Although the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (FTZ) at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague is one of the University's smaller faculties, it continues to rank among its strongest research-performing institutions. The 2025 Annual Report highlights outstanding publication productivity, exceptional success in securing competitive research funding, and an increasingly strong international research profile.
In 2025, FTZ researchers published 128 scientific papers indexed in international databases. The faculty has maintained this high level of scientific productivity over the past three years, averaging approximately 130 publications annually. Considering that FTZ employs only 34 academic staff members, this represents an exceptionally high publication output per academic employee. Nearly half of the academic staff published three or more scientific papers during the year.
FTZ also achieved remarkable results in research project acquisition. According to university benchmarking, the faculty reached 0.68 research projects per academic or research employee, compared to the CZU average of 0.27, placing FTZ among the University's most efficient faculties in securing competitive research funding and implementing international projects.
These achievements are built on a long-term strategy that supports high-quality research, international collaboration, and the development of research teams. FTZ actively promotes publication excellence, integrates doctoral students into research activities, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, and participates in prestigious European programmes, including Horizon Europe.
"In research, we have further increased our international visibility and competitiveness while maintaining the highest publication output per academic staff member. Our research teams have successfully contributed to major international projects, strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration, and expanded their capacities through the establishment of new postdoctoral positions," said Assoc. Prof. Hynek Roubík, Dean of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences at CZU Prague.
Research at FTZ is closely integrated with doctoral education. PhD students actively participate in research teams and grant projects, publish in Impact Factor journals, and benefit from extensive international mobility opportunities. In 2025, the faculty enrolled 86 doctoral students who significantly contributed to the faculty's scientific output and international collaboration.
International cooperation remains one of FTZ's defining strengths. The faculty collaborates with partners across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, actively participates in networks such as ELLS, Agrinatura, and YPARD, and implements collaborative research and development projects focused on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, food security, renewable energy, and rural development.
The 2025 Annual Report confirms that the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences is a modern, internationally connected research institution whose scientific productivity and global impact significantly exceed what might be expected from a faculty of its size. Through research, education, and innovation, FTZ continues to contribute to addressing today's global challenges.