To help the Czech agriculture and food industry to strengthen its competitiveness and to cope with future challenges caused by environmental changes and technological developments through scientific research. This is the main task of CARC – Czech Agrifood Research Center, which is established by the Ministry of Agriculture. It brings together experts from three research institutes and started its activities on 1 January 2025.
CARC was established by merging the Research Institute of Agricultural Technology (Výzkumný ústav zemědělské techniky) and the Food Research Institute Prague (Výzkumný ústav potravinářský Praha) with the Crop Research Institute Prague (Výzkumný ústav rostlinné výroby). The scientific projects are continuing and the integration means savings for the state budget in the order of millions of crowns per year.
„This step will not jeopardise any of the ongoing research, but the management will be more rational. The three previously separate research institutes are being merged into one,“ Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný pointed out. „It will now be easier for research teams from smaller institutes to participate in international projects and access European grant support, as they will be supported by a stronger research infrastructure. Connecting experts from existing institutions and sharing knowledge and experience will help to increase the efficiency of research activities and the transfer of results into practice.“ The Ministry of Agriculture expects that the merger of the three institutions into one will also bring savings, particularly in the purchase of materials and services, as well as in operating and overhead costs.