ABOUT

Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (SUA) is the only agricultural university in Slovak Republic and it is consistently rated in the top group for the high quality of its teaching and research in the Slovak Republic. One of the main research focuses of the university is the food sector. The food sector in Slovakia has recently been developing very dynamically, especially from the point of view of local production and from the point of view of consumers’ behaviour. The recent restructurisation of the industry involved modernisation of the production process with a result of higher productivity of labour market, better internationalisation of the production and higher quality and hygieny of food products. These facts caused the acceleration of the competitiveness of the Slovak food industry. The Slovak University of Agriculture playes an important role in this process. With its national scope, the university brings the education, research and development and the transfer into practise together. The relevant internal infrastructure of the university prioritly includes the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences (FBFS) and the AgroBioTech Research Center (ABT RC) with Transfer Centre (TC) as integral parts of the university. These university parts create the three edges of the knowledge triangle: education – research – development with an added value of transfer of the research results into the practise, being represented by the Transfer Centre. At SUA there are 2 top scientific teams approved by the Accreditation Commission of the Government of the Slovak Republic: CeRA and ProPhyCrop.

The position of the university from the point of view of external relations is quite unique in Slovakia. The university created National Platform AgroBioFood Nitra supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic, recognizing it as an expert partner for R&D in the field of foodstuffs and biotechnology.

Significant at national level is the involvement of SUA in the long-term strategic research "Applied Research on Sustainable and Innovative Food", which is in line with the Food Industry Development Concept for 2014-2020. The objectives and measures are aimed at increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of the Slovak food industry in the European and world market. The project consortium also plans to make active use of the Rural Development Programme (2014-2020), which offers opportunities for expanding cooperation with practice through operational groups under the The agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI). The macro-regional dimension of the project contributes to the European Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), in particular to the priority areas 7 (Knowledge Society) and 8 (Competitiveness of Enterprises). The thematic follow on the (i) completed FP7 project NoGAP by strengthening the commercialization of research results and innovative support services to strengthen existing and establish new strategic partnerships, promote networking between EU countries and so- The Eastern Partnership, as well as the ongoing (ii) ongoing Interreg Made in Danube project, which focuses on the use of the Danube Transfer Centers Network to support the development of innovative products, services and processes in the field of bio-economy through international cooperation and to strengthen the internationalization of small and medium- enterprises in the Danube region.

SUA, together with the members of the Platform, is actively involved in European and international initiatives and programmes within the European Research Infrastructure for Food, Nutrition and Health (FNH-RI). The platform is already participating in the preparation of the PROSPECT FNH-RI proposal for a detailed Roadmap and participates in supporting European activities for FNH-RI, RICHFIELDS, FOODforce, SAFE consortium and others. FNH-RI will participate in the Food2030 agenda to facilitate support for healthy food and farming policies, contribute to national research budgets,

stimulate collaboration between research and businesses, and contribute to knowledge and innovation in food and agriculture. In addition, focusing activities are in line with other international strategy papers, WHO (Food and Nutrition Action Plan for 2017-2025), the JRC (Delivering on EU Food Safety and Nutrition in 2050) and the EU (Soil strategy and soil protection policy). An important milestone will be the involvement in the Consortium of the European Knowledge and Innovation Community for the Food Ecosystem (EIT Food). SUA is a member of the excellent ERA (European Research Area) and the following international organizations: Visegrad University Association.