SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU AGRONOMSKI FAKULTET

Their core work

The Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb is Croatia's leading agricultural research institution, covering plant science, animal science, and food economics. They work on practical challenges like breeding local pig breeds for sustainable production, growing industrial crops (miscanthus, hemp) on marginal lands for biorefineries, and applying genomics and epigenomics to livestock improvement. They also run capacity-building initiatives to strengthen Croatia's research governance and experimental economics in the agri-food domain.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015–2018) was firmly rooted in applied agricultural and biological sciences — pig breed diversity, industrial crop cultivation, and an interdisciplinary archaeogenetics project. From 2019 onward, a notable shift occurred toward research governance, open science, and capacity building, with projects like TODO, RESBIOS, and AgriFoodBoost focusing on institutional frameworks, open data, and strengthening research excellence. This suggests the faculty is investing in its own research infrastructure and methodological maturity alongside its traditional agricultural science strengths.

They are building institutional research capacity and governance frameworks, positioning themselves as a more mature and methodologically rigorous partner for future agri-food consortia.

How they like to work

They primarily join consortia as a participant (5 of 7 projects) but have demonstrated coordination capability twice, including their largest project AgriFoodBoost (EUR 456K). With 102 unique partners across 19 countries, they maintain a broad European network rather than relying on a small circle of repeat collaborators. This makes them an accessible and experienced consortium partner, comfortable working in both large multi-actor projects and more focused research teams.

They have collaborated with 102 distinct partners across 19 countries, indicating a well-connected European network. As a Croatian institution participating in Widening Participation actions, they bridge Western European research hubs with Southeast European expertise.

What sets them apart

As Croatia's principal agricultural faculty, they sit at the intersection of traditional agri-food science and modern genomics — a combination not common among Widening countries. Their dual role as both a domain expert in animal/plant genetics and an active participant in research governance reform makes them a valuable partner for consortia needing Southeast European reach with genuine scientific depth. They bring local knowledge of Mediterranean and Continental agricultural systems that Western European partners typically lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AgriFoodBoost
  Their largest project (EUR 456K) and a coordination role, aimed at building experimental economics capacity for agri-food research — signals institutional ambition.
• GRACE
  Substantial funding (EUR 302K) in a large-scale bioeconomy project growing industrial crops on marginal lands — their strongest applied-science contribution.
• MendTheGap
  An unusual coordinated project blending genetics with archaeology, showing interdisciplinary range beyond typical agricultural faculties.