The Forest Invasion Synthesis Centre, Prague (FISC) at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague is a unique project aimed at advancing scientific understanding of the ecology and management of biological invasions in forests. It is being established under Horizon Europe, the EU‘s primary funding program for research and innovation.
The core mission of this project is to appoint a distinguished ERA Chair Holder, create a permanent research group that excels in the field of forest biological invasions, and strengthen the research and innovation capacity at the host institution. The appointed ERA Chair Holder is Dr. Andrew M. Liebhold, a renowned invasion science expert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He serves as the Chief Scientist and leads a research team specializing in various aspects of invasion science.
FISC uses the “synthesis centre” model that has been successfully applied in various other socioecological synthesis centres around the world. The synthetic research conducted at the FISC focuses on various aspects of the ecology and management of biological invasions in forests. Some centre topics are primarily ecological, focusing on problems such as the macroecology of forest insect invasions, the physiological ecology of plant invasiveness and the global impacts of insect, pathogen and plant invasions on global forest carbon cycling. Other projects focus on more socioeconomic topics, including human perceptions of non-native species in forests and economic optimization of forest biosecurity practices.
Starting in 2025, the FISC will regularly convene Working Group meetings, with members selected from the global research and innovation community. These groups will include individuals at various stages of their careers, from PhD students to senior researchers, and will represent a diverse range of sectors, including industry, policymakers, decision-makers, international organizations, and other relevant bodies. The aim of the Working Groups will be to generate breakthrough ideas in the field of invasion science. The FISC team will further develop these topics and maintain ongoing communication with the Working Group members.
Contrary to the traditional hierarchical system of research organisation, synthesis research is organised around working groups, which are formed of a diverse collection of researchers and innovators from various host institutions. The Centre facilitates assembling these working groups for two to three 1-week meetings a year, during which they brainstorm and work collaboratively on novel synthesis projects. Each of the Centre working groups is paired with a Centre postdoc whose primary focus is the topic of the working group. Each working group typically lasts 2-3 years, then is phased out, and new working groups are organised around different scientific topics. In between physical group meetings, research momentum is maintained via videoconferences and visits among working group members to the institutions of other group members.
The Centre welcomes proposals for forming new working groups around challenging problems – please contact Andrew Liebhold (Chief Scientist) at liebhold@fld.czu.cz.
| Project name | Center for Biological Invasions in Forests |
| Acronym | HIVE |
| Total budget | 2 492 350 EUR |
| EU contribution | 2 492 350 EUR |
| Implementation period | 1. 1. 2025 – 31. 12. 2029 |
| Name of programme | Horizon Europe |
