USTAV ZEMEDELSKE EKONOMIKY A INFORMACI

Their core work

IAEI (Institute of Agricultural Economics and Information) is a Czech research institute specializing in agricultural economics, policy analysis, and farm advisory systems. They study how farming systems can become more sustainable through better knowledge exchange between farmers, advisors, and researchers. Their work focuses on understanding the economic and informational dimensions of agro-ecological transitions in European agriculture.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest project (PEGASUS, 2015) focused on valuing ecosystem services from land management — a broad environmental economics angle. By 2017-2018, they shifted toward more applied topics: farm advisory systems (AgriLink) and practical agro-ecological farming sustainability (UNISECO). The trend shows a move from abstract ecosystem valuation toward actionable farmer-level knowledge and sustainability transitions.

Moving toward practical agricultural knowledge systems and farmer-facing sustainability tools, suggesting future interest in digital advisory platforms or agro-ecological transition support.

How they like to work

IAEI participates exclusively as a partner, never coordinating — typical for a national research institute contributing country-specific agricultural data and policy analysis to larger EU consortia. With 42 unique partners across 22 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in large Research and Innovation Action consortia (likely 12-20 partners each). This makes them an accessible, experienced consortium member comfortable in multi-country collaborative settings.

Broad European network spanning 42 partners in 22 countries from only 3 projects, indicating participation in large multi-stakeholder consortia. No obvious geographic concentration — truly pan-European reach for a national institute.

What sets them apart

As a Czech agricultural economics institute, IAEI offers something specific: Central/Eastern European farming data, policy context, and advisory system insights that Western-dominated consortia often lack. Their combination of economic analysis with farm-level knowledge systems means they bridge the gap between policy research and practical farmer outcomes. For consortium builders, they provide reliable country-level case study contribution with minimal coordination overhead.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AgriLink
  Largest budget (EUR 109,888) and directly addresses the critical gap between agricultural research and farmer adoption.
• UNISECO
  Focused specifically on agro-ecological transitions — a high-priority EU policy area under the Farm to Fork strategy.