On November 24, 2022, a panel discussion titled: Experiences and models of cooperation between research institutions and business in the field of agribusiness was held at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture. The aim of the panel discussion was to bring together representatives of the agribusiness sector and the research community to discuss the importance of economic research for management in agribusiness. Four panelists participated in the discussion: Ante Andabaka (Syngenta Agro d.o.o.), Miroslav Božić (Croatian Sugar Industry d.d.), Josip Kraljičković (Zagreb County) and Zoran Šimunić (Naše Klasje d.o.o.). The panelists first introduced the companies or institutions they come from and then talked about the forms of cooperation with research institutions, their satisfaction with this cooperation and the possibilities of its improvement. A total of 42 people followed the discussion, including students and scientists from the Faculty of Agriculture and other three institutions in Croatia.
Following the introduction of the panelists, a discussion ensued from which two major proposals emerged. First, cooperation between the research community and the Ministry of Agriculture should be intensified. The Ministry of Agriculture almost never uses economic research when planning and evaluating agricultural policies. Second, the existing system of promotion (i.e. advancement) of scientists at research institutions does not take into account cooperation with the business community as a criterion, which practice should be changed.
The conclusion of the panel discussion is that the challenging business environment requires quick and risky decisions. Therefore, strategic decisions based on the results of the latest scientific research, among which economic research plays a key role, and are necessary for the successful management of companies. The Center for Experimental Economics at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, which began its work last year in frame of the AgriFoodBoost project, is expected to give new impetus to collaboration between the agribusiness and the research community.
The panel was co-organized by the Croatian Society of Agricultural Economists(HAED).
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