University of Zagreb Faculty of Geodesy
The Faculty of Geodesy at the University of Zagreb is the only Croatian institution providing high education in geodesy and geoinformatics and the largest faculty in this domain in south-eastern Europe. The faculty of Geodesy has 105 employees, of which about half are in scientific teaching and scientific titles. The Faculty of Geodesy performs study programs in geodesy and geoinformatics at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, specialist and postgraduate). The Faculty of Geodesy is the holder or partner in many scientific research and professional projects and strongly encourages and participates in projects with industrial partners from the framework of applying new technologies and technology transfers and professions. Most of the projects in which the Faculty of Geodesy participates are financed by the European Commission (currently 2 Horizon2020 projects and several ESF projects, Interreg, etc.), but it also participates in national projects such as projects of the Croatian Science Foundation. The Faculty of Geodesy has been conducting scientific research for many years to develop, apply, and disseminate knowledge in the field of space technologies, such as the application of data from the Copernicus program of the European Space Agency. Furthermore, the Copernicus Relay and Copernicus Academy Croatia offices were established at the Faculty of Geodesy to promote and disseminate knowledge about the Copernicus program and encourage technological development and expansion of the geodetic economy in the field of remote sensing and space technologies. The main goal of the Faculty is to develop new technologies and methods in the field of geodesy and geoinformatics and applications in technical, biotechnical, natural and other sciences, along with the education of students Geodesy. In this way, the way is laid for the geodetic economy and the entire economy to expand the business and create new jobs.
Croatian Forest Research Institute
Croatian Forest Research Institute is a public research institution owned by the Republic of Croatia under the Ministry of Science and Education. The objectives and tasks of the Croatian Forest Research Institute are to conduct scientific research in forestry in the fields of ecology and silviculture, forest genetics and tree breeding, forest inventory, forest protection, and laboratory analysis. Within the national framework, the Croatian Forest Research Institute is working closely with the Croatian Forests Ltd. Zagreb, whose mission is to ensure integral and sustainable management of forests in the whole area of the Republic of Croatia in an environmentally sensible, economically efficient, and socially responsible way. Croatian Forest Research Institute participated in numerous international and national projects such as Horizon2020, Interreg, Life, IPA and the Croatian Science Foundation.
Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences in Osijek
Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek is the largest and oldest faculty of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek. Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek has 226 employees, of which 135 (60%) are research-teaching staff. Teaching is performed in undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate studies, primarily in the field of Agriculture and Biotechnology. Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek is the holder of 26 international competitive scientific projects in the past five years, including Horizon2020, COST action and Interreg. In the same period, an average of 195 scientific papers are published annually, with an increasing number of papers indexed in Web of Science Q1-Q2 categories. Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek traditionally maintains a strong relationship with the professional sector, mainly in the areas of precision agriculture, soil science, crop nutrition, crop protection, animal science and agroeconomics. The Chair of Geoinformation Technologies and GIS of the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Renewable Energy Sources, as the proposer of the project, is among the leading units of the faculty in scientific publishing, with 13 Web of Science Q1-Q2 papers published since 2020.
Michigan State University, The Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, United States of America
Center for Global Change & Earth Observations (CGCEO) is a group of MSU scientists from multiple fields who conduct collaborative, interdisciplinary research at multiple scales that relies on geospatial technologies, earth observation, data analytics, modeling, on-the-ground field research, coupled human and natural system interactions, and socioeconomic and policy analyses. Through research, training of students and early-career scientists, and outreach to stakeholders, we seek to equip society with the technical tools and the physical, socioeconomic, and ecological knowledge to maintain sustainable ecosystems and societies. The work of CGCEO is facilitated by our shared space and staff resources, and regular interactions through meetings, seminars, and collaborative research, and educational activities. CGCEO’s mission is to characterize ongoing changes in climate and land, understand the forces leading to change and its impacts, and provide solutions to problems to improve human and societal well-being. CGCEO generates knowledge to build scientific understanding and inform policy decisions related to the consequences of ongoing global change and trains the next generations of global change scientists.
Michigan State University, Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, United States of America
The Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in Geography and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Geographic Information Science along with a fully online Professional Certificate Program in GIS at the Michigan State University. Faculty and student research spans such topics as human-environment relationships, weather and climate, geographic information science, soils and geomorphology, economic geography and urban dynamics, and global change. The spatial extent of these research projects ranges from local to global: across Michigan, the Great Lakes, and the USA; Brazil; Central Asia; Central and Eastern Europe; China; Democratic Republic of Congo; Southeast Asia; and more.
Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungary
Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) established the Centre for Ecological Research on 1st January 2012. Centre for Ecological Research consists of three institutes the Institute of Ecology and Botany, the Institute of Aquatic Ecology and the Institute of Evolution. The main mission of the Centre for Ecological Research is to conduct high-quality research on biodiversity and ecosystems, including aquatic and terrestrial life. Centre is primarily dedicated to ecological research, but many of our studies are related to the impact of agriculture and forestry on biodiversity, traditional ecological knowledge or interdisciplinary topics. Centre for Ecological Research is focused on the integration of the institutes and disciplines, as it is difficult to tackle complex environmental challenges in isolation. In addition to research, we are committed to building bridges between science and society and thus are involved in EU and global policy development.
The Institute of Ecology and Botany seeks to propose scientific solutions to the environmental challenges of our time, such as land-use change, habitat degradation, climate change, urbanisation, the effects of intensive agriculture, invasions, and the emergence of new diseases. The Institute’s nearly 80 researchers, organised in research groups, work on a wide range of organism groups and habitats, using a variety of methodological approaches. In addition to its basic research activities, the institute carries out several public monitoring and applied research activities.
Croatian Forest Ltd Zagreb
Forests in the Republic of Croatia fulfil an economic, ecological and social function, and have a significant impact on the quality of life. The total area of forests and forest lands in the Republic of Croatia is 2,759,039 ha, which is 49.3% of the country’s land area. Of that, 2,097,318 ha are owned by the Republic of Croatia, while 661,721 ha are owned by private forest owners. The majority of state-owned forests (2,024,461 ha) are managed by the public forest owner Hrvatske šume d.o.o. (Croatian Forest Ltd.). Croatian Forest Ltd. is a three-tier state-owned company with a Directorate in Zagreb, 17 forest-branch administrations and 169 forestries. The company is headed by the President of the Management Board, the work is controlled by the Supervisory Board (both appointed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia), and based decisions are made by the Company’s Assembly. The company employs about 8,000 workers, of which 1,250 have a university degree. The principles and procedures on which Croatian Forest Ltd. bases the management of state forests are defined by the Forest Act, the National Forestry Policy and Strategy, signed international agreements and conventions and the 250-year tradition of organized and regulated professional forest management on the postulates of sustainability. The basic feature of sustainable management is the care of forest resources in a way that preserves their natural structure and diversity and permanently enables their stability and survival while increasing the economic and generally useful functions of forests.