SUA in Nitra has become involved in extensive multilateral cooperation within the Belt and Road initiative
13.01.2026
The Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, through the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering (FHLE), has become involved in extensive multilateral cooperation within the Belt and Road initiative.
On the basis of a signed agreement between the Chinese Agricultural University (AU) in Shandong, partner universities, and research institutions from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, an international joint laboratory entitled “Belt and Road International Joint Laboratory for Healthy Farming and Functional Foods” was established in China. The laboratory represents a network of cooperating institutions focused on healthy agriculture, functional foods, and the “One Health” principle. It creates a platform for coordinated research by universities, joint submission of international projects, preparation of scientific publications, as well as the exchange of students and academic staff. “The research activities of the laboratory are focused on modern forms of circular agriculture, safe production of foods of plant, animal, and fermented origin, research of biologically active substances and functional food components, as well as on the development of analytical methods and laboratory accreditation,” stated the coordinator and principal investigator of the cooperation on behalf of SUA, the Vice-Dean of FHLE for International Relations and Public Relations, Professor Miroslava Kačániová, who has long been devoted to the development of international scientific and research cooperation in the fields of food science, agrobiotechnologies, and food safety.
The result of the cooperation was also the mobility of four female students from AU in Shandong, who completed a three-month professional stay at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. During the stay, they were actively involved in research activities at the AgroBioTech Research Centre, which is a key workplace of applied research within the university. “The students worked in modern laboratories, participated in solving partial research tasks, mastered advanced analytical and experimental methods, and gained practical experience with scientific work in an international academic environment. They appreciated the high level of laboratory equipment, professional supervision, and the open approach of the research centre staff. The stay enabled them not only professional growth but also comparison of research approaches applied in different countries involved in the joint laboratory,” said Professor Kačániová.
The involvement of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra in the international Belt and Road network confirms the growing position of the university in the international scientific space. At the same time, it creates solid preconditions for further development of cooperation with partner universities from various countries of the world and contributes to addressing current global challenges in the areas of food security, sustainable agriculture, and health protection, emphasized M. Kačániová.
Photo: In the photograph, students from the Chinese Agricultural University in Shandong with Professor Miroslava Kačániová and the Director of the ABT Research Centre, Professor Adriana Kolesárová.
