Vision of the Institute for Plant Protection and Environment

Institute for Plant Protection and Environment envisions to exploit available potential and resources as well as to develop new ones in order to create a development policy with tendency of accomplishing research excellence and strategic guidance to achieve sustainable success. Institute plans to keep the status of accredited RDI which is conducting scientific research of public interest, keep the services of plant health diagnostics for public and private sector, but also to build the capacities to reach the status of scientific institute and a somewhat educational center important for knowledge transfer and academic profiling of young researchers. Research activities will be focused on reaching the excellence and relevance with clear accent on creating a qualitative infrastructure and competitiveness of researchers for future innovations.

Research areas will be of applicative value primarily oriented to solve the major issues in agriculture. Priority will be given to improvement of diagnostic methods for quarantine, economically important and invasive plant pathogens, pests and weeds; analysis of the consequences the intensive agricultural practice has on appearance of the plant pests’ resistance to chemical treatments; building a methodological framework to achieve a sustainable agricultural production with biological treatments; building an integrative pest management strategy and its application in organic and conventional farming. Institute envisions to become an extended part of the University of Belgrade, by providing its researchers with acknowledged scientific excellence and high citation index, to participate as lecturers at the state faculties. The laboratories of the Institute could be used for knowledge transfer and education of young researchers and students by organizing the seminars, workshops, practical training.

The vision is that the Institute along with the universities participates in strategic profiling of researchers needed to address the problems in agriculture of interest for economy and society. Institute plans to keep the status of a reliable partner providing the service of plant health diagnostics in collaboration with Plant Protection Directorate (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management), agricultural services and phytosanitary inspectors, farmers and traders. Following the possibilities recognized in laws regulating the plant health protection, pesticides and fertilizers use, Institute is planning to renew the authorization by the Plant Protection Directorate to conduct the health inspection of plants for the presence of pests (insects, phytoplasma, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, viruses); analyses of physical-chemical parameters of pesticides and fertilizers in process of registration for the trade license; biological testing of pesticides for licensing issues; evaluation of active matter of pesticides registered for trade and use in Serbia etc. Institute will work on establishing a contact and cooperation with the Ministry of Environment Protection, as there are many opportunities recognized.

For this it is necessary without hesitation to define clear strategic goals, reorganize and strengthen the infrastructure and form a team of researchers competent and ready to meet the demands of economic and social challenges defined as priorities in national strategies. Opportunities are recognized in the potential of the Institute to participate in transferring the knowledge in the field of plant health protection and providing food for the future. Institute could reconsider the possibility to create the center of excellence for those research fields for which the Institute has the infrastructure, equipment, methodology, but in the first place competent researchers. Center of excellence could become a strategic partner providing scientific and technical support to governmental, local, regional officials in solving the bursting problems of public interest, primarily plant health issues in agriculture or environmental protection.