Europe, with a particularly strong position as a hub for Central and Eastern European collaboration through the BIOEAST initiative.

What sets them apart

IUNG-PIB occupies a rare dual position: they are both a technically strong soil and fertilization research institute AND a regional policy coordinator for bioeconomy in Central and Eastern Europe. Few organizations can offer both field-level agronomy expertise and strategic access to CEE ministries and research networks. For any consortium needing credible CEE representation in sustainable agriculture, they are a natural first choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BioEcon
  Their largest project (EUR 2.4M) and a coordination role — developed Poland's national bio-economy research strategy under the Widening Participation programme.
• BIOEASTsUP
  Coordinated the advancement of circular bioeconomy across all BIOEAST member countries, positioning IUNG-PIB as a regional policy leader.
• EJP SOIL
  Their second-largest funding (EUR 589K) in a flagship European Joint Programme on climate-smart soil management with broad consortium reach.