Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences

The Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Olsztyn has been operating since 1988.

Areas

food technology and nutrition, animal husbandry

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The Institute of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences organized a Polish-Icelandic summer school entitled “Utilization of by-products of the agri-food industry” as part of the EEA funds. The photo shows students visiting Friðheimar Greenhouses, where tomatoes are grown using fully organic methods, powered by geothermal water and assisted by insects.

It conducts interdisciplinary research explaining the mechanisms of environmental impact, including food, on human quality of life and animal welfare. The unit’s scientific activities include biotechnology and reproductive biotechnology, interactions between food components and the human body, improving the nutritional value of food, innovative diagnostic tools, sustainable aquaculture, and biodiversity conservation.

The Institute has two Centers of Excellence, the international CENEXFOOD and the national BIOANIREP. The ongoing WELCOME2 ERA Chair (Horizon 2020) project will create another one in the field of nutrigenomics. The Institute has the status of a National Leading Scientific Center and is a member of the European Knowledge and Innovation Community EIT Food – a partnership between science and business for innovation in the agri-food sector. It has the “HR Excellence in Research” logo, which guarantees the highest standards of human resources policy.

The Polish horse has been bred at the Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Popielno for over 70 years.
Photo: Archives of the Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences

The Institute’s research teams benefit from the methodological and infrastructural support of core facility laboratories, including Molecular Biology, Cell and Tissue Analysis and Imaging, Food Sensory Science, Metabolomics, and Proteomics. The Institute has a Research Station in Popielno, where research is conducted on local cattle breeds and the Polish horse, which has been bred there for over 70 years.

The Institute trains young staff – it is the leader of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School of Agricultural Sciences, implements scholarship programs (including PACIFIC) and organizes international summer schools developing competencies in entrepreneurship and innovation. For its exemplary implementation of the mission of social responsibility in science, the Institute was awarded the title of “Science Popularizer” in a competition organized by the Polish Press Agency and the Ministry of Science as the best institution in the country.