MINISTARSTVO POLJOPRIVREDE, SUMARSTVA I RIBARSTVA

Their core work

Croatia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is the national government body responsible for agricultural policy, rural development, and bioeconomy strategy. In H2020, the Ministry focused on bridging the gap between agricultural research and farm-level practice — participating in projects that build demonstration networks, connect farm advisors, and promote peer-to-peer learning among farmers. They also played a key role in advancing Croatia's bioeconomy agenda by organizing a national bioeconomy conference. Their involvement brings national policy authority and access to Croatia's agricultural advisory system (AKIS) into EU research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early projects (2017–2018) centered on practical farm demonstration — peer-to-peer learning, advisor networks, and knowledge exchange through multimedia and cross-fertilisation activities. By 2019–2020, the focus shifted toward more strategic and forward-looking themes: responsible research and innovation, ethical dimensions of digitisation, socio-cyber-physical systems in rural areas, and national bioeconomy strategy. This evolution mirrors a move from operational knowledge-transfer work to policy-level engagement with digital transformation and sustainability.

The Ministry is moving from supporting farmer learning networks toward shaping national and EU-level policy on digital agriculture, responsible innovation, and bioeconomy — making them increasingly relevant for projects that need a policy anchor in Southeast Europe.

How they like to work

The Ministry mostly joins as a participant or third party rather than leading consortia — they coordinated only one project (CroBio2020, a national event). With 109 unique partners across 25 countries, they operate within large, multi-country Coordination and Support Actions, which is typical for a public authority contributing policy perspective and national reach rather than research capacity. Their broad partner network suggests they are well-connected but not a repeated-partner hub — each project brings a different consortium.

Collaborated with 109 unique partners across 25 countries, reflecting the large CSA consortia they participate in. Their network spans most of the EU, giving them broad European visibility despite being a national ministry.

What sets them apart

As a national ministry, they bring something most research partners cannot: direct policy authority and access to Croatia's entire agricultural advisory and regulatory infrastructure. For consortium builders, having the Croatian agriculture ministry on board means built-in policy relevance, access to national farmer networks, and credibility with EU reviewers who value government engagement. They are one of the few Southeast European agricultural ministries actively participating in H2020 farm innovation projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CroBio2020
  Their only coordinated project — a national bioeconomy conference with EUR 100,000 funding, signaling Croatia's strategic push into bioeconomy.
• NEFERTITI
  Largest project by scope (2018–2022), focused on pan-European farm demonstration networks with comprehensive AKIS engagement.
• DESIRA
  Marked their shift toward digitisation and responsible innovation, examining how technology reshapes rural communities.